Academic Programs

Updated June 11, 2008

Nutritional Sciences, BS

Program Description

The mission of the Program is to provide a quality education program to produce qualified entry-level dietitians with enhanced skills in clinical dietetics with an emphasis in Nutrition Therapy capable of functioning as professional clinicians. The program consists of 64 credit hours of sequenced and integrated didactic and clinical courses. All didactic course work is offered at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. The Program begins in the fall of every year. Students complete clinical assignments in various facilities throughout the state. Examples of locations of facilities are Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton, Ada, and Chickasha. The clinical rotations provide a "hands-on" experience of working with patients exhibiting disease states studied in the classroom. The Program includes an eight-week Food and Nutrition Services Management Practicum in the summer between the junior and senior year and an eight-week Medical Nutrition Therapy Capstone experience in the last semester of the senior year. Upon successful completion of the required courses, the graduate is eligible to take the Registry Examination for Dietitians.

Program Defined

The advantages of the Coordinated program in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center include:

The Coordinated Program in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is currently granted accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association, 120 Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 312/899-0040, Ext. 5400.

Can practice and develop skills while learning; no time gap between theory and practical application.

Educational experiences are supervised by both college faculty and preceptors from various clinical affiliations.

Nutrition Therapy is identified emphasis area.

Strong emphasis on nutrition as a science, and as a key component of health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment of disease.

Can become a registered dietitian with a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences.

If you would like to explore nutritional sciences further, view the following YouTube videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ncVeq0p7kg and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR1MuMXPhIk.

Admission Requirements

1. Be in good standing with the college or university last or currently attending;

2. Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale of all college work attempted; have science grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;

3. Have successfully completed or be in the process of completing all departmental prerequisites with grades of C or better prior to beginning the program;

4. Have successfully completed, or be in the process of completing a minimum of 60 semester hours of course work from any accredited college or university prior to matriculation to the program;

5. Students for whom English is a second language must earn a minimum score of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), or 100 (internet-based) within two years prior to application on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL web site is http://www.toefl.org;

6. All international/Non US Citizen applicants are required to have all transcripts/mark sheets processed through World Education Services (WES). Wes web site is http://www.wes.org; and

7. Submit a completed on-line application. Application deadline is March 1 for Fall.

Prerequisites

Course numbers and titles are those of the University of Oklahoma. Prerequisite courses are offered at several institutions in the state. Check the prerequisite finder at http://www.ah.ouhsc.edu/prereqs/ or with your school advisor regarding equivalent courses.

Click on the following website to use the prerequisite worksheet to keep track of your prerequisite classes: http://www.ah.ouhsc.edu/main/Application/documents/NS-BS%20Prereq%20worksheet.pdf.

Footnotes are located after the course title in parenthesis. Example: Principles of English Composition I (2). Descriptions of footnotes are located directly underneath the table.

Course#	Course Title	Credit Hours
PSC 1113	American Federal Government (2)	3
MATH 1523	Elementary Functions or College Algebra	3
PSY 1113	Elements of Psychology	3
	Foreign Language 1st Course (2)
	Foreign Language 2nd Course (2)
CHEM 1315	General Chemistry I & Lab	4-5
CHEM 1415	General Chemistry II & Lab	4-5
ZOO 2124	Human Physiology	4
AVIA 1003	Introduction to Computers: Concepts & Applications (3)	3
MBIO 2815	Introduction to Microbiology & Lab	5
HES 2823	Introduction to Nutrition	3
SOC 1113	Introduction to Sociology or Anthropology	3
CLC 2412	Medical Vocabulary	2
	Non-Western Culture (2)	3
ENGL 1113	Principles of English Composition I (2)	3
ENGL 1213	Principles of English Composition II (2)	3
	Understanding Art Forms (2)	3
	Upper Level General Education Course (1)	3
HIST 1483 OR 1493	US History 1492-1865 OR US History 1865-present (2)	3
	Western Civilization & Culture (2)	3

(1) is required if applicant has not completed a Bachelor’s degree. It is recommended that the applicant take an upper level/division (3000 or 4000 level) non-western culture, western civilization & culture, or understanding art forms class. By taking an upper division course in one of those categories, two prerequisites can be completed with that one class.

