Human Nutrition (Non-Thesis): Dietetics Credentialing (M.Sc.A.) (83 credits)
Offered by: Human Nutrition (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science Applied
Program credit weight: 83
Program Description
The M.Sc.(Applied) in Human Nutrition; Non-Thesis – Dietetics Credentialing includes competency-based professional practice (Stage) experiences in clinical nutrition care, public health nutrition, food provision management and research. The program focuses on nutrition and food expertise, leadership, communication, management skills and critical thinking. This program is accredited by Accreditation Canada, and graduates apply to the Ordre des diététistes-nutritionnistes du Québec (ODNQ) following the "règlement sur les normes d’équivalence de diplôme et formation" application procedures. Graduates from the program meet all the standards and requirements of this professional order (ODNQ) and are eligible to apply to any other regulatory body in any other province in Canada.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (77 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| IPEA 500 | Roles in Interprofessional Teams. | 0 |
Roles in Interprofessional Teams. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A half day workshop, including preparatory work, that introduces interprofessional education, interprofessional practice, and the roles of the different healthcare professionals that make up an interprofessional team. | ||
| IPEA 501 | Communication in Interprofessional Teams. | 0 |
Communication in Interprofessional Teams. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A half day workshop, including preparatory work, introducing effective communication and interactions in interprofessional teams. | ||
| IPEA 502 | Partnership in Interprofessional Teams | 0 |
Partnership in Interprofessional Teams Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A half day activity, including preparatory work, introducing students to a simulated patient/family centred care scenario in which they will be working in interprofessional teams to develop a plan of care. | ||
| IPEA 503 | Managing Interprofessional Conflict. | 0 |
Managing Interprofessional Conflict. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Reflection on sources of conflict and strategies to manage conflict. Using conflict productively for team building and innovative approaches for resolving conflict within the interprofessional health care team. | ||
| NUTR 503 | Nutrition and Exercise. | 3 |
Nutrition and Exercise. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Interaction of exercise physiology with nutrient and energy metabolism in healthy adults. Principles of physical training and role of physical activity and exercise in weight management and food intake regulation. Importance of physical activity in childhood, during pregnancy, in healthy adults and in improving functional capacity in the elderly. | ||
| NUTR 505 | Public Health Nutrition. | 3 |
Public Health Nutrition. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This course focuses on the nutrition status of populations, communities and groups of people using a public health lens. It identifies and assesses human nutrition issues and problems, their causes, influencing factors and social conditions using a social determinants of health framework. Offers opportunities to design and conduct needs assessments, design and plan programs and plan for their evaluation. The purpose and role of participatory approaches with diverse populations and Indigenous populations in particular will be analyzed. Health systems, public health and political influence in Canada, as related to nutrition will be addressed. | ||
| NUTR 511 | Nutrition and Behaviour. | 3 |
Nutrition and Behaviour. Terms offered: Fall 2025 This course will integrate biological, social and psychological determinants of eating and food choices in both health and disease. Topics will include behavioural theories relevant to eating and food choice, neurobiology of appetite regulation, mental health, obesity, chronic disease and effectiveness of behaviour-change intervention strategies. | ||
| NUTR 545 | Clinical Nutrition 2. | 4 |
Clinical Nutrition 2. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Pathophysiology and clinical nutrition intervention for various medical conditions. Topics include gastrointestinal disorders, surgery and nutrition support. | ||
| NUTR 546 | Clinical Nutrition 3. | 4 |
Clinical Nutrition 3. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Clinical nutrition for diabetes, renal disease, eating disorders and other disorders in both adult and pediatric populations. | ||
| NUTR 551 | Analysis of Nutrition Data. | 3 |
Analysis of Nutrition Data. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Practical application of theoretical concepts in data analysis covering issues of study design, data collection, database organization, and statistical analysis using SPSS statistical software. Applications of statistical tests, reporting and interpretation of results, and data visualization. | ||
| NUTR 603 | Credentialing in Dietetics. | 3 |
Credentialing in Dietetics. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Theoretical and practical integration of knowledge and skills required during graduate professional practice. Includes clinical assessment and nutritional monitoring techniques, analysis of interviewing and counseling situations, and application of management information systems and quality assurance procedures. | ||
| NUTR 606 | Human Nutrition Research Methods. | 3 |
Human Nutrition Research Methods. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Methods in molecular biology and biochemistry and molecular techniques in nutrient metabolism, gene analysis, and metabolomics, experimental models for the human gut and metabolic diseases. Formation and criticism of designs for research, sampling techniques, measurement and analysis issues and human research ethics. | ||
| NUTR 607 | Counselling in Professional Practice . | 3 |
Counselling in Professional Practice . Terms offered: Winter 2026 Techniques and strategies to enhance interpersonal skills for the health care environment. Topics include ethics, leadership and interprofessional teamwork. Hands-on practice in the dietitian's role as nutrition communicator, interviewer, counsellor, educator, motivator and behavioural change facilitator. Principles and practices essential to participating in entry-level dietetics. | ||
