Overview

Credits Per Trimester

4-6 (based on the trimester)

TOTAL CREDITS

Duration

8-9 trimesters, depending on the start date

Trimester of Entry

Fall, Summer

FORMAT

Online

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE: This program will next enroll students for the Fall 2023 trimester. This program will be delivered in its standard online format; the program can be completed by taking only online classes, and there are no requirements to come to campus.

The Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN) program explores the principles and practice of functional nutrition to develop the next generation of leaders in the field. Functional nutritionists evaluate biological, environmental, dietary, and lifestyle factors to address each individual’s unique health goals and needs. Students build the skills and knowledge to provide advanced nutrition care that incorporates personalized, evidence-informed plans. Research skills are emphasized, and students prepare publishable case report manuscripts. The program can be completed entirely online in 8 trimesters.

Eligible applicants include those with certain master’s degrees and RD/RDNs with a bachelor’s degree (details below).

Your journey starts here. Programs now enrolling for Fall 2023.

Apply Now

Audience

The Doctor of Clinical Nutrition program is designed for nutritionists, registered dietitians, other clinicians, educators, and researchers, who seek the high-level knowledge and skills to work in cutting-edge private practice or integrative medicine settings and contribute to the advancement of functional nutrition as a core discipline in healthcare. The program is open to individuals who hold specific master’s degrees (details below) and to registered dietitians (RDs)/registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) whose highest degree is a bachelor’s degree. RD/RDNs can enter the program without first earning a master’s degree.

Graduates are equipped with the tools they need to expand the types of clients and cases they work with, including individuals with complex clinical conditions. Graduates will hold the title doctor (Dr.), enhance their stature with clients and other healthcare professionals, and expand their job opportunities and career paths.

Program Description

The Doctor of Clinical Nutrition program is a professionally-oriented, clinical doctoral program designed to educate students in all aspects of functional nutrition. Functional nutrition uses a holistic, flexible, and personalized approach to address each individual’s unique health goals and needs. Functional nutritionists consider the root causes of symptoms, the relationship between environmental and lifestyle factors, genetic predisposition, core biological functions and imbalances, and disease expression to inform clinical assessment and recommendations.

The program reinforces and builds on students’ existing skills and knowledge in research literacy, ethics, and foundational nutrition; provides specialized coursework in nutritional genomics, environmental health, nutrition-focused physical exam, and case report writing; and explores advanced functional nutrition care in gastrointestinal, immune, cardio-metabolic, neurological, energy metabolism, and endocrine health. The program culminates with either applied practice within a clinical setting or an advanced clinically-oriented project.

Admission Requirements

There are two entry pathways for this program:

Master’s Degree/Doctoral Degree Pathway
RD/RDN Bachelor’s Degree Pathway

Trimester of Entry:

Fall, Summer

Application Priority Deadline:

Application deadline by Trimester

General Requirements for all applicants:

Resume
Transcript(s) to verify completion of all required degrees and courses
TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international students)
Essay Questions:
- Why have you chosen to apply to this program at MUIH?
- How does the program relate to your future personal and professional goals?
- How do you plan to shift your priorities to accommodate the time demand of 20+ hours per week of classwork?

There are two entry pathways for this program:

Master’s Degree/Doctoral Degree Pathway
RD/RDN Bachelor’s Degree Pathway

ENTRY PATHWAY 1: Program Specific Requirements for the Master’s Degree/Doctoral Degree Pathway:

Note: The admission requirements for the master’s degree/doctoral degree pathway for the DCN program mirror the educational requirements for Certified Nutrition Specialist candidates.

Degree Requirement (one of the following):
- Master of Science or Doctoral degree in nutrition or a related field (including, but not limited to, Public Health, Health Science, Biochemistry, Nursing, and Physician’s Assistant).
- Doctoral degree in clinical healthcare (including, but not limited to, DC, DDS, OD, Doctor of Nursing, ND, and PharmD).

