The Great Plains IDEA (Interactive Distance Education Alliance) is a consortium of four universities that provides an online 32-credit hour master's degree in dietetics and nutrition. Admission is open to individuals with a bachelor's degree in any field who meet admission requirements. There are some clinical nutrition courses; however, with prerequisites that limit enrollment to credentialed registered dietitians or individuals with verification from an accredited didactic program in dietetics (DPD). Note: Obtaining the DPD verification statement and subsequently completing the MS distance program in dietetics does not qualify one to practice as a Registered Dietitian (RD). Completion of 1000 hours of supervised practice through an ACEND accredited program is also needed before sitting for the exam to be an RD.

Students enroll for all courses through his or her "home" institution, but the actual courses are delivered online from any of the participating universities and their respective faculty members. 

Great Plains IDEA Consortium Members

Students selecting KU Medical Center as the "home" institution apply directly to the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition for admission. These students will receive the master's degree from KU upon completion of the degree requirements. The application process for the program is online only. Detailed instructions on how to apply are posted on the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition website. Application deadlines are March 15 for fall semester and October 15 for spring semester.

Admission requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required and must be documented by submission of official transcript indicating the degree has been conferred before entering the program. Official transcripts for all classes taken from all institutions attended are also required. The bachelor’s degree may be in any field.
• Before entering the program, students must have completed prerequisite courses in biochemistry (one semester), physiology (one semester), and nutrition (more than one semester preferred).
• Applicants who are credentialed as a registered dietitian by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics or have completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) are eligible to take any course offering (Documentation of CDR card or DPD verification statement is required). Applicants without the RD credential or who have not completed a DPD program will not be eligible to enroll in Clinical Nutrition courses. These courses include the following and are subject to change:
  • DIET 837 Nutrition in Diabetes
  • DIET 838 Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy
  • DIET 839 Clinical Aspects of Nutrition Support
  • DIET 845 Nutritional Aspects of Oncology
  • DIET 874 Nutrition Therapy for Eating Disorders
  • DIET 875 Pediatric Clinical Nutrition
• Applicants must possess a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in his or her bachelor's degree program.
• Applicants with degrees from outside the U.S. may be subject to transcript evaluation indicating the degree is equivalent to a U.S. degree and meets the minimum cumulative grade-point average requirement.
• Applicants who are not native speakers of English, whether domestic or international, must demonstrate they meet the minimum English proficiency requirement.
• Applicants must provide a resume or curriculum vitae that includes prior employment and participation in professional and/or voluntary organizations (e.g., hospital, alumni or nonprofit.)
• A goal statement will be submitted in the online application and will explain the applicant's educational and professional goals.
• Three references are required. A reference should be from a faculty member, advisor, employer or other person familiar with the applicant's work and character. The recommendations may not be obtained from family members, friends, etc.
• The Joint Commission requires all incoming students to obtain a background check. This one-time fee must be paid directly to the company performing the background investigation. For more information, please see the School of Health Professions background check instructions.

Applicants will be assessed based on these requirements. After an applicant has been admitted, a program may defer an applicant's admission for one year after which time the applicant must submit a new application.

Admission requirements are subject to change. In most cases, use the catalog of the year student entered the program. Other years’ catalogs».

The Great Plains IDEA (Interactive Distance Education Alliance) Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition consists of 32 credit hours.  Students selecting KU Medical Center as their "home" institution will receive their degree from this institution if all degree requirements listed below are successfully completed. Students enroll for all courses through their home institution and the courses are listed as KU courses, but the actual course content is delivered online from any of the participating universities and their respective faculty members. 

Degree requirements:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Courses
DIET 801	Current Issues or Trends	2
DIET 833	Principles of Statistics	3
DIET 834	Methods of Research in Nutrition	3
DIET 885	Advanced Human Nutrition: Macronutrients	3
or DIET 886	Advanced Nutrition: Nutrigenomics, Nutrigenetics and Advanced Lipid Metabolism in Human Nutrition
DIET 896	Micornutrients in Human Nutrition	3
Research courses
Choose course for Non-Thesis or Thesis option
DIET 854	Non-Thesis Research	3
or DIET 899	Thesis
Elective courses
See list of elective course options below.		15
Total Hours		32

• Degree requirements are normally completed within 2-4 years of admission to the program although a maximum of 7 years is allowed.

