Master's Degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics

Transform Lives Through Nutrition With a Dietetics Master's Degree

Dietitians and nutritionists play a crucial role in helping people maintain and improve their health through better dietary choices that can lead to significant improvements in quality of life, disease prevention, and management of chronic conditions.

Due to increasing awareness about the importance of nutrition and the rising prevalence of diet-related diseases, the demand for dietitians and nutritionists is growing.

To join the field and work as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), you must earn a master’s in nutrition or dietetics. To meet the need for RDNs, Viterbo University has been granted approval to offer an online Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics degree.

Our dietetics master’s program offers four unique options. Coursework is 100% online, and you can complete your coordinated internship anywhere in the United States.

Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics - Initial RDN License Prep/Direct Entry

This 63-credit-hour dietetics master’s program combines foundational coursework with the dietetic coordinated internship necessary to become a registered dietitian. You will obtain advanced nutrition skills through graduate coursework with an emphasis in your area of interest. This dietetics program track includes supervised practice, providing you with all experiences needed to take the registration exam to become a registered dietitian.

To apply for the direct entry dietetics master’s program, you must complete the following pre-enrollment courses with a grade of C or better and send your official transcript to Viterbo. Courses include:

Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab
Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab
Biochemistry
General Chemistry or Chemistry for Health Sciences
Microbiology with Lab
Organic Chemistry

Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics - Dual Master’s with Dietetic Internship

If you have already graduated from a didactic nutrition program, you are eligible for our dual dietetics master’s with a dietetic internship. You will further your nutritional knowledge and skills through the internship and graduate-level coursework.

You can choose from numerous electives to design your graduate dietetics program around your area of interest. You can also opt for either:

A 48-credit hour non-thesis clinical focus that provides intensive supervised practice hours if you want additional patient care experience, or
A 39-credit hour thesis track that meets accreditation requirements for supervised practice hours while providing you with experience working one-on-one with a research advisor to conduct your own research.

If you have already graduated from a didactic dietetics program, you can also opt to apply only for the dietetic internship program.

Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics - RDNs

Our 30-credit hour dietetics master’s program is designed for current RDNs who want to advance their expertise and scope of practice.

This evidence-based program equips you with the advanced skills, knowledge, and behaviors to grow within the field. Emphasis is on disease prevention and management, and you can choose electives that accentuate your current work.

The variety of electives and subsequent research project offer you the flexibility to enhance your current practice or develop expertise in a specific area of personal interest.

Dietetic Internship

If you have earned your bachelor’s degree and completed the knowledge requirements of a DPD program—as defined by the 2017 Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics’ Standards of Education—our dietetic program internship will help you complete your education requirements to become an RDN.

Dietetics Master’s Program Highlights

If you want to work as an RDN, you must earn a master’s in nutrition or dietetics. Our dietetics programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and provide the coursework and internship experiences you need to succeed in the field.

Specific benefits of our dietetics programs include:

Experienced faculty. Our faculty members bring a wealth of diverse expertise, having conducted research in areas such as cancer, maternal nutrition, community nutrition, food science, food service, obesity, inflammation, sports nutrition, neurodegenerative disorders, and beyond.
Time commitment. Our unique dietetics programs require less time to complete than other programs, which makes Viterbo more affordable in the long run.
Convenience. Not only is coursework offered 100% online, but you can also complete your dietetics master’s clinical hours anywhere in the country. We will assist you in securing your clinical placements, so you won’t have to search for a site on your own. Some of our sites offer opportunities to work with NCAA Division I or professional sports teams, such as the Minnesota Vikings. You could even complete your 1,000 hours of supervised practice in Spain or Denmark.
Personalized attention. With courses capped at just 26 students, you will receive personalized attention from your faculty members. You will also be paired with a dedicated academic and research advisor to help you achieve your career goals.
Connection. Our Student Dietetics Association provides opportunities to network, volunteer, and raise funds for study materials for the RD exam or travel to nutrition conferences.

What Can You Do With a Master’s in Nutrition or Dietetics?

Now is an excellent time to graduate as an RDN. There is a multitude of positions available and a shortage of dietitians to fill them.

You will be qualified for a variety of career paths, including:

Clinical dietetics
Community nutrition
Food service management
Private practice
Research
Sports nutrition

This diversity allows you to find niches that perfectly align with your interests and skills.

Examples of Dietetics Master’s Program Courses

In our graduate dietetics programs, you can choose electives based on your professional and personal goals. We offer emphases in sports nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, and community medical dietetics. Other electives include:

Advanced Sports Nutrition
Nutrigenomics
Nutrition and Cancer
Nutrition and Inflammation
Nutrition Entrepreneurs: How To Build a Private Practice
Systems Approach to Obesity Management

You can also choose electives from the nutrition department, mental health counseling, health care management, or the MBA program.

We also offer the Sports Nutrition and the Mediterranean Diet elective, in which you can complete a portion of your clinical hours counseling professional athletes in Spain.

If you choose the thesis option for your dietetics master’s, you will complete two research courses under the advisement of an expert in your choice of research area.