Graduate Admission Information

 

• Admission Requirements
• Deadlines
• How to Apply
• Application Status
• For International Students
• Visit
• Selecting Coursework

Preference criteria for admission to our graduate programs includes:

• Degree in foods and nutrition, food science, biology, zoology, biochemistry, chemistry, nursing, public health, or other closely related health science.
• Completion of at least two, and preferably three, of the following courses: organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology.  Grades must be “C” or better.
• Verbal GRE of 400 or higher
• GRE of 1,000 or higher (verbal plus quantitative) for masters and 1,100 for doctorate.
• GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for masters and 3.4 for doctorate.
• TOEFL iBT score of 80 with a minimum score of 20 in each of the four exam sub-sections (international students).
• Work or volunteer experience in at least one of the following: laboratory research, clinical research, food industry, nutrition education, health promotion, or other area related to health, nutrition or food science.
• At least one faculty who agrees to serve as the student’s graduate advisor.  See the list of faculty advisors at: fcs.uga.edu/fdn/graduate/advisors.html. Advisors are selected after your application is completely submitted.

For international applicants, note that the Graduate School rejects applications with TOEFL scores less than 213 (CBT), less than 550 (PBT), or less than 80 (iBT, minimums:  Speak = 20, write = 20).   So do not apply if you do not meet these minimum test scores.

If you do not meet our admission criteria, then consider applying to our undergraduate program or enroll as a post-Baccalaureate student (contact: Dr. Art Grider, agrider@fcs.uga.edu, http://www.admissions.uga.edu/).

Application to both Dietetic Internship Program and Master Program:

Application to both Dietetic Internship Program and Masters Program:

If you are interested in both our dietetics internship program and master program, then all required application materials must be received by January 11 (eleventh) at 5:00 pm EST.  This includes:

1. Submission to the graduate school: the required application fee (submit online), graduate school application (online, selected MS with thesis, code 347), three letters of recommendation that summarize your experience and ability to complete a graduate degree (submit online), official GRE scores (UGA’s GRE code is 5813), and official transcripts.  Apply to the UGA graduate school at this site for “prospective students:” http://www.grad.uga.edu/. Must receive by January 11 (eleventh) at 5:00 pm EST

2. Submission to the department by email: your completed application form “APPLICATION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF FOODS AND NUTRITION GRADUATE PROGRAM” to bgrossma@uga.edu, tonyad@uga.edu, drmaryannjohnson@gmail.com. CLICK HERE FOR FORM . Must receive by January 11 (eleventh) at 5:00 pm EST

3. Our program is using the on-line centralized internship application, DICAS, which may be accessed at https://portal.dicas.org , e-mail DICASinfo@DICAS.org. The on-line application must be completed for our program by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 15, 2012.  The fee to use DICAS is $40 for the first application submitted and $20 for each additional application. 

When completing the application form, applicants must include the name and contact information (specifically an e-mail address) for each reference.  This will trigger an e-mail message requesting completion of a reference form.  The form will be completed on-line.  The letter should summarize your experience and ability to complete a dietetic internship program.  Students submitting more than one application will need to use the same individuals as references for each application.

Applicants who apply to internships using DICAS will be asked to complete a personal statement.  Questions to be addressed in the personal statement include:

• Why do you want to enter the dietetics profession?
• Discuss experiences that have helped to prepare you for your career
• What are your short-term and long-term goals?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses or areas needing improvement?
• 8000 character limit

Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be sent to

                             DICAS- Transcript Dept

                             PO Box 9118

                             Watertown, Ma 02472

4.  Applicants must also register online for computer matching at www.dnddigital.com and select dietetic internship priority choices by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on February 15, 2012.  You will be asked to provide a ranking of dietetic internship programs for which you wish to apply (see your DPD program director for more information).  We only participate in the Spring match each year.  There is a $50 computer matching fee.