| NUTR 611 | Graduate Professional Practice 1. | 2 |
Graduate Professional Practice 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Dietetic practicum that includes the hospital environment, client-centred care and the patient experience. Communication, dietary assessment, nutrition education. | ||
| NUTR 612 | Graduate Professional Practice 2 Management. | 8 |
Graduate Professional Practice 2 Management. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Assessment, planning, implementation, communication and evaluation in management of Food and Nutrition Systems. Focus is on application of management theory in dietetic practice. | ||
| NUTR 613 | Graduate Professional Practice 3 Clinical Nutrition. | 7 |
Graduate Professional Practice 3 Clinical Nutrition. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Initial rotation(s) in clinical nutrition. Assessment, planning, implementation, communication and evaluation of clinical nutrition care. Focus is on application of medical nutritional therapy for individuals and groups with a variety of disease states. | ||
| NUTR 614 | Graduate Professional Practice 4 Community Nutrition. | 8 |
Graduate Professional Practice 4 Community Nutrition. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Assessment, planning, implementation, communication, and evaluation of public health and community nutrition programs for a variety of individuals and population groups. Focus is on intervention strategies and their evaluation. | ||
| NUTR 615 | Graduate Professional Practice 5 Clinical Nutrition. | 7 |
Graduate Professional Practice 5 Clinical Nutrition. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025 Final rotation(s) in clinical nutrition. Assessment, planning, implementation, communication and evaluation of clinical nutrition care. Focus is on application of medical nutritional therapy for individuals and groups with a variety of disease states. | ||
| NUTR 618 | Dietetics Professional Practice. | 1 |
Dietetics Professional Practice. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Introduction to the dietetics profession including ethics; provincial regulation; competencies and domains of practice; and dietetic practice in the hospital environment. Introductory activities related to food, food industry, agriculture, public health nutrition and clinical nutrition. | ||
| NUTR 625 | Emerging Issues for Nutritionists. | 3 |
Emerging Issues for Nutritionists. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Emerging issues in nutrition and dietetics relevant to professional practice. Emphasis on research and writing updates for professional practice documents. Effective oral communication skills with other allied health professionals, as well as the general public. A focus on online communication, evaluating and promoting accurate nutrition science appropriate for diverse target groups. Skills associated with professional leadership roles. | ||
| NUTR 629 | Professional Dietetics Project. | 6 |
Professional Dietetics Project. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 A team project (3 or 4 students). Interventions and outcomes, or development and evaluation of tools and resources for dietetics practice, in a clinical or community nutrition setting, with individuals or groups as the target population. The project findings will be disseminated through a final report and a presentation to health professionals. | ||
| NUTR 651 | M.Sc. (Applied) Literature Review. | 3 |
M.Sc. (Applied) Literature Review. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Review of literature and definition of problem/objective for the project or practicum. | ||
| NUTR 660 | M.Sc.(Applied) Final Presentation. | 1 |
M.Sc.(Applied) Final Presentation. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Final oral presentation of the project or practicum. | ||
| NUTR 695 | Human Nutrition Research Orientation. | 1 |
Human Nutrition Research Orientation. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Orientation to graduate studies in nutrition including research ethics and safety training, library and literature search skills. | ||
| NUTR 696 | Human Nutrition Seminar. | 1 |
Human Nutrition Seminar. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Students will present a recent original research article in which the methods and data presentation will be critically analyzed. The article must be approved by the instructor. | ||
Complementary Courses (3 credits)
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AEMA 610 | Statistical Methods 2. | 3 |
Statistical Methods 2. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Principles of linear models, multiple regression equations and classification models. Introduction to Analysis of Variance and common statistical designs used in agricultural and environmental sciences. Emphasis on balanced and unbalanced designs and data structures; their analysis and tests of statistical significance. | ||
| ANSC 560 | Biology of Lactation. | 3 |
Biology of Lactation. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An interdisciplinary approach to the study of mammary development, the onset of lactation and its cessation, comparing the differences in mammalian species in mammary development from embryological, pre- and post-pubertal and pre- and post-partum aspects. Lactation at the cellular and biochemical levels. | ||
| EDKP 654 | Sport Psychology. | 3 |
Sport Psychology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The psychological factors and personality characteristics that influence diverse aspects of sport and physical activity. Seminars focus on discussions/presentations of theory, psychometrics and application of psychological principles to behaviour in sport. | ||
| EDPC 501 | Facilitating Relationships . | 3 |
Facilitating Relationships . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Components of effective interpersonal relationships and how to facilitate them in a variety of contexts. | ||
| EDPC 504 | Communication and Critical Conflict Resolution . | 3 |
Communication and Critical Conflict Resolution . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Applying a social justice framework this course will give students the opportunity to develop the critical communication skills necessary when addressing difficult dialogues and conflict. | ||
| EDPE 502 | Theories of Human Development. | 3 |
Theories of Human Development. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Life course developmental theories to form a foundation for policy and for empirical and applied work with diverse groups, including disability and other equity-seeking groups. | ||