Degree must be from a degree-granting college or university accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, or if a school uses a Pass/Fail system, passing grades in all coursework.

Coursework requirements (all of the following):
- Nutrition Science: 12 semester credit hours at the graduate level. Examples include courses in macronutrients, micronutrients, life cycle nutrition, and nutrition therapy.
- Biochemistry: 6 semester hours at the undergraduate or graduate level
- Physiology or Anatomy & Physiology: 3 semester hours at the undergraduate or graduate level. This requirement can also be fulfilled by completing the Anatomy & Physiology I AND Anatomy & Physiology II courses offered by StraighterLine.
- Clinical or Life Sciences: 12 semester hours at the undergraduate or graduate level. Examples include courses in biology, microbiology, epidemiology, biostatistics, botany, genetics, pathophysiology, and organic/inorganic chemistry. Three credits of research literacy may be applied toward the 12-credit requirement. Nutrition courses not used to meet the “Nutrition Science” requirement may be applied to the “Clinical or Life Sciences” requirements. Credits towards this requirement can also be fulfilled by completing the Introduction to Biology, Microbiology, and/or General Chemistry I courses offered by StraighterLine.
- Behavioral Science: 3 semester hours at the undergraduate or graduate level. Examples include courses in psychology, motivational interviewing, and principles of health behavior/behavior change. This requirement can also be fulfilled by completing the Introduction to Psychology course offered by StraighterLine.

Coursework must be from a degree-granting college or university accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

ENTRY PATHWAY 2: Program Specific Requirements for the Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN) Bachelor’s Degree Pathway:

Bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, or if a school uses a Pass/Fail system, passing grades in all coursework
Hold the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential issued by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)

Curriculum

Required Courses

This program consists of 44 credits of required courses.

MUIH500 University-Wide New Student Orientation (0 cr)
MUIH550 Academic Research & Scholarship (0 cr)
NUTR700 DCN Orientation (0 cr)
NUTR801 Principles of Integrative & Functional Nutrition (3 cr)
NUTR802 Nutritional Approaches to Detoxification (3 cr)
NUTR822 Epigenetics and Nutritional Genomics (3 cr)
NUTR823 Ethics in Clinical Nutrition (1.5 cr)
NUTR824 Research Literacy in Nutrition (3 cr)
NUTR831 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Gastrointestinal Health and Disease (3 cr)
NUTR832 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Immune Health (3 cr)
NUTR833 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Cardio-Metabolic Health (3 cr)
NUTR834 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Neurological Health (3 cr)
NUTR835 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Endocrine and Energy Health (3 cr)
NUTR837 Integrative and Functional Nutrition for Complex Cases (3 cr)
NUTR850 Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (1.5 cr)
NUTR8EXI Nutrition DCN Comprehensive Exam (0 cr)
RSCH811 Case Reports in Integrative Health (3 cr)
RSCH850 Research Manuscript I (1 cr)
RSCH851 Research Manuscript II (1 cr)

Choose one of the following for 3.0 credits:

NUTR904 Advanced Nutrition Clinic I (3 cr)
NUTR910 Advanced Nutrition Final Project I (3 cr)

Choose one of the following for 3.0 credits:

NUTR905 Advanced Nutrition Clinic II (3 cr)
NUTR911 Advanced Nutrition Final Project II (3 cr)

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Advanced Standing for Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) Certified Practitioners

Individuals who are Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) Certified Practitioners are eligible for 3 credits of advanced standing and will only need to complete 41 credits of coursework at MUIH. Such students are exempt from taking NUTR801 (3 cr). Advanced standing recognizes students’ certified learning in nutrition at the doctoral level. Advanced standing reduces credits, costs, and time to program completion for IFM Certified Practitioners.

