Curriculum, Clinical Experience, and Research

Curriculum Overview

The Master of Clinical Nutrition – Coordinated Program curriculum combines comprehensive academic training with the supervised clinical practice hours you need to be eligible for registration as a dietitian. You’ll study the impact of nutrition through the entire human life cycle and explore its role in the causes and treatment of a variety of medical conditions.

The curriculum emphasizes an integrative approach to nutrition care and medical nutrition therapy. We’ve designed the course work and clinical training to deliver broad-based knowledge and hands-on experience that will prepare you for a successful career in a wide range of clinical, community, consulting, and industry settings.

Order of Classes

We’ve sequenced the curriculum to create an effective and efficient path for learning. All of the courses in a given semester are prerequisites for the courses that follow in the next semester. Some sequencing may change from year to year without notice.

Course Descriptions

For detailed course descriptions, please view our catalog.

Degree Plan Specifications

To enroll in any required course in the curriculum, a student must complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher. Failure to meet degree plan specifications may prohibit a student from enrolling in the subsequent semester or from graduating from the program.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the Master of Clinical Nutrition Program, a candidate must:

1. Demonstrate a high order of scholarly achievement in clinical nutrition, including appropriate research and professional competencies. (The program’s Student Progress Committee determines whether adequate mastery has been acquired.)
2. Complete satisfactorily a minimum of 71 semester hours in the UT Southwestern School of Health Professions.
3. Discharge all financial obligations to the medical center. In the event of nonpayment, the Dean may take one or more actions:
• Deny readmission;
• Withhold the student’s grades and official transcript; and/or
• Withhold the degree to which the student would otherwise be entitled.
4. Complete the academic requirements listed in the degree plan, including completion of any academic deficiencies in prerequisite courses, by the times stated in the student’s official letter of acceptance, and submit official documentation of successful completion to the Office of the Registrar.
5. Complete all required courses in the degree plan with a grade of C or higher (P for Pass/Fail courses).M/li>
6. Maintain at least a 2.75 cumulative grade point average with no academic deficiencies and no incompletes.
7. Receive practical evaluations reflecting an acceptable level of performance and professional conduct and complete all required supervised practice.
8. Pay a graduation fee designated to partially offset the costs associated with the diploma and diploma cover production, regalia, and the commencement ceremony. All students completing a degree or certificate must pay the fee whether they attend the commencement ceremony or not.

Clinical Experience

The Master of Clinical Nutrition – Coordinated Program eliminates the need for a separate internship after graduation because it integrates 1,200 supervised clinical practice hours into your two-year experience.

As you progress through the program, you’ll spend more time in clinical settings that provide hands-on experience and insight, from 30 hours in the first semester to nearly 32 hours each week in your second year.

Hands-On Work

In each rotation, you’ll work one-on-one with a registered dietitian preceptor, learning and applying all components of medical nutrition therapy, including:

• Completing nutrition screening and assessments
• Providing nutrition education and counseling
• Developing individualized nutrition care plans
• Documenting in medical charts
• Modifying diets
• Administering tube feedings

You’ll work with patients of all ages at all levels of health. You’ll also gain direct experience in the other important roles dietitians play, including community outreach, education, research, and food-service management.

Practice Locations

Because we’re part of a major medical center, you’ll work in a wide variety of settings on and off campus. Here are just a few of the places where you’ll broaden and refine your skills:

• Children’s Health℠ Children’s Medical Center
• Dallas Veterans Administration Medical Center
• Methodist Dallas Medical Center
• Parkland Memorial Hospital
• William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital
• Zale Lipshy Pavilion – William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital
• Diabetes and renal dialysis clinics throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex
• School districts across the DFW metroplex

Research

The faculty of the UT Southwestern Master of Clinical Nutrition – Coordinated Program are actively involved in research, including investigations in human nutrition and strategies for enhancing nutrition education.

As a student, you will conduct research under the direction of a faculty mentor. You can help with these areas of ongoing research, select an area of investigation from topics offered by faculty, or develop a research question of your own. Our program encourages students to be creative and seek innovative solutions to clinical problems.