• Completion of a minimum of 32 credit hours.

• Cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least a 3.0 for all KU graduate coursework.

• Enrollment in a minimum of one credit hour the semester the student will graduate.

• Successful completion of the following courses:

  The Great Plains IDEA (Interactive Distance Education Alliance) Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition consists of 32 credit hours.  Students selecting KU Medical Center as their "home" institution will receive their degree from this institution if all degree requirements listed below are successfully completed. Students enroll for all courses through their home institution and the courses are listed as KU courses, but the actual course content is delivered online from any of the participating universities and their respective faculty members. 

• For the non-thesis option:
  • Successful completion of a general examination the semester the student will graduate.  The general exam is an oral exam administered by three faculty members that covers the competencies students are expected to gain through the M.S. degree program.

  • Completion of DIET 854 Non-Thesis Research occurs the semester the student successfully defends the project. Students submit a written proposal and conduct an oral presentation of the proposal.  If satisfactory, students then prepare a final written report and conduct an oral presentation (defense) of the report which is followed by questions from the research committee. The project is generally completed in 1 to 3 semesters and may include one or more of the following:

    • written intensive review of the literature on a given topic, based on "Evidence-Based Analysis" procedures of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics;

    • participation with a faculty member in the development of a research proposal or grant;

    • participation with a faculty member in conducting a pilot project;

    • participation with a faculty member in the design, implementation, or evaluation of a program in a specialized area of dietetics practice; and/or

    • collection and/or analysis of data in conjunction with a faculty member engaged in research.

• For the thesis option:

  • Successful completion of a general examination the semester the student will graduate.  The general exam is an oral exam administered by three faculty members that covers the competencies students are expected to gain through the M.S. degree program.
  • Successful completion of a thesis defense and of DIET 899 Thesis.  The defense occurs during the semester the student will defend the thesis and graduate. Thesis research is usually conducted over 3 semesters and involves all aspects of research including preparing a proposal, collection and analysis of data, and a thesis. The thesis is presented in written form and orally in a presentation to the thesis committee followed by questions (or defense) and an oral examination before the thesis committee. The thesis defense must be completed in person.
  • Successful thesis submission and publication (according to Office of Graduate Studies policy).

• Choose elective courses (minimum 15 credit hours required) from the following list. With approval from the Graduate Director, a course not on the list may be counted toward this requirement.

  Course List

  Code	Title	Hours
  DIET 800	Selected Topics in Dietetics	1-3
  DIET 802	Foods Writing for Professionals	3
  DIET 805	Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice	3
  DIET 819	Grant and Scientific Writing for the Professional	3
  DIET 822	Healthcare Administration	3
  DIET 824	Financial Management and Cost Controls in Dietetics	3
  DIET 829	Nutrition and Aging	3
  DIET 830	Nutrition: a Focus on Life Stages	3
  DIET 832	Functional Foods for Chronic Disease Prevention	3
  DIET 837	Nutrition in Diabetes	3
  DIET 838	Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy	3
  DIET 839	Clinical Aspects of Nutrition Support	3
  DIET 840	Foundations of Leadership in Dietetics	3
  DIET 841	International Nutrition and World Hunger	3
  DIET 842	United States Public Health Nutrition	3
  DIET 843	Nutrition Education in the Community	3
  DIET 845	Nutritional Aspects of Oncology	3
  DIET 846	Nutrition and Wellness	3
  DIET 862	Maternal and Child Nutrition	3
  DIET 865	Nutrition and Human Performance	3
  DIET 870	Nutrition Counseling and Education Methods	3
  DIET 874	Nutrition Therapy for Eating Disorders	3
  DIET 875	Pediatric Clinical Nutrition	3
  DIET 876	Intervention for the Prevention & Management of Obesity	3
  DIET 880	Dietary and Herbal Supplements	3
  DIET 881	Phytochemicals	3
  DIET 887	Nutrition and Immunology	3

Degree requirements and course descriptions are subject to change. Any courses taken as an equivalent must be approved by the Graduate Director and the Office of Graduate Studies. In most cases, use the catalog of the year student entered the program. Other years’ catalogs».

