Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health

The degree is designed for individuals who are entering the profession as a first or second career, with or without experience working in the healthcare industry. Students graduate as integrative health practitioners and educators who can work collaboratively to support individuals and groups with personalized evidence-based nutrition interventions and educational programs.

The Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health program prepares students to deliver personalized nutrition care to optimize health and manage chronic health problems. The program provides a health and nutrition sciences foundation, builds students’ knowledge and skills in clinical assessment and evidence-based nutrition therapy, and culminates in real-world clinical experience. 

The program’s integrative approach addresses nutrition, sleep, stress, physical activity, relationships, and environment to identify the root causes of health imbalances. Students learn to develop personalized dietary and lifestyle interventions to support the whole person. 

Unique highlights of the program include whole-food cooking labs and clinical experience working with real clients. These experiential learning opportunities hone practical skills to be a competent clinical nutrition professional who is ready to practice upon graduation and seek board certification.

The program meets all educational requirements for the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) certification. It also provides 250+ of the required 1000 hours of supervised practice experience (SPE), giving graduates a significant head start toward SPE completion.

Students complete the Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health by completing core program credits and choosing one of two areas of concentration: Human Clinical Nutrition (47 credits total) or Herbal Medicine (57 credits total).

Transfer Credit Options

Students are encouraged to consider the following options to transfer credits to reduce their costs and time to degree completion at MUIH.

Students who have previously completed the following types of courses at other colleges and universities may be eligible to transfer those credits to MUIH and be exempt from taking some courses at MUIH: 

• Organic Chemistry – undergraduate or graduate courses
• Physiology – undergraduate or graduate courses
• Biochemistry – graduate courses
• Nutrition – graduate courses
• Research literacy – graduate courses

Students are exempt from taking MUIH’s ISCI522 Foundations in Organic Chemistry Course if they have completed CHEM250 Organic Chemistry I AND CHEM251 Organic Chemistry II from StraighterLine.

Students are exempt from taking MUIH’s ISCI547a Physiology I course if they have completed BIO201 Anatomy & Physiology 1 AND BIO202 Anatomy & Physiology II from StraighterLine.

Core Credits

Both areas of concentration of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health include 42 credits of required core courses

• IHED637 Principles and Practices of Health Behavior and Self-Care (1.5 cr)
• ISCI522 Foundations in Organic Chemistry (3 cr)
• ISCI547A Physiology I: Healthy Function (3 cr)
• ISCI626 Nutritional Biochemistry (3 cr)
• ISCI631 Intro to Complementary and Integrative Health (1.5 cr)
• NUTR601 Redefining Nutrition (1 cr)
• NUTR612 Human Nutrition II: Micronutrients (3 cr)
• NUTR614 Human Nutrition I: Macronutrients (2 cr)
• NUTR635 Applied Clinical Nutrition I (2 cr)
• NUTR636 Applied Clinical Nutrition II (2 cr)
• NUTR646 Applied Clinical Nutrition III (2 cr)
• NUTR641 Life Cycle Nutrition (3 cr)
• NUTR651A Clinical Skills I (2 cr)
• NUTR651B Clinical Skills II (2 cr)
• NUTR6EX1 Nutrition MSNIH Comprehensive Exam (0 cr)
• NUTR723 Advanced Biochemistry and Laboratory Assessment (3 cr)
• RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)
• MUIH500 University-Wide Orientation for New Students (0 cr)

Required Course Sets

Choose one of the following course sets for a total of 3 credits:

• NUTR 654C Clinic I (1.5 cr) and NUTR 654D Clinic II (1.5 cr)
• NUTR656C Clinical Strategies in Nutrition Care I (1.5 cr) AND NUTR656D Clinical Strategies in Nutrition Care II (1.5 cr)

Required Cooking Labs:

• NUTR681 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab I (0.5 cr)
• NUTR682 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab II (0.5 cr)

Choose 2 additional cooking labs from the following for a total of 1.0 credit:

• NUTR683 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab III (0.5 cr)
• NUTR684 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab IV (0.5 cr)
• NUTR686 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab VI (0.5 cr)
• NUTR687 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab VII (0.5 cr)
• NUTR688 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab VIII

Additional Program Requirements

• Complete MUIH500 University Orientation and MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship, a non-credit online training course on information literacy by the end of the first trimester.
• Complete the Serv-SafeTM Food Safety Manager Course from the National Restaurant Association. Certification must be obtained prior to graduation or before enrolling in NUTR686 Cooking with Whole Foods Lab VI. Students are encouraged to obtain the certification sooner because the knowledge is helpful in all cooking labs. The course is offered by MUIH as NUTR001 for $200.
• In order to gain a perspective as a client in the client-practitioner relationship, students are required to become a client of an integrative nutritionist in their area or through the MUIH Student Teaching Clinic of  the Natural Care Center, for at least one nutrition consultation.
• Earn a passing grade on a comprehensive exam (NUTR 6EXI) at the end of the academic program.

