MSND – ADMISSION

The Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics with Supervised Experiential Learning (MSND-SEL) program will admit students in compliance with the following policies and criteria:

I. UPR-RP general admission criteria for graduate programs (Certification No. 95, pages 21-22)

1. Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited or recognized university or college.
2. General Grade Point Average (GPA) equal or greater than 3.00 on a scale of 4.00. Each program will address exceptional cases according to each applicant’s merits.
3. Be able to communicate orally and in writing in two languages, one of which should be Spanish or English.
4. The UPR-RP will provide the academic instance or unit that will determine and inform programs of the proficiency of their students in the second or third language (if the program requires a third language).

Information related to admission requirements and processes can be found at: Decanato de Estudios Graduados e Investigación (DEGI)

Application form: https://solicitud.upr.edu/

Application form tutorial: How to fill your graduate application form

II. Specific Admission criteria for the MSND-SEL program

Admission criteria for students with an undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics, a degree in science-related fields and a degree in a field not related to science are detailed below: Admission Pathways 1, 2 and 3.

1. Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from an authorized and accredited higher education institution in the US.
   • If the degree is ACEND-accredited, a Verification Statement must be presented; if foreign and accredited, the Foreign Dietitian Education (FDE) Verification Statement.
   • Non accredited foreign degrees must be evaluated by an approved Foreign Degree Evaluation Agency. International Students – Foreign Degree Evaluation Agencies

• Eligibility to official degree candidates of the Didactic Dietetic Program of the Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico (Approved by the Graduate Program Admission Committee, February 9, 2024)
  • Students, that at the end of the second semester (May) of every year are official degree candidates, are eligible to submit admission applications to the graduate program to begin studies in August.

2. If the bachelor’s degree is not in Nutrition and Dietetics (Pathways 2 and 3, below), previous approval with C or more of undergraduate courses and prerequisites that comprise a Second Major in Nutrition and Dietetics. 
3. Minimum 3.00 Grade Point Average on a 4.00-point scale.
4. Minimum 3.00 Grade Point Average in science and math courses on a 4.00-point scale
5. Three letters of recommendation, two from university professors.
6. Short essay (500 words) indicating how pursuing graduate studies will contribute to your development.
7. Spanish and English proficiency
8. For students whose English is a second language, must obtain a minimum score in TOEFL exam of 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based). Exam must have been taken no more than five years prior.

• • This requirement is waived for all graduates and official degree candidates (May and December) of the Didactic Program in Dietetics of the Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, who have demonstrated during their time of undergraduate studies the mastery of the English language and are in the process of applying to the graduate program. (Approved by the Graduate Program Admission Committee, February 16, 2024)