Typical Plan of Study

Non-thesis option (minimum 32 credit hours)

Year 1
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer	Hours
DIET 833 (core course)	3	DIET 834 (core course)	3	Elective	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
	6		6		3
Year 2
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer	Hours
DIET 886 (core course)	3	DIET 896 (core course)	3	DIET 854 (research course non-thesis option)	2
Elective	3	Elective	3
	6		6		2
Year 3
Fall	Hours
DIET 801 (core course)	2
DIET 854 (research course non-thesis option)	1
Project defense scheduled semester approved by committee to proceed. Enroll in DIET 854 semester defend project.
General examination scheduled the final semester.
	3
Total Hours 32

Thesis option (minimum 32 credit hours)

Students selecting the thesis option must complete the thesis defense in person.

Year 1
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer	Hours
DIET 833 (core course)	3	DIET 834 (core course)	3	Elective	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
	6		6		3
Year 2
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer	Hours
DIET 886 (core course)	3	DIET 896 (core course)	3	DIET 899 (research course thesis option)	1
Elective	3	DIET 899 (research course thesis option)	1	Elective	3
	6		4		4
Year 3
Fall	Hours
DIET 801	2
DIET 899 (research course thesis option)	1
Thesis defense scheduled semester approved by committee to graduate. Enroll in DIET 899 semester defend thesis.
General examination scheduled the final semester.
	3
Total Hours 32

Upon acceptance into the Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition Program, students are asked to acknowledge their ability to meet these standards with or without accommodations. The following technical standards, in conjunction with the academic standards, are requirements for admission, retention and program completion. The term “candidate” refers to candidates for admission to the program as well as current students who are candidates for retention or program completion.

Reasonable accommodation will be considered and may be made to qualified students who disclose a disability, so long as such accommodation does not significantly alter the essential requirements of the curriculum and the training program, or significantly affect the safety of patient care.

Qualified candidates with a disability who wish to request accommodations should provide appropriate documentation of disability and submit a request for accommodation to:

The Office for Academic Accommodations
Cyn Ukoko, Senior Coordinator of Academic Accommodations
913-945-7035
cukoko@kumc.edu
1040 Dykes Library

The Department of Dietetics and Nutrition and the University of Kansas Medical Center have a commitment to nondiscrimination, access and reasonable accommodation of students with disabilities. Therefore, all students admitted to the Master of Science Degree in Dietetics and Nutrition must be able to meet the following requirements and expectations with or without an accommodation. The master’s degree prepares students to practice dietetics and nutrition and to interpret and participate in research in nutrition within academic and health care organizations. Graduates need knowledge and skills to function in diverse practice and research settings.

All candidates who are admitted into the master’s degree program in Dietetics and Nutrition must be able to perform the following:

Observe: Specific observation skills include, but are not limited to, being able to observe lectures, demonstrations, research, and practice situations in the practice and research of health sciences.

Communicate: Candidates must have the ability to use multiple communication techniques (oral, written, nonverbal) that enable them to communicate with clients, teachers, health providers and faculty. Candidates must be able to report to members of the team, express accurate information to clients, and teach, explain, direct and counsel people.

Ethical Standards: Candidates must demonstrate professional attitudes and behaviors and must perform in an ethical manner in dealing with others as outlined in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Code of Ethics for the Nutrition and Dietetics Profession. Personal integrity is required and the adherence to standards that reflect the values and the functions of the profession of dietetics and nutrition. Candidates are required to abide by student honor codes and research ethics.

Psychomotor: Candidates must be able to demonstrate the following skills: ability to generate, calculate, record, evaluate and transit information; prepare assignments; deliver public presentations to large and small audiences; collect specimens and perform basic tests and physical assessments on individuals, e.g., anthropometric assessments, finger sticks for blood glucose testing, using glucometers, assessing skin fold thickness, taking blood pressure; and/or working in institutional and food demonstration kitchens. 

Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities: Candidates must be able to measure, calculate reason, analyze, synthesize, integrate, and remember to apply information. Creative problem solving and clinical reasoning requires all of these intellectual abilities. 

Professional and Social Attributes: Candidates must promptly complete all responsibilities required of the program. They must develop mature, sensitive, and effective professional relationships with others. They must be able to tolerate taxing workloads and function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and function in the face of uncertainties and ambiguities. Concern for others, interpersonal competence and motivation are requisites for the program.