Master of Science in Community Nutrition (MSCN) Overview
The MSCN is a research-focused program for students seeking an advanced nutrition degree. The MSCN is designed for registered dietitian nutritionists, graduates of didactic program in dietetics and other health professionals, such as physicians and registered nurses with a BSN degree. The MSCN involves courses that promote evidence-based nutrition, health promotion, and disease prevention in the community.
The curriculum (33 credits) is offered in an online format and includes courses representing nutrition science, applied nutrition, and research techniques. This non-thesis program culminates with a capstone paper. Courses are taught by faculty with doctoral degrees and expertise in areas such as public health, public policy, sports nutrition, diabetes, and statistics. Distance education is flexible and convenient for working students, students living at a distance, and students with busy schedules. WCU provides a supportive distance education environment utilizing online technologies that deliver course content, facilitate instructor-student and student-student communications.
Admissions Requirements
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for the fall and spring semesters. The following materials are required from all applicants for the MSCN.
- Completed online graduate application
- One official copy of transcripts from every college or university attended
- A professional goal statement
- Two letters of recommendation; one from an academic reference and one from a professional reference
Additional prerequisites include:
- Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university
- Applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in nutrition will need to have the following prerequisites completed before applying to the program: Introduction to Nutrition, Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and a Statistics course.
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater is recommended for admission
The MSCN is also offered as an Accelerated BS to MSCN program. Students must complete a minimum of 90-credit hours and maintains a 3.0 GPA or higher. They are then invited to apply to the accelerated BS to MSCN program. The accelerated program allows accepted students to take up to four courses during their final year in the Nutrition and Dietetics BS concentration. The courses include NTD 503, 515, 600, and 612. These courses will satisfy four undergraduate electives in addition to counting as four graduate courses. As a money-saving benefit, when these four courses are taken during the undergraduate degree as part of the accelerated program, the cost of these four graduate courses are the same price as undergraduate.
For more information, please contact Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Joanne Sullivan (Christaldi)