Application to the Graduate Program Only:

Although we review and accept applications all year round, it is best to complete your application and send all required application materials by January 1st or next business day for summer or fall admission.  For full consideration, you must complete the entire application process six weeks prior to the posted graduate school deadlines (http://www.gradsch.uga.edu/Admissions/index.html).These deadlines are:

All graduate programs are very competitive, so it is important that you prepare a competitive application that tells our department and faculty your primary interests and strengths, as well as the faculty that you would like to be your research advisor.

We only review completed applications.  Follow the instructions below to complete your application.

Complete these materials for the UGA Graduate School,  http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/admissions/requirements.html:

1. Application to UGA Graduate School (complete this online).
2. Application fee payable to the Graduate School: $75 for domestic and $100 for international students.
3. Two copies of official transcripts from all institutions from which a degree was obtained.
4. Official GRE scores.
5. Official TOEFL scores (international students).
6. Three letters of recommendation submitted online (we prefer that letters be submitted online, which let’s you track when the letters have been submitted). After you submit your application online and pay the application fee, the graduate school will send an email instructing your recommenders on how to submit these letters online. You should let your recommenders know that they will be receiving this email. They should write about your suitability for graduate school and a career in foods and nutrition.

When requested on the various forms and by various testing services, note that our major is "Foods and Nutrition" and our Degree Objective/Major Code is "347" for masters, "349" for non-thesis masters, and 347B" for doctorate. The ETS School Code is "5813".

E-mail this information in one file to Ms. Tonya Dalton (tonyad@uga.edu) and Dr. Mary Ann Johnson (DrMaryAnnJohnson@gmail.com):

Part 1. Application to UGA Department of Foods and Nutrition Graduate Program click here

• If you would like to be considered for an assistantship, then check “yes” to this question on the form.
• There is no separate UGA application for our dietetic internship. However, if you are planning to apply to our dietetic internship, then check "yes" to the question "I will enter the D&D Digital Systems computer matching process for your Dietetic Internship Program." 

Part 2.   Statement of Purpose: one to two pages that explains your purpose in pursuing graduate studies in our department and your research interests.

Part 3.  Resume: summary of your educational background and relevant experience (one to two pages)

You may check the status of your application at http://www.gradsch.uga.edu:5080/student/

The system will require an access code and a password, which you should have received in an e-mail from admissions.  If you have problems accessing the system or need your passcode, contact Graduate Admissions at gradadm@uga.edu.

Please note that our university processes several thousand applications in January and February, so it may be a few weeks before your application is processed.  Our department processes about 100 applications at this time of year, so it takes a few weeks for us to process your application and to receive a copy of your materials from our graduate school.  Thank you for your patience.

It is particularly important that international students send all of their application materials and pay their application fees by January 1st for fall admission. We have had major delays in processing applications from international students, so be sure that ALL of your application is to UGA by January 1st for fall or summer admission ($100 fee is paid, all transcripts, all test scores, all applications, and all letters of reference).  Supplemental information for international students can be found at:  http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/admissions/int_supplements.html.  Click on "Country Specific Requirements" for the TOEFL minimums after each country.

If you would like to visit the department, please contact us and let us know what areas of foods and nutrition you are interested in, and especially if you are more interested in basic science nutrition, clinical nutrition, and/or community nutrition.  The department holds an Open House each year. Contact Dr. Johnson (drmaryannjohnson@gmail.com) or Dr. Grossman (bgrossma@fcs.uga.edu) for more information.

Once our students are enrolled, they have flexibility to take courses in a number of departments that span the basic through the applied aspects of foods, nutrition, and health. Our graduate students take courses in public health, health promotion and behavior, exercise science, food science, adult education, pharmacy, biochemistry, cell biology, animal and dairy science, gerontology, and statistics. 

Required courses for all degree programs include FDNS 6400 Advanced Macronutrients, FDNS 6100 Micronutrient Nutrition, FDNS 8900 Seminar in Foods and Nutrition, FDNS 8560 Proposal Writing, and graduate only courses such as FDNS 8530 or FDNS 8550 Nutrition and Disease Process I and II. 

Our course offerings are at http://www.bulletin.uga.edu under the prefix FDNS for foods and nutrition courses.  Please see our online Graduate Manual for programs of study for our graduate degree programs http://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/graduate/documents/09GraduateManual.doc