Nutrition & Food Science - CSU, Chico
Graduate Programs within the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences
The MS in Nutritional Sciences provides an opportunity for students to increase competence in food and nutrition subject matter in preparation for college teaching, research, administrative positions in public and private agencies, and graduate study beyond the master's degree. The option in Nutrition Education is designed specifically to facilitate nutrition professionals in communicating information to promote optimal health and nutritional status.
- Mission and Goals
- Program Objectives
- Syllabi
- Course Schedule
- Dietetic Internship (Word)
- Program Description
- Graduate Student Handbook (Word)
- Admission Requirements
- Graduate Policies
- Application Checklist (PDF)
- Graduate School Home Page
Mission and Goals
The mission of the graduate program in Nutritional Science at California State University, Chico is to offer a high-quality degree program and curricula that serve the educational needs of our students. The goal of the graduate program is to prepare students to become competent and productive nutrition professionals.
Program Objectives
The objectives for our program are based on and directly relate to our mission and goal. Graduates of the CSU, Chico graduate program should
- develop the ability to design and conduct a significant independent research project
- develop familiarity with the scientific literature in her/his area of nutritional science
- develop the ability to present his/her research in an organized and appropriate scientific style
- secure employment in healthcare, state, or federally funded programs, industry, or education and indicate that they are well prepared for their first career-related position following graduation.
Key indicators of the program's quality include
- Students who start the program complete it.
- Students' independent research projects are selected for presentation at national and state professional meetings.
- Students enter a dietetic internship (DI) program.
- Those students completing a DI program pass the national registration examination.
- Those students applying for doctoral programs are accepted.
- Students secure employment in healthcare, state or federally funded programs, industry, or education.
- Students are satisfied with the MS program and indicate that they are well prepared for their first career-related position following graduation.
How are we doing?
- Forty MS degrees have been awarded since spring 2000. Students take an average of six semesters to complete their degrees.
- The attrition rate is very low. Only two students have dropped out of the program in the last five years.
- Twenty-nine papers have been accepted for presentation at state and national meetings, including the annual meetings of the California Dietetic Association and the American Dietetic Association, between 2001 and spring of 2005.
- About 75 percent of our graduates complete a dietetic internship either here at CSU, Chico or at another internship program and go on to become registered dietitians (RDs); the other 25 percent secure nutrition-related employment or go into PhD programs (two students during the previous five-year period).
- The acceptance rate into dietetic internship programs is 87 percent (compared to the national average of 60 percent).
- Ninety-eight percent taking the Registration Exam for Dietitians passed (compared to a national average of 75 percent).
- A survey of recent graduates (last five years) indicates they are securing employment in a wide variety of settings. Some examples include community RD, clinical RD, food services supervisor, food safety education program coordinator, instructor, neonatal RD, renal RD, and manager of a fitness facility. The average full-time salary earned was $48,700.
- Surveys of past graduates indicate high satisfaction with all aspects of the program.
These data are based on the program's last five-year review (2000-2005)