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Students who complete the Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health will be able to:

• Apply biochemical, clinical (laboratory testing, anthropometric measurements, and physical exams), and nutritional knowledge to guide nutrition interventions and monitoring.
• Analyze the macro- and micronutrient content, nutrient density, and additional food components of a client’s diet.
• Design culturally sensitive food plans that support changing nutritional needs during the various lifecycle stages and promote disease prevention and management.
• Formulate comprehensive clinical intervention plans that incorporate whole foods, supplements, lifestyle changes, and other integrative health approaches.
• Apply the nutrition care process to assess status, develop nutrition diagnoses and interventions, evaluate, and monitor the client’s progress using a functional nutrition approach.
• Develop personal mindful eating practices and guide groups or clients in mindfulness practices.

In addition to the educational outcomes for all  Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health graduates, the  Herbal Medicine area of concentration aims to achieve the following specific objectives:

• Prepare graduates to take leadership roles as nutrition professionals with knowledge of the role of both foods and herbs in promoting human health.
• Prepare students to work as nutritionists with an herbal background through comprehensive study of herbal pharmacology, herbal pharmacy (herbal preparation), and principles of herbal therapeutics.
• Provide supervised clinical or research experience in clinical nutrition and herbalism.

Program Format

Both areas of concentration of the program are offered in the online and hybrid formats. Click here to view MUIH’s definition of online, hybrid, and on-campus course and program formats.

• Online Format
  All coursework is completed online in this format. Although no residency is required, online students are welcome to take on-campus courses, subject to availability.
• Hybrid Format
  Coursework is completed through a combination of online and on-campus in this format. Students may choose the format of each course on a case-by-case basis, subject to availability. On-campus courses are offered on weekends and class times are generally 5 – 9 p.m. on Fridays, and 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays; these times may vary during the clinic phase.

Program Schedule

For trimester start and end dates, see the Academic Calendar.

Licensure

Licensing requirements for nutritionists vary by state. Students are advised to check and stay apprised of the educational requirements for professional licensure in their state. To learn the most up-to-date laws and regulations, please refer to each state’s board of nutrition/dietetic practice. In addition, the American Nutrition Association provides a summary of nutrition licensing laws in each state; students are advised to read the entire state law for full detail.

Certification

The Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health program is tailored to meet the eligibility requirements of several national board certifications. At the present time, MUIH is in compliance with the requirements of each of the professional organizations listed below. However, boards do change their eligibility requirements. Please review licensing laws by state and contact the appropriate licensing board by state for the most up-to-date information and with questions.

MUIH’s M.S. Nutrition and Integrative Health program is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Nutrition Professional Education (ACNPE), a programmatic accrediting agency for master’s degree programs in clinical nutrition. For more information, contact: ACNPE, 20 West 20th Street, Suite 204, New York, NY 10011; phone: 646-455-1149.

MUIH is one of only two master’s degree programs in clinical nutrition in the U.S. to hold such accreditation.

The Accreditation Council on Nutrition Professional Education (ACNPE) accredits master’s degree clinical programs in nutrition. It enhances the quality of learning by setting standards for knowledge and skills needed to practice advanced nutrition care safely and effectively. ACNPE’s accreditation standards ensure that graduates have met the high level of competency expected of a nutrition professional. ACNPE-accredited programs prepare graduates for a variety of career paths and professional opportunities. Graduates help to further public and professional understanding of the foundational role of nutrition – as an essential component of a collaborative healthcare system that aims to optimize health as well as to prevent and treat illness. Advanced nutrition professionals play a vital role in slowing the epidemic of obesity and chronic disease, positively impacting the high cost of healthcare. The vision of ACNPE is to further public understanding of the foundational role of nutrition in health, and to support the field of professional nutrition care as an essential component of a collaborative healthcare system. The mission of ACNPE is quality assurance; serving the public by accrediting master’s degree clinical programs in advanced nutrition offered by regionally accredited higher education institutions in the U.S. that demonstrate satisfactory compliance with ACNPE’s standards.

Eighty three percent (83%) of recent graduates (2018-2021) of MUIH’s M.S. Nutrition and Integrative Health program were employed or self-employed within one year of graduation. Fifteen percent (15%) of recent graduates (2018-2021) of the program were preparing to fulfill the requirements of the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential offered by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists℠ (BCNS℠). Graduates of MUIH’s nutrition programs are employed in a variety of settings including private practice; integrative group practices; nutrition clinics; health care systems; hospitals; community, non-profit, and outreach organizations; state and local health departments; school systems; culinary organizations; athletic and recreational organizations; and colleges and universities. Many graduates chose to have a portfolio career in which they have multiple positions and employers within one or more profession, rather than one full-time job. A portfolio career provides such individuals with variety in their work life and the opportunity to develop a wide and varied professional network.

This degree prepares students for careers as professionals, practitioners, consultants, researchers, entrepreneurs, writers and educators in the field of clinical nutrition. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) indicates jobs for nutritionists and dietitians are projected to grow 7% from 2021 to 2031. The role of food in preventing and treating diseases, such as diabetes, is now well known. More dietitians and nutritionists will be needed to provide care for patients with various medical conditions and to advise people who want to improve their overall health.

View more about career opportunities.

Take a look at what our Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health program offers and how MUIH is the choice for you!