Program Overview

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Doctor of Clinical Nutrition Program

The Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition (DCN) program is designed for students with a registered dietitian credential (RDN), with current professional licensure when required by their state, a Master's degree, and currently working in the field of nutrition and dietetics. This advanced degree will broaden the knowledge base and enhance critical thinking skills to keep pace with the medical complexity of today's clinical nutrition practice.

Program Overview

The program is offered by the KU Department of Dietetics and is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in clinical nutrition or higher education settings through cutting-edge coursework and completion of outcomes-based research projects. The program is offered fully online, with one orientation and experiential learning campus visit required.

Academic Goals of Program

• To graduate students with mastery of applied medical nutrition science for advanced-level practice.
• To produce graduates who apply existing knowledge and research to clinical settings, evaluate and disseminate findings to advance clinical practice.
• To produce graduates with mastery of interprofessional collaboration, critical thinking, communication, management and leadership skills.

Admission Requirements

1. Be an RDN with current professional licensure when required by their state.
2. A Master’s degree
3. Currently working in the field of nutrition and dietetics (may be part-time)
4. Completed graduate application form (including letter of intent with professional goals)
5. Official transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended with final degrees posted.
6. Three letters of recommendation from supervisors, faculty or advisors in the field within the last five years. All recommendation letters must be on a professional letterhead.
7. International students must reside in a country that has reciprocity with Commission on Dietetic Registration.
8. Minimum GPA requirements for admission to KU as a graduate student: An undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better is required for regular admission status. Previous graduate coursework must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for admission.

Degree Requirements

The DCN program requires a total of 48 credit hours. The 39 credits of coursework are offered entirely online. The Advanced Clinical Nutrition Residency and Applied Research Project would be completed within a professional workplace with the guidance of their DCN advisor.

Communication, Collaboration and Leadership Core

• DN 920: Nutrition Communication for Advanced Practice, 3 credits.
• DN 910: Leadership Essentials in Clinical Nutrition, 3 credits.
• DN 950: Interprofessional Collaboration, 2 credits.
• DCLS 880: Principles of Interprofessional Education and Practice Theory, 1 credit

Research Core

• DN 930: Evidence Analysis in Clinical Nutrition, 3 credits.
• DN 932: Ethics in Clinical Nutrition Research, 1 credit.
• DN 934: Advanced Methods of Research in Clinical Nutrition, 3 credits.
• DN 941: Applied Nutrition Epidemiology, 3 credits.
• IPHI 850: Introduction to Health Informatics, 2 credits.

Clinical Nutrition Core

• DN 915: Advanced Nutritional Assessment, 3 credits.
• DN 970: Pharmacology in Clinical Nutrition, 3 credits.
• DN 971: Advanced Nutrition Counseling, 3 credits.
• DN 972: Frontiers in Medical Nutrition Therapy, 3 credits
• DN 980: Nutrigenomics & Nutrigenetics in Health and Disease, 3 credits.
• One elective (see list, below), 3 credits.

Electives

• DN 829 Nutrition in Aging
• DN 837 Nutrition in Diabetes
• DN 839 Clinical Aspects of Nutrition Support
• DN 842 U.S. Public Health Nutrition
• DN 865 Nutrition in Sports & Exercise
• DN 875 Pediatric Clinical Nutrition
• DN 876 Interventions for Prevention & Management of Obesity
• DN 880 Dietary and Herbal Supplements
• DN 881 Intro to Dietetics and Integrative Medicine
• DN 882 Nutrition Approach to Inflammation Immune Regulation
• DN 884 Diet, Physical Activity and Cancer
• DN 885 Nutritional Biochemistry
• DN 895 Advanced Macronutrients and Integrated Metabolism
• DN 896 Advanced Micronutrients and Integrated Metabolism

Advanced Clinical Nutrition Residency and Applied Research Project

• DN 991: Applied Research Project, 6 credits
• DN 992: Advanced Clinical Nutrition Residency, 3 credits (360 hours at workplace)

Technical Standards

All students who are admitted into the DCN program must be able to perform the following:

• Observation: Candidates must be able to acquire information as presented through lectures, demonstrations, research, and must be able to accurately perform practice situations in the practice and research of health sciences.
• Communicate: Students must have the ability to use multiple communication techniques (oral, written, nonverbal) that enable them to communicate with clients, teachers, health providers and faculty.
• Ethical Standards: Students 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.
• Psychomotor: Students 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.
• Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities: Students must be able to measure, calculate reason, analyze, synthesize, integrate, and remember to apply information.
• Professional and Social Attributes: Students 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.