University of Texas' New Online Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences

The program is 30 credits, has two concentrations, and costs $750 per credit. The program does not satisfy the requirements to become a registered dietitian.

https://he.utexas.edu/ntr/graduate-students/online-learning#msns-overview

 

The Health Promotion track --> very hot career prospects. Biochemical & Functional Nutrition track --> unemployment line.

for non-RD's, you have to have an outlet to be taken seriously. I'm not saying it's not a valid program, but RD as a requirement permeates industries that have nothing to do with needing medical nutrition therapy training, but hey, what do I know. Anyway, wellness coordinators and consultants, especially those working in the insurance industry are well paid (better than RDs) and the market is growing very fast. The big Human Resources professional affiliation (whose name I'd have to look up) does a survey each year - the 2016 results reported a few months back showed wellness programs as THE number 1 growth area in benefits. OTOH, functional nutrition is considered by many to be quackery. (I'm not saying it is)

 

If you're into sports, especially in the Boston area, you hear all about Tom Brady and his new company TB12. A big part of it are the "performance meals" which apparently you can have delivered to your home. I know nothing about the science behind that stuff but I know that TB and a bunch of others are making some real money by selling it all.

TB12

 

in my opinion, you can't buy your way to health through someone else's products or expertise. But that doesn't stop the serious flow of cash between those desperate for the kind of results they want, and those willing to sell it to them.

Yikes, I almost got on the soapbox.

 

As someone who is interested in exercise/exercise science you very quickly become drawn into the world of nutrition. It's easy to see how a combination of the two sets of credentials could be used in a career.

 

I have no plans of doing this program, but others might. If I were to apply to this program, I would choose the Biochemical track out of interest and because the courses seem to be more about hard science.

Considering that this degree doesn't directly lead to an occupation, would employers care about what the track is called, or is it more about the courses taken? With a good knowledge of nutritional science, would employers care if you didn't take a health promotions course?

 

It depends on who your target employer is. Hospitals and medical services serve health care, which is served by Registered Dietitians only. I believe that is because of insurance reimbursement requirements for what is called "medical nutrition therapy." In other words, an RD can "treat" someone using diet by "prescribing" certain foods or supplements that are specific to their medical chart. That said, in industries that are "kinda-health but "kinda-wellness" you'll see half RD and half CDM. Anyone with a nutrition degree can earn a CDM (I'm taking my test next month) which would cover more ground. You'll see this credential in Active Adult / Assisted Living dining services positions or Schools and Daycares when RD is not requested.

Everything else is up for grabs. You'll see fitness chains, weight loss franchises, and grocery stores that want RDs as wellness advisors or newsletter writers - and an RD can do that, but that's below their skill and pay grade so to speak. It's like asking a chef to be a prep cook. I believe RDs take those jobs because they have a hard time finding work.

If they ask for an RD, it won't matter that your degree was science-heavy, what you're missing are the internship and license. (imagine having an MSN without having an RN - it doesn't matter that you have a masters, most jobs will want or expect the RN)

I still believe that if someone is considering nutrition education, they should be very very clear about what they want to do for a career.

Things you can do without an RD you can do with any nutrition degree. Depending on the application, you can use your concentration or thesis to help boost your resume. My concentration was in Obesity and Eating Disorders, which I could highlight if I were working with the right client, OTOH, when I'm doing something related to culinary education, I frequently include my thesis title on my resume Nutrition in the Undergraduate Culinary Curriculum: A Census of United States Culinary Programs. It's all about how you frame things - and my very cheffy thesis landed me a culinary educator position for this fall.

 

I understand that there are different job prospects for RDs and non-RDs. My questions were only in reference to this...

After digging around on the UT website, I found that some of the students in their nutritional sciences programs are RDs and others aren't. Their graduates seem to mostly get jobs in research.

https://he.utexas.edu/ntr/graduate-students/career-opportunities