To receive advanced standing, students MUST submit official documentation of their IFM certification BEFORE starting their first class at MUIH. Such documentation is only required to receive advanced standing; it is not required for admission into the program.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the Doctor of Clinical Nutrition program will be able to:

Apply principles of integrative and functional nutrition to provide advanced nutrition care in the areas of gastrointestinal, immune, cardio-metabolic, neurological, nutritional genomics, energy metabolism, and endocrine health.
Evaluate data from the client history, diet history, nutrition-focused physical examination, lifestyle, anthropometrics, genomics, environmental impacts, and laboratory findings to provide a comprehensive client assessment.
Synthesize didactic and clinical knowledge and skills and translate this into personalized nutrition care plans.
Apply principles of research methodology, bioethics, academic journal writing, and case studies in practice and research settings.
Promote nutrition and lifestyle interventions for disease prevention and health optimization as part of a collaborative healthcare team.

Program Format & Schedule

Program Format

This program is offered in the online format. Click here to view MUIH’s definition of online, hybrid, and on-campus course and program formats.

The program includes 1-2 weekends where you may be expected to participate in a synchronous (real-time) online classroom.

Program Schedule

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

Students who start the program in the Fall trimester will follow the schedule below. Students who start the program in the Summer trimester will take NUTR801 Principles of Integrative & Functional Nutrition (3 cr) in the Summer trimester instead of the Fall trimester as shown below.

Trimester 1

NUTR700 DCN Orientation (0 cr)
NUTR801 Principles of Integrative & Functional Nutrition (3 cr)
NUTR824 Research Literacy in Nutrition (3 cr)
MUIH500 University-Wide New Student Orientation (0 cr)
MUIH550 Academic Research & Scholarship (0 cr)

Trimester 2

NUTR823 Ethics in Clinical Nutrition (1.5 cr)
NUTR831 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Gastrointestinal Health and Disease (3 cr)
NUTR850 Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (1.5 cr)

Trimester 3

NUTR833 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Cardio-Metabolic Health (3 cr)
NUTR834 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Neurological Health (3 cr)

Trimester 4

NUTR832 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Immune Health (3 cr)
RSCH811 Case Reports in Integrative Health (3 cr)

Trimester 5

NUTR802 Nutritional Approaches to Detoxification (3 cr)
NUTR835 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Endocrine and Energy Health (3 cr)

Trimester 6

NUTR822 Epigenetics and Nutritional Genomics (3 cr)
NUTR837 Integrative and Functional Nutrition in Complex Cases (3 cr)
NUTR8EXI Nutrition DCN Comprehensive Exam (0 cr)

Trimester 7

NUTR904 Advanced Nutrition Clinic I (3 cr) OR
NUTR910 Advanced Nutrition Final Project I (3 cr)
RSCH850 Research Manuscript I (1cr)

Trimester 8

NUTR905 Advanced Nutrition Clinic II (3 cr) OR
NUTR911 Advanced Nutrition Final Project II (3 cr)
RSCH851 Research Manuscript II (1 cr)

Summer 2023 Intake

Course Code	Cost per Credit	# of Credits	Tuition Cost*
All Courses	$1039	44	$45,716
	Total	44	$45,716

*Prices subject to change. Tuition costs are for illustrative purposes only.

