Pre-Nutritional Science

The coordinated program at OU’s Department of Nutritional Sciences is one-of-a-kind in Oklahoma. This program prepares students to become Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) who use food to improve their patients' lives. This career field is highly flexible! RDNs work across the spectrum of health and disease, from developing new methods of food production and food service to preventing disease and enhancing performance in healthy individuals to reducing the burden of disease after diagnosis.

There are 3 steps to becoming an RDN:

• classroom education, 
• internship experience (also called supervised practice), and 
• passing the national registration exam

A Nutritional Sciences student typically has interests in:

• Food, 
• Health
• Disease prevention
• Medicine
• Biology
• Psychology. 

High school preparation should include study in biology and chemistry.

A Nutritional Sciences student completes the program and graduates with a Master of Arts in Dietetics degree.

Students in the MA program have the option of also applying to the Master of Science program, in which they can gain additional individualized education and research training.

A Nutritional Sciences student completes the program and graduates with a Master of Arts in Dietetics degree. Students in the MA program have the option of also applying to the Master of Science program, in which they can gain additional individualized education and research training.

OU’s Master of Arts in Dietetics program is unique in Oklahoma because it seamlessly combines classroom instruction with the internship experience. Students take classes at the same time that they complete over 1200 internship hours—what they learn in class, they put immediately into practice. Students work with talented preceptors throughout the state of Oklahoma to gain on-the-job training for a variety of career paths and begin networking for future employment opportunities. Upon graduation from the program, they are ready to take the national registration exam and become an RDN.

During their supervised practice, students experience many areas of nutritional sciences: food service management, community nutrition and clinical nutrition. The experience allows students to work with dietitians to “try” a job while they are in school, giving them clear direction on their career path. The supervised practice experience also gives students a competitive edge in the job market upon graduation, because they have been networking in the profession for over two years. OU graduates can be found across the country and in every type of position related to nutrition.

In the MA degree program, students begin by taking a minimum of 90 hours in prerequisite courses at OU's Norman Campus to gain a strong science background as preparation for this challenging program. After meeting prerequisite courses, they can then apply to the Nutritional Sciences program at OU's Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. 

After meeting prerequisite courses, they can then apply to the Nutritional Sciences program at OU's Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. Once accepted to the program, they begin coursework specific to nutrition. Courses include:

• Experimental Foods (the science of cooking)
• Nutrition during the Life Cycle (normal nutrition care for all stages of the life cycle from pregnancy to old age)
• Medical Nutrition Therapy (nutrition intervention for people with disease) 
• Quantity Foods and Food Service Management (how to direct a production kitchen and run a nutrition-related business)
• Community Nutrition (reaching large populations with nutrition education)

Students have many options for employment, including the following:

• Hospitals and long-term healthcare facilities
• Schools
• Health departments
• Food and pharmaceutical companies
• Grocery stores and community gardens
• Self-employment

Here is where our recent graduates are working now:

• Project Dietician, Oklahoma Nutritional Information and Education Project
• Research Study Coordinator and Data Manger, Cornell University
• Diabetes Coordinator, Integris Diabetes Education and Prevention Program
• WIC Nutritionist, Oklahoma State Department of Health

Experienced Alumni Jobs:

• Director of National Accounts, Mead Johnson Nutrition
• Senior Clinical Dietitian, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Manager of Employee Wellness, Methodist Health System
• Home-Based Primary Care Dietician, VA Medical Center
• Clinical Dietician, The Children's Center Rehabilitation Hospital
• Sports Dietician, multiple university and professional teams
• Director of Food and Nutrition Services, OU Medical Center
• Professor, multiple universities

Visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ website to explore the median pay for jobs you can pursue with this degree. 

The dietetics program in the Department of Nutritional Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.