Program Mission, Goals, and Objectives
Mission:
The Graduate Program in Clinical Nutrition prepares competent entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists to be nutrition experts, leaders and advocates through nutritional sciences and interprofessional education, research, and promotion of the nutritional well-being of diverse communities.
Goals and Objectives:
Program Goal #1: The program will prepare graduates to be competent entry-level dietitians.
Objectives:
- At least 80% of program graduates complete program/degree requirements within 3 years (150% of the program length).
- Of graduates who seek employment, 90% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
- At least 80% of graduates will obtain a mean rating for skill level on employer surveys of four or higher on a 5-point scale (5-excellent, 1-unacceptable) for entry level practice.
- 90% of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
- The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%.
- Over a 3-year period, at least 80% of all graduates who take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists will pass on the first attempt.
- At least 80% of graduates will provide a mean rating for skill level of four or higher on a 5-point scale (5-excellent, 1-unacceptable) for entry level practice.
Program Goal #2: The program will prepare graduates to advocate for nutrition and demonstrate leadership through their contributions to the dietetic profession.
Objectives:
- At least 90% of graduates responding to alumni surveys will be members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and/or other related professional organizations within three years of program completion.
- At least 50% of graduates responding to alumni surveys will report holding an appointed or elected position in a dietetics-related professional organization or activity on a committee within three years of program completion.
- At least 50% of graduates responding to alumni surveys will have contributed to the advancement of the dietetics profession through a professional publication (i.e. journal, professional newsletter, abstract) or presentation at a professional meeting within three years of program completion.
Program outcome data are available upon request.
Academic and Program Calendar
The Academic Calendar can be found at: https://www.rushu.rush.edu/rush-experience/student-services/office-registrar/academic-calendars. The Rush University Graduate Program in Clinical Nutrition calendar is defined under the College of Health Sciences with some special designations pertaining to Clinical Nutrition.
You must complete the following steps to become a registered dietitian:
- Complete an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)-accredited supervised practice program.
- Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, or CDR.
- Many states have regulatory laws (i.e., licensure) for dietitians and nutritionists. these requirements are often met by similar training to becoming an RDN.
- Illinois state licensure info can be found at www.idfpr.com.
Effective Jan. 1, 2024:
The Commission on Dietetic Registration, or CDR, will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist.
To be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s, you must meet all eligibility requirements. You must also be submitted into CDR’s Registration Eligibility Processing System before midnight Central Time, Dec. 31, 2023.
Visit CDR’s website for more information about this requirement.
In addition, CDR requires you to complete coursework and supervised practice in programs accredited by ACEND.
Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited Graduate Program at Rush University are eligible to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN.
Graduation Requirements
You need to successfully complete the required 48 credit hours for graduation. This includes a minimum of 1,000 supervised experiential learning hours.
You must complete all program requirements within 31.5 months from the time the program is started.
The following is required to graduate:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater
- Successfully complete all didactic coursework
- Successfully complete all required supervised experiential learning experiences
- Successfully complete all requirements of the master’s research project
- Pass the Rush University Interprofessional course
- Complete a minimum of 16 contact hours of approved professional or community service
Review the course catalog for our most up-to-date curriculum information.
Course Curriculum
First year
Fall term
- CHS - 610 Research Methods in Health Sciences (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 629 Food Systems Management (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 629P Practice in Food Systems Management (Credits: 5)
- NTR - 682 Research Methods Application and Special Topics in Clinical Nutrition (Credits: 1)
- IPE - 502 Interprofessional Patient-Centered Teams (Credits: 0)
Spring term
- CHS - 601 Introduction to Biostatistics (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 621 Regulation of Macronutrients and Energy Metabolism (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 625 Fundamentals of Nutrition Care (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 625P Practice in Fundamentals of Nutrition Care (Credits: 3)
- NTR - 683 Clinical Nutrition Master’s Research Project I (Credits: 1)
- IPE - 502 Interprofessional Patient-Centered Teams (Credits: 0)
Summer term
- NTR - 628 Community Nutrition (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 628P Practice in Community Nutrition (Credits: 5)
- NTR - 684 Clinical Nutrition Master’s Research Project II (Credits: 1)
- NTR - 691 Nutrition Epidemiology (Credits: 3)
Second year
Fall term
- NTR - 622 Vitamins and Minerals (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 626 Clinical Nutrition I (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 626P Practice in Clinical Nutrition I (Credits: 4)
- NTR - 685 Clinical Nutrition Master’s Research Project III (Credits: 1)
Spring term
- NTR - 627 Clinical Nutrition II (Credits: 2)
- NTR - 627P Practice in Clinical Nutrition II (Credits: 4)
- NTR - 686 Clinical Nutrition Master’s Research Project IV (Credits: 2)
Program total: 48 credit hours
View the current course catalog
Refer to the course catalog for our most up-to-date curriculum information.