Timeline

Average Credits per Trimester	Typical Completion Time
6	9 Trimesters

Additional Fees

Fees	Cost
Application Fee	$50
Non-Refundable Tuition Deposit	$150
University Fee (per trimester)	$275 All students, including students taking a voluntary break in enrollment. Click here to learn more about the fee.
Late Registration Fee	$75/course After registration deadline and before start of the schedule adjustment period for current students$150/course During the schedule adjustment period for current and new students who have confirmed before the late confirmed student registration period begins
Clinical Practice Toolkit Fee	$100 One time fee for Doctor of Clinical Nutrition and M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health students (1st trimester)
Cooking Lab Fee	NUTR 681 – $40/course NUTR 682 – $40/course NUTR 683 – $45/course NUTR 684 – $45/course NUTR 686 – $30/course NUTR 687 – $40/course NUTR 688 – $40/course
Cooking Kit Fee	$225 M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health students (1st trimester) and other students taking cooking labs (NUTR 681 – 689)
Herb Kit Fee	Students enrolled in the following herbal medicine courses: HRB 605 $160 HRB 614 $185 HRB 622 $150 HRB 642 $220 HRB 653 $85 HRB 705 $180 Due to international customs requirements, we do not ship herb kits outside of the United States Facilities/Food fee: HRB 636 $175
Credit Card Adjustment Fee	2.75% of amount paid by credit card
Graduation Fee	$75

Fall 2023 Intake

Course Code	Cost per Credit	# of Credits	Tuition Cost*
All Courses	$1039	44	$45,716
	Total	44	$45,716

*Prices subject to change. Tuition costs are for illustrative purposes only.

Timeline

Average Credits per Trimester	Typical Completion Time
6	8 Trimesters

Additional Fees

Fees	Cost
Application Fee	$50
Non-Refundable Tuition Deposit	$150
University Fee (per trimester)	$275 All students, including students taking a voluntary break in enrollment. Click here to learn more about the fee.
Late Registration Fee	$75/course After registration deadline and before start of the schedule adjustment period for current students$150/course During the schedule adjustment period for current and new students who have confirmed before the late confirmed student registration period begins
Clinical Practice Toolkit Fee	$100 One time fee for Doctor of Clinical Nutrition and M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health students (1st trimester)
Cooking Lab Fee	NUTR 681 – $40/course NUTR 682 – $40/course NUTR 683 – $45/course NUTR 684 – $45/course NUTR 686 – $30/course NUTR 687 – $40/course NUTR 688 – $40/course
Cooking Kit Fee	$225 M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health students (1st trimester) and other students taking cooking labs (NUTR 681 – 689)
Herb Kit Fee	Students enrolled in the following herbal medicine courses: HRB 605 $160 HRB 614 $185 HRB 622 $150 HRB 642 $220 HRB 653 $85 HRB 705 $180 Due to international customs requirements, we do not ship herb kits outside of the United States Facilities/Food fee: HRB 636 $175
Credit Card Adjustment Fee	2.75% of amount paid by credit card
Graduation Fee	$75

Licensure, Certification, & Credentialing

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.

Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
The Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS) administers the advanced certification for personalized nutrition practitioners: Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS). Depending upon a student’s prior clinical training, the Doctor of Clinical Nutrition may complete the educational requirements needed for graduates to sit for the CNS exam. BCNS also requires that applicants complete 1000 hours of supervised practice experience and pass the CNS Certifying exam. The board reviews each applicant individually to determine eligibility. Interested individuals are encouraged to check for the most recent requirements with the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists at https://theana.org/advocate. certify.
Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition
Graduates of the Doctor of Clinical Nutrition are eligible to apply to become a Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. This board requires that applicants hold a professional doctorate and have at least 300 hours of nutrition education and a minimum of two years practice experience and write an article or paper on a nutritional topic that could be published. Interested individuals are encouraged to check for the most recent requirements with the American Clinical Board of Nutrition at acbn.org.
Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN)
The Clinical Nutrition Certification Board (CNCB) reviews each applicant individually. They review all transcripts to determine eligibility. Interested individuals are encouraged to check for the most recent requirements with the Clinical Nutrition Certification Board at cncb.org.

Career Opportunities

The Doctor of Clinical Nutrition prepares students for careers in integrative health practices and health care organizations; to serve as educators in communities, in schools and in colleges and universities; to work in government agencies and/or policy settings; and to be leaders in the field of integrative and functional nutrition. Graduates will hold the title doctor (Dr.), enhance their stature with clients and other healthcare professionals, expand the types of clients and cases they work with, and expand their job advancement opportunities.

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 professions, 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.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics 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.