The UW–Madison Department of Nutritional Sciences offers an online capstone certificate for professionals to build on knowledge and skills obtained in undergraduate studies and working experiences. It is designed to expand knowledge and give new experiences in areas such as critical care, nutrition support, complex nutritional assessment, nutrition counseling, advanced pediatrics, and clinical nutrition research. The program can be completed in one year.
How to Get in
Applications are accepted all terms: fall, spring, and summer. Applicants must possess the following:
- Earned bachelor’s degree or equivalent
- Minimum cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0 (on 4.0 scale)
- Completed Didactic Program in Dietetics or the following prerequisite courses (must be equivalent to the courses listed from UW-Madison):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 103 & CHEM 104 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 9 |
| Biological Sciences | ||
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| BIOLOGY/ZOOLOGY 101 & BIOLOGY/ZOOLOGY 102 | Animal Biology and Animal Biology Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151 | Introductory Biology | 5 |
| Microbiology | ||
| MICROBIO 101 & MICROBIO 102 | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | 5 |
| Organic Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 341 | Elementary Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| or CHEM 343 | Organic Chemistry I | |
| Biochemistry | ||
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| BIOCHEM 301 | Survey of Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 501 | Introduction to Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOCHEM 507 & BIOCHEM 508 | General Biochemistry I and General Biochemistry II | 6-7 |
| Physiology | ||
| ANAT&PHY 335 | Physiology | 5 |
| Statistics | ||
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| STAT 371 | Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| STAT 301 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
| PSYCH 210 | Basic Statistics for Psychology | 3 |
| SOC/C&E SOC 360 | Statistics for Sociologists I | 4 |
| Human Nutrition | ||
| NUTR SCI 332 | Human Nutritional Needs | 3 |
| Clinical Nutrition | ||
| NUTR SCI 631 & NUTR SCI 632 | Clinical Nutrition I and Clinical Nutrition II | 6 |
- Student may check course equivalency to UW Madison via Transferology.
Application Steps
Adult Career and Special Student Services (ACSSS) is the admitting office for all University Special students. However, the Department of Nutritional Sciences makes the final admission decision upon review of all applicant materials.
A complete application includes the following information:
- An online application for admission as a University Special student, selecting UNCS Capstone Certificate and the program: Clinical Nutrition. This application is received and processed by ACSSS with final decision held for approval from the Clinical Nutrition Capstone Certificate coordinator.
- Submit the following materials to Makayla Schuchardt, program manager of the Clinical Nutrition Capstone Program:
- Official transcripts from all colleges/ universities attended
- Brief essay describing your reasons for applying and your career goals
- Resume or curriculum vitae
Enrollment
Admitted students receive a formal letter of admission to UW–Madison from Adult Career and Special Student Services along with general enrollment information.
The director of the Capstone Certificate in Clinical Nutrition, Department of Nutritional Sciences, will send an email to admitted students with specific information pertaining to enrollment in courses and completion of the capstone program.
Additional detail is provided on the ACSSS enrollment page.
Requirements
The capstone certificate requires a total of 9 credits worth of coursework. Select courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NUTR SCI 650 | Advanced Clinical Nutrition: Critical Care and Nutrition Support | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 651 | Advanced Clinical Nutrition - Pediatrics | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 652 | Advanced Nutrition Counseling and Education | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 653 | Clinical Nutrition Research | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 655 | Nutrition in Aging | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 657 | Management in Dietetics | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 670 | Nutrition and Dietetics Practicum I | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 671 | Nutrition and Dietetics Practicum II | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 710 | Human Energy Metabolism | 2 |
| NUTR SCI 711 | Personalized Nutrition: Genetics, Genomics, and Metagenomics | 1 |
| NUTR SCI 715 | Micronutrients: Human Physiology and Disease | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 720 | Advanced Nutrition Assessment | 1 |
| NUTR SCI 721 | Nutrition Informatics | 1 |
| NUTR SCI 725 | Advanced Community Nutrition | 1 |
| NUTR SCI 726 | Nutritional Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders | 3 |
| NUTR SCI 750 | Advanced Sports Nutrition | 2 |
Special Topics and Research Electives
Students have the option of taking the following electives. Consult with your academic advisor when factoring electives in your curriculum prior to enrolling.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NUTR SCI 875 | Special Topics | 1-4 |
| NUTR SCI 991 | Research Nutrition | 1-12 |
Minimum Requirements for Capstone Certificate Completion
- Students must earn a minimum grade of C in each course used to meet Capstone Certificate requirements.
- Courses in which a student elects the pass/fail or audit option will not count toward completion of Capstone Certificate requirements.
- All of the Capstone Certificate credits must be earned "in residence" (which includes on campus and distance-delivered courses) at UW-Madison.
- All of the Capstone Certificate credits must be earned while enrolled in the Capstone Certificate program.
Individual Capstone Certificate programs may have additional requirements for completion, which will be listed above as/if applicable.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop expert knowledge and apply concepts of evidenced based nutrition therapy in the management of various disease states and populations.
- Comprehend, interpret and evaluate the latest clinical nutrition research.
- Gain knowledge and skills that contributes to successful progress towards professional career goals