Online Master's Degree Available

Morrison Healthcare Dietetic Internship partners with The University of Alabama (UA) and Texas Tech University (TTU) to allow students to enroll in a fully online, 30-credit-hour Master of Science program in Human Nutrition. Students already enrolled in other universities for their graduate degree can still be accepted. If planning to study through UA or TTU, students should apply simultaneously 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 so they can review your application and inform the student of acceptance by March 22 (2 weeks before the match). The student should email us 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. Students will complete supervised practice hours 4 days/week and six graduate hours each semester during the following fall and spring semesters. After 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

	Summer 1 (June-early Aug)	Fall 1 (Aug-mid Dec)	Spring 1 (Jan-mid May)	Summer 2 (June-early Aug)
14 months	·   NHM 566 ·   NHM 587 ·   NHM 572	Clinical Rotations ·  NHM 585* ·  NHM 567 Mgt Rotations ·  NHM 588* · POPH 522	Clinical Rotations ·  NHM 585* ·  NHM 567 Mgt Rotations ·  NHM 588* · POPH 522	·  NHM 509 ·  NHM 573 ·  NHM 597 Verification Statement

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 the Dietetic Internship and a conferred master’s degree before 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.

Students may be considered for admission on a Permission to Continue Status if the GPA is lower than recommended. 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 are $440 per credit hour if you complete 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 can 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

	Summer (June-early Aug) (9 hours)	Fall (Aug-mid Dec) (6 hours)	Spring (Jan-mid May) (6 hours)	Summer (June-early Aug) (9 hours)
15 months	Core course Elective Elective	Core Course Elective Dietetic Internship	Core course Elective Dietetic Internship	Elective Elective Elective Exit Exams

 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 own 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 depends on how many hours each student takes each semester. To complete the degree, students must complete 30 credit hours (9 hours of core courses and 21 hours of electives). 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; financial aid is available for qualifying students. Although variable, the program's total cost (tuition and fees) 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 (Feb 1) to ensure you receive your acceptance decision ahead of time. You must submit the acceptance letter if you get selected for the MHC internship. Note that the 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