Sport Nutrition and Dietary Supplementation

Fully-online Graduate Certificate

The topics of sport nutrition and dietary supplementation continue to gain momentum in the research world, as well as in clinical practice. Multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals are now dedicated to presenting literature specific to the area of sport nutrition and dietary supplementation.

The graduate certificate in Sport Nutrition and Dietary Supplementation is particularly useful for registered dietitians/nutritionists, strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers and healthcare providers (e.g., nurses, pharmacists) who may receive questions from athletes and/or patients specific to the topics of sport nutrition and dietary supplementation.

Consisting of 12 credit hours, you complete three required courses (each consisting of 3 credit hours), with a choice for the final three credit hours. All courses are delivered online and can be completed in any sequence.

Required Courses:

NUTR 7000: Sport Nutrition
NUTR 7001: Nutraceuticals and Dietary Supplements
NUTR 7002: Exercise and Nutrition Immunology

Three additional credit hours will be completed by choosing from the following options:

NUTR 7003: Practicum in Sport Nutrition*
ESMS 7202: Physiology of Exercise: Metabolic/Cardiorespiratory
HPRO 7780: Health and Lifestyle Counseling

*The practicum consists of credit provided through the Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) program. You should complete a minimum of 250 hours of sport nutrition counseling experience to satisfy this ELC requirement. This may include one-on-one or group counseling. You may perform this work independently with clients or under the supervision of a mentor/employer. Two verification statements from employers or other individuals who can confirm that the 250 hours of counseling was performed satisfactorily are required. In addition, you must complete a written summary of the work that was performed, documenting the work in detail. The summary should be detailed and complete but should not exceed two written pages.

Are any prerequisites needed to begin the graduate certificate program?

Aside from an undergraduate degree, no. Although we expect that most individuals seeking this certificate will have some prior nutrition education, it is possible that some may not. In such a case, these individuals will be required to complete our undergraduate Nutrition course (NUTR 2202), which is offered online and can also be completed through self-study and credit by exam. Interested individuals without prior nutrition education should plan to complete this course using either traditional means or via credit by exam.

Following the completion of the graduate certificate, you may consider taking the Sports Nutrition Specialist exam or the Certified Sports Nutritionist exam from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (CISSN).