About the Program

Enrollment in a combined pathway allows highly qualified, current SUNY Buffalo State University students to work on the Master of Science in Dietetics while completing the bachelor’s degree. Up to 12 credits of designated master’s courses are incorporated into the bachelor’s degree program and will count toward both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree. The undergraduate portion of the pathway is in-person. The M.S., Dietetics is online.

The Dietetics Combined Pathway has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) as Future Education Model (FEM) graduate program (www.eatrightpro.org/FutureModel). FEM accreditation standards integrate didactic coursework with supervised experiential learning in a competency-based curriculum designed to prepare nutrition and dietetics practitioners for future practice. Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).

About the Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics Department

334 Caudell Hall
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone: (716) 878-5913
Fax: (716) 878-5834
https://hnd.buffalostate.edu/

Admission Requirements

Admission into the combined pathway is highly selective. Matriculated undergraduate students may apply to the B.S. and M.S. pathway in their second year for a junior year start and will complete all of the application requirements for the program. The admission application process includes a minimum GPA of 2.75, completion of prerequisite courses specified for the BS, Dietetics two letters of recommendation, two faculty interviews, and personal statement. To advance to the master’s portion of the pathway, a GPA 3.0 is required.

Professional Licensure Disclosure
New York State prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in New York State. SUNY’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements. This is a role SUNY plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, this disclosure will help you check to see what that state requires.

Enrolled students and prospective students are strongly encouraged to contact their State’s licensure entity using the links provided in the full disclosure document to review all licensure and certification requirements imposed by their state(s) of choice.

Review full disclosure and licensure by state.

Program Requirements

The combined pathway requires 144 credits total, of which 30 are master’s credits leading to the M.S. in Dietetics. Students who complete the pathway become eligible to sit for the RDN credentialing exam as the pathway includes 1000 hours of experiential learning and ACEND required competencies.

The program requires careful planning that should begin in the first year of the student’s undergraduate career at SUNY Buffalo State University. The student their primary advisor should consult each semester in planning the undergraduate degree program so that these requirements are met during undergraduate study and that up to 12 credits of master’s courses from the M.S. Program in Dietetics are included in the degree plan. Students must meet graduate expectations for academic progress and grade point average in their master’s level courses to remain in the combined pathway.

Dietetics, B.S.

General Education 23 Requirements

24 credit hours 24
Required Undergraduate courses for the major
NFS 100 INTRODUCTION TO FOOD PREPARATION 3
NFS 102 INTRODUCTORY NUTRITION 3
NFS 200 APPLIED FOOD CHEMISTRY 1
NFS 211 APPLIED MANAGEMENT IN DIETETICS I 3
NFS 230 INTRODUCTION TO DIETETICS 2
NFS 302 ADVANCED NUTRITION 3
NFS 311 APPLIED MANAGEMENT IN DIETETICS II 3
NFS 315 LIFE CYCLE AND COMMUNITY NUTRITION I 3
NFS 316 LIFE CYCLE AND COMMUNITY NUTRITION II 3
NFS 330 INTEGRATIVE AND FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION 1
NFS 401 MEDICAL NUTRITIONAL THERAPY I 4
NFS 402 MEDICAL NUTRITIONAL THERAPY II 3
NFS 403 MEDICAL NUTRITIONAL THERAPY III 3
NFS 405 PRINCIPLES OF NUTRITION EDUCATION 2
NFS 430 INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITION RESEARCH 3
NFS 445 NUTRITION CARE A 3
NFS 446 NUTRITION CARE B 3
NFS 447 NUTRITION CARE C 5
NFS 448 NUTRITION CARE D 5
NFS 449 NUTRITIONAL CARE E (NUTRITIONAL CARE OF LONG-TERM PATIENTS) 2
NFS 471 EXPERIENCES IN HEALTH CARE FOOD SERVICE SYSTEMS 3

Required courses outside the major (32 credit hours)
BIO 100 PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY 3
BIO 308 SURVEY OF HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 3
BIO 309 LABORATORY SURVEY OF HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 1
BIO 355 SURVEY OF MICROBIOLOGY 3
CHE 111
& CHE 113 FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY I
and LABORATORY FOR FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY I 4
CHE 112
& CHE 114 FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY II
and LABORATORY FOR FUNDAMENTALS OF CHEMISTRY II 4
CHE 321 PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 4
CHE 322 BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 4
MAT 311 INTRODUCTORY PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS (or equivalent) 3
PSY 101 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 3

Required Graduate courses (12 credit hours)
NFS 601 LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN DIETETICS 3
NFS 605 CURRENT TRENDS IN NUTRITION * 3
NFS 689 METHODS OF NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH * 3
HEW 605 EPIDEMIOLOGY * 3
Total Credit Hours 123

Dietetics, M.S.
Required Graduate major courses (24 credit hours)
NFS 601 LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN DIETETICS 3
NFS 605 CURRENT TRENDS IN NUTRITION * 3
HEW 605 EPIDEMIOLOGY * 3
NFS 607 EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT AND DIABETES PREVENTION AND TREATMENT 3
NFS 609 EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN ADVANCED MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY 3
NFS 612 NUTRITION COUNSELING 3
NFS 689 METHODS OF NUTRITIONAL RESEARCH * 3
NFS 690 MASTER'S PROJECT 3
Graduate Electives (6 credit hours) 6
Total Graduate Credit Hours 30
*
Courses used in the B.S. and M.S. simultaneously.