Online Master's Degree Available

Morrison Healthcare Dietetic Internship has a partnership with The University of Alabama (UA) and with Texas Tech University (TTU) to provide students with the opportunity to enroll in a fully online, 30-credit-hour Master of Science program in Human Nutrition. Students who are already enrolled in other universities for their graduate degree can still be accepted. If planning to study through UA or TTU, students should apply at the same time they are applying to the Morrison Healthcare Dietetic Internship, as the two organizations work together for acceptance to both programs (see Prospective Student tab). If you are applying to the Spring match with a DICAS deadline of Feb 15, you should also apply to UA or TTU by that time so they can review your application and inform the student of acceptance by March 22 (2 weeks prior to the match). The student should send us an email with their acceptance letter from the UA or TTU grad school by March 22. 

The internship and graduate degree are designed to be completed within 18 months. During the first summer semester, students enroll in 6 credits, which will serve as foundational knowledge for the program. During the following fall and spring semesters, students will complete supervised practice hours 4 days/week, along with 6 graduate hours each semester. At the completion of supervised practice, the student will have 18 of the 30 required hours, with the remaining 12 hours completed in the following summer and fall semesters (6 hours each semester).

Sample schedule with UA Master Program and Morrison Healthcare DI

Course Listing

• POPH 522            Biostatistics (3)
• NHM 509             Research Methods (3)
• NHM 530             Advanced Nutrition Counseling (3)
• NHM 573             Advanced Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism (3)
• NHM 572             Metabolism of Energy Nutrients (3)
• NHM 566             Advanced Clinical Nutrition (3)
• NHM 567             Nutrition Support of the Critically Ill (3)
• NHM 585             Clinical Nutrition Management (3)
• NHM 587             Integrated Food Systems Management (3)
• NHM 588             Advanced Food Service Systems Management (3)

Total: 30 credits

A student must complete both the Dietetic Internship and have a conferred master’s degree prior to obtaining their Verification Statement to sit for the RDN exam through CDR.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Graduate School requires: overall 3.0 GPA, an overall 3.0 GPA in the last 60 semester hours, or a 3.0 GPA in a graduate program.

If the GPA is lower than recommended, students may be considered for admission on a Permission to Continue Status. For further information see:

https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate/about/academic-policies/admission-criteria/

No GRE required.

Costs

• Application cost to graduate school: $65 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents and $80 for international students
• Distance Learning Graduate Tuition Rates: $440 per credit hour.  If completing the entire master's online, $440 x 30 hours= $13,200 plus additional fees.
• Textbooks: $100-$400/semester, depending on the courses and required resources.

Students enrolled in degree programs in the Graduate School at The University of Alabama are eligible to apply for federally supported financial aid.

Read more detailed information on courses, admission requirements, credit hours, contact information, and tuition costs at: http://www.nhm.ches.ua.edu/dietetic-internship.html and  for more information, contact the Human Nutrition program director, Dr. Tiffany Hylton, RDN, LD, at tmhylton@ches.ua.edu

Sample Course with Texas Tech University and Morrison Healthcare Dietetic Internship

 The TTU online Master's Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics stands out for its practice-based and work-centered design. The degree is 100% online and asynchronous which allows flexibility for interns to complete the degree at their pace and provides courses that increase the necessary knowledge and skills utilized in nutrition and dietetics practice areas such as nutrition support, sports nutrition, eating disorders, culinary medicine, leadership, etc. Program completion time is dependent upon how many hours each student takes each semester. Students will need to complete 30 credit hours (9 hours of core courses and 21 hours of electives) to complete the degree. For a complete degree plan and course offerings visit: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/ns/masters/docs/NTDT_MS_Non-Thesis_Sep2021.pdf.

All students will receive in-state tuition and financial aid is available for students who qualify. Although variable, the total cost (tuition and fees) for the program is ~$14,000. Up to 6 hours of graduate coursework as transfer credit may be applied to the degree. You can learn more about the program here: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/ns/masters/online_masters.php Please complete your TTU online Master's application ahead of time (Feb 1) to ensure you receive the decision of your acceptance ahead. You will need to submit the acceptance letter if you get selected for the MHC internship. Note that TTU MS application is not on DICAS, it is completed directly on their website. 

For more information, contact Dr. Allison Childress at allison.childress@ttu.edu