DI courses descriptions
Dietetic Internship Curriculum
NUTN 504 Supervised Practice, 6 credits/term; Fall, Winter, and Spring Terms for a total of 18 credits
Supervised Practice provides students with experience in community, food service, clinical, and advanced practice
settings. Students practice and apply principles and skills in dietetics and nutrition to real situations under the
guidance of professionals in the field. Evaluations by preceptors follow competencies defined by the Accreditation
Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Prerequisites: Acceptance in to Dietetic Internship Program
NUTN 510 Principles of Dietetics I, 4 credits, Fall Term
This course is the first in a series of three pertaining to the principles of clinical dietetics (NUTN 510, 511 and 512).
The focus of NUTN 510 is nutrition education and community nutrition/public health. Theories/models of behavior
change are reviewed, as well as effective methods for nutrition education, materials development, and program
evaluation. Students are also exposed to a variety of community programs, including health promotion programs
targeting different age groups, as well as community‐based food and nutrition programs.
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship Program
NUTN 511 Principles of Dietetics II, 4 credits, Winter Term
Nutrition 511 includes an overview and application of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) for common chronic
diseases/disorders. The course consists of four MNT sections; cardiovascular disease, diabetes, renal disease and
nutrition support. Problem based learning (PBL), a small group teaching method will be utilized to facilitate the
acquisition of knowledge in clinical dietetics, as well as to foster critical thinking and communication skills of group
members.
Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship Program; undergraduate MNT course
NUTN 512 Principles of Dietetics III, 4 credits, Spring Term
NUTN 512 builds upon the nutrition fundamentals covered in NUTN 511 with integration of MNT for complex clinical
condition and combinations of disease states.
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship Program; NUTN 511, undergraduate MNT course.
Prerequisite: B‐ or better in NUTN 511
NUTN 513 Applied Dietetics I, 2 credits, Fall Term
This course is built around completing an interactive group project designed to enhance communication, research,
and team building skills; it fulfills some competencies related to management skills. Students generally develop a
product from the initial concept, needs assessment, product development and testing, and marketing and distribution.
Past products have included foods (such as a pasta mix, packaged for holiday sales; product development included
research into nutrition labeling standards) and educational CD‐ROMs.
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship Program or permission from instructor
NUTN 514 Applied Dietetics II, 2 credits, Winter Term
The goal of this class is to provide an overview of research methods, the process of conducting a critical review of the
literature, and the development of a viable research proposal on a specific nutrition related question. The lectures
provide an introduction to different types of nutrition research that may be encountered when conducting a literature
review and specific strengths and weaknesses of study designs to be considered when writing up a review and
recommendations. For masters students, this course guides the development of their proposal for thesis or capstone
projects.
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship Program or permission from instructor
NUTN 515 Applied Dietetics III, 2 credits, Spring Term
In this culminating project of MNT during the internship, students prepare a detailed case study describing a patient
encountered during supervised practice. The case study follows The Academy’s Nutrition Care Process and Model.
Standardized language terminology for nutrition diagnosis is employed to describe the primary nutrition problem
related to the case. Evidence‐based practice guidelines will be applied.
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship Program or permission from instructor