(2) is not required for applicants that have an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree from an Oklahoma college. Not required for applicants that have a Bachelor’s degree. Foreign Language 1st and 2nd course are waived for applicants who completed two classes in the same language in high school.

(3) is not required if applicant has an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree or higher. To satisfy requirement otherwise, complete a computer skills course, pass an institution assessment test, or substitute one year of high school computer courses (excluding keyboarding).

Application Procedure

1. Review and follow the instructions on the College of Allied Health General Instructions for Application document found at the following web site: http://www.ah.ouhsc.edu/main/Application/default.asp

2. Application Review
Applicants who have fulfilled the admission requirements will be scheduled for an interview with
the Clinical Dietetics Coordinated Program Admission Committee. Applicants are accepted into the program based on scores derived from four areas: Cumulative GPA, Sciences GPA, career goal statement (300-500 words) and personal interview.

3 Notification of Acceptance
A letter of acceptance, alternate status, or denial to the Clinical Dietetics program is mailed to the applicant by early June. If notification is not received by June, contact the department.

4. Acceptance
The applicant must accept or decline the position in writing within two weeks of notification. Alternates will be selected according to numerical ranking. Alternates may be admitted up to the first class day for the fall semester if all positions have not been filled.

5. Students accepted for admission are required to confirm their intention to enroll and attend with a $100.00 non-refundable deposit. The deposit is applied toward tuition and fees during the first term.

Cost

Cost information can be found at http://www.ouhsc.edu/FinancialServices/Bursar/Bur_TuitFee.asp
Students may expect additional costs that include, but are not limited to, a personal computer, textbooks, lab fees, insurance, supplies, and fees to the American Dietetic Association (http://www.eatright.org). Students are required to assume financial responsibilities for expenses associated with clinical requirements. For details regarding tuition and fees, see the College of Allied Health Student Handbook.

Accreditation

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Coordinated Program (CP) is currently granted Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association, 120 Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 312/899-0040, Ext. 5400. CADE is the only accrediting agency for dietetics education recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and is affiliated with the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the graduation requirements outlined in the CAH Student Handbook, the Department requires the student to have completed the following requirements in order to graduate:

All prerequisite and Program coursework;

All Departmental courses with a grade of "C" or better or "S" for "S/U" coursework;

Be in good academic standing within the College;

Complete all required clinical hours; and

Pass the two major comprehensive competency exams with a score of 70% or greater on each exam.

Goals and Outcome Measures

Program Goal #1: Mission of the Coordinated Program in Clinical Dietetics.

Alumni achieve over a 5-year period a first time pass rate of at least 80% on the RD exam.

80% of students pursuing employment will be employed as an RD within 3 months of graduation.

90% of students enrolled in the CP will complete the program in three years (150% of the time planned for completion).

Provide a quality education program to produce qualified entry-level dietitians with enhanced skills in clinical dietetics with an emphasis in Nutrition Therapy capable of functioning as professional clinicians.

Graduate competent entry-level practitioners that obtain the credentials "Registered Dietitian".

Program Goal #2: Graduate practitioners who demonstrate professionalism, ethical behavior and enhanced clinical skills in Medical Nutrition Therapy.

At least 70% of students will perform above average during clinical rotation based on preceptor evaluations.

Post graduate performance: At least 80% of students will perform above average based on employer surveys.

70% of graduating students will strongly agree that the Program fulfils criterion.

70% of alumni will strongly agree that the Program fulfilled criterion.

Faculty

College of Allied Health Departmental Faculty

Application Statistics

http://www.ah.ouhsc.edu/main/Application/admission_data.asp/a>