Master's Degree In Nutrition and Food Systems

Program Description

The Master of Science degree in Nutrition and Food Systems offers advanced study in nutrition and food systems, focusing on applications in dietetic practice and child nutrition program management.

The curriculum offers a choice of emphasis areas, including dietetic practice, food systems management, child nutrition program management and applied nutrition. Electives hours are offered in adult education, community health, research methods, and other areas. Students work with their graduate committees in selecting courses and developing an individual plan of study. Students have the opportunity to develop research interests in child nutrition program management, food service management, clinical or community nutrition, with qualified faculty in each area.

Academic Requirements

The Master of Science requires a minimum of 36 hours of course work for both the thesis and non-thesis options. At least 18 of these credit hours must be selected from courses that are numbered 600 and above. With the advice of the graduate committee, students choose the specific courses and course sequences that will meet their interests and needs for professional preparation. Courses both within the school and in other academic units in the university can be taken to complete the degree requirements, subject to approval by each student’s graduate committee.

• Degree Requirements - Southern Miss Graduate Bulletin
• Course Descriptions - Southern Miss Graduate Bulletin
• Class Schedule - Southern Miss Class Schedule Guide

Fact Sheets:

• MS for Food and Nutrition Professionals
• MS for Non-Nutrition Majors
• MS for Dietetic Interns

Plans of Study

The Nutrition and Food Systems degree program may be completed as follows:

• Full-time basis: Full-time students enroll for 12 hours/semester and are eligible for graduate assistantships. Program completion takes 1-2 years.
• Part-time basis: Part-time students take 1-2 classes per semester. Program completion takes 2-4 years. Many courses are offered using nontraditional scheduling to accommodate work and travel requirements of part-time students. Some classes meet once a month; others are offered online. Sample part-time plan of study
• Curriculum
• Sample Plan of Study for M.S. with Dietetic Internship
• Fact sheet and sample three year full-time plan of study for post-baccalaureate non-nutrition major pursuing M.S. in Nutrition and Food Systems and credentialing as a registered dietitian.

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Admission Requirements

Regular admission to the graduate program requires a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale, calculated on the last two years of undergraduate study; acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); three letters of recommendations from person qualified to assess the applicant’s readiness for graduate study; and appropriate prerequisites. Performance on individual courses related to the major will be considered.

Application forms are available from Graduate Admissions, 118 College Drive, #10066, Southern Miss, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0066, telephone 601.266.5137, and online at http://www.usm.edu/graduatestudies/.
Members of underrepresented groups are strongly urged to apply.

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is available to students in the form of scholarships, loans, graduate work-study, and graduate teaching or research assistantships.

Financial Aid: Application forms are available from the Office of Financial Aid, 118 College Drive #5101, Hattiesburg, MS 39401-5101, telephone (601) 266-4774, and online at http://www.usm.edu/financialaid/. Students should apply to the Financial Aid Office no later than March 15.

Scholarships: Scholarships are offered through the American Dietetic Association Foundation (ADAF). See http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/
xchg/ada/hs.xsl/career_394_ENU_HTML.htm

Graduate Assistantships: Application forms for graduate assistantships are available through the Graduate School, 118 College Drive #5024, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5024, telephone (601) 266-4679, and online at http://www.usm.edu/financialaid/

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