For qualified students, the Department of Nutrition offers a 5-year BS/MS accelerated degree program with a major in Nutrition and a concentration in Community Nutrition. Central to this program is that a qualified student may take up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both the BS degree and the MS degree. Students will be considered for conditional admission to the program by the end of their junior year of undergraduate study at UT. Students can choose from a project option or a course-only, no comprehensive exam option. Those who choose the project option will begin working on their project not later than Term 6 of undergraduate studies by enrolling in NUTR 493 with Public Health Nutrition faculty. For each student in the program, a graduate advisory committee composed of a minimum of three faculty members must be established before completion of Term 7. To be considered for conditional admission to the program. This can lead to the Public Health Minor , but the student must declare it.
- A student must be a declared Nutrition major, Community Nutrition Concentration, with a minimum GPA of 3.30, must have completed at least 15 credit hours of Nutrition courses, and must have completed at least 90 credit hours of the 120 credit hours of coursework required for the BS degree with a major in Nutrition.
- A student must provide three letters of support from three Community Nutrition faculty members.
- A student must obtain a commitment from a Nutrition graduate research faculty member to serve as their graduate mentor-advisor (i.e., major professor) and as the chair of their graduate advisory committee.
- The Department may consider other relevant factors such as an applicant’s work experience before conditionally admitting a student to the BS/MS accelerated degree program. Conditional admission of a student into the 5-year BS/MS accelerated degree program must be approved by both the Department of Nutrition and the Graduate School. Students will be typically informed of the outcome of their application before they start their senior year of undergraduate study.
Any graduate course taken before satisfying all requirements for the BS degree must be approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee, the Director of the Program in Public Health Nutrition, the Department Director of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate School. These graduate courses must be identified in advance in consultation with the undergraduate advisor and the graduate advisory committee.
A student that is conditionally admitted to the BS-MS accelerated degree program may complete up to 9 credit hours of graduate level coursework during the student’s undergraduate study and apply those 9 credit hours to satisfy both the BS degree requirements and also the MS degree requirements, provided that these graduate credit hours were approved by both the Department and by the Graduate School.
The form “Nutrition Conditional Admission 5 Year BS-MS” is available from the Director of Graduate Studies and must be completed and signed by the undergraduate advisor, undergraduate coordinator, and graduate advisory committee by May 1st of their junior year. After review by the Department, the form will be signed by the Director of Graduate Studies and submitted to the Graduate School for approval and processing.
To receive graduate credit for the 9 credit hours listed on the Nutrition Conditional Admission Form and approved by their graduate advisory committee, and others granting approval by signing that form, the student must complete and submit the Senior Requesting Graduate Credit Form to the Graduate School. If the graduate courses are to be taken during different semesters, the student will need to submit this form per each relevant semester.
Conditional admission into the BS/MS accelerated degree program does not guarantee acceptance into either the Graduate School or the MS program. Students in the BS/MS accelerated degree program must submit an application for admission to the Office of Graduate Admissions and to the MS program during their senior year of undergraduate study for the fall term immediately following the completion of their undergraduate study, following the same procedures of all other student applicants. Students will be fully admitted to the MS program after they have been accepted both by the Graduate School and by the Nutrition Department. Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.
uTrack Requirements
Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students.
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