| EPIB 507 | Biostats for Health Sciences. | 3 |
Biostats for Health Sciences. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Basic principles of statistical inference applicable to clinical, epidemiologic, and other health research. Topics include: methods of describing data, statistical inference for means, statistical inference for proportions, non-parametric statistics, correlation and introduction to linear regression. | ||
| FDSC 537 | Nutraceutical Chemistry. | 3 |
Nutraceutical Chemistry. Terms offered: Fall 2025 The origin, classification, mechanism of action and chemical properties of potential and established nutraceutical compounds and their applications in functional foods. | ||
| FDSC 538 | Food Science in Perspective. | 3 |
Food Science in Perspective. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Food industry, food properties, nutritive aspects, quality factors, and key preservation processes, with self-study linking these elements directly to specific commodities and product groups, their characteristics, chemistry and distinct manufacturing processes. | ||
| FDSC 545 | Advances in Food Microbiology. | 3 |
Advances in Food Microbiology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 An advanced level food microbiology course providing a perspective on advanced topics in food microbiology (microbial biofilms, antimicrobial resistance, bacterial endospores) and describing the fundamental principles of advanced techniques in food microbiology (microbiological, biochemical, immunological, genetics methods). | ||
| NUTR 501 | Nutrition in the Majority World. | 3 |
Nutrition in the Majority World. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Current nutrition-related issues in the Majority World, emphasizing young children and other vulnerable groups. The integration of a life science and social science perspective. The multiple causes, consequences, policies, and interventions related to current nutrition. | ||
| NUTR 502 | Independent Study 2. | 3 |
Independent Study 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 An individualized course to allow students to undertake projects in library, laboratory, or field study. | ||
| NUTR 506 | Qualitative Methods in Nutrition. | 3 |
Qualitative Methods in Nutrition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Perspectives in study design, methods, and analysis. The application of qualitative research for developing, implementing, and evaluating community nutrition programs. Critiquing qualitative research articles and proposals for cultural safety and scientific rigour. | ||
| NUTR 507 | Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry. | 3 |
Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry. Terms offered: Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Specialized advanced topics in human nutrition, biochemistry and metabolism, including the dietary absorption and metabolism of iron, copper, and selenium and their role in energy metabolism, antioxidant defence, toxin elimination, and redox signaling and food source contamination, nutritional toxicology, and the negative impact these toxins have on metabolic networks and antioxidant defences. | ||
| NUTR 512 | Herbs, Foods and Phytochemicals. | 3 |
Herbs, Foods and Phytochemicals. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An overview of the use of herbal medicines and food phytochemicals and the benefits and risks of their consumption. The physiological basis for activity and the assessment of toxicity will be presented. Current practices relating to the regulation, commercialization and promotion of herbs and phytochemicals will be considered. | ||
| NUTR 537 | Advanced Human Metabolism. | 3 |
Advanced Human Metabolism. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Advanced topics in regulation and dysregulation of metabolism integrating mechanistic pre-clinical approaches to studying human health and disease. Presentation and critical analysis of metabolic research. | ||
| NUTR 608 | Special Topics 1. | 3 |
Special Topics 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026 Prescribed reading, conference, lectures, assignments and/or practical work on selected topics in student's area of specialization. An approved course outline must be on file in the School's office prior to registration. | ||
| NUTR 610 | Pediatric and Maternal Nutrition. | 3 |
Pediatric and Maternal Nutrition. Terms offered: Winter 2026 The scientific basis for topical and controversial issues during pregnancy, lactation and pediatric nutrition. Physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of nutrient metabolism affecting maternal and pediatric health. Topics include molecular nutrition and birth defects, toxin-nutrient interactions and maldevelopment; epigenetics and metabolic programming; disrupted macro- and micronutrient metabolism and pregnancy complications; essential fatty acid metabolism and neural development; antioxidants, oxidative distress, inflammation and maternal and pediatric health. | ||
| NUTR 641 | Advanced Global Food Security. | 3 |
Advanced Global Food Security. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Food security is a major concern on the international development agenda: hundreds of millions, and perhaps even billions of individuals still face food insecurity and hunger, even years after the Millennium Summit. This course is designed to provide graduate students with multidisciplinary tools in research and education required by practitioners and researchers to better assess, understand, and positively impact global food security. Students will attend the Annual McGill Global Food Security Conference, and will actively review presentations and interact with world experts from various sectors and disciplines presenting on cutting edge research and the state of Global Food Security. | ||
| PSYC 650 | Advanced Statistics 1. | 3 |
Advanced Statistics 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A course in advanced statistics with specialization in experimental design. | ||
Elective Courses (3 credits)
3 credits at the 500 level or higher, to be chosen in consultation with the Program Director.
Compulsory Immunization
A compulsory immunization program exists at McGill which is required for Dietetics students. Students should complete their immunization upon commencing the program. Confirmation of immunization will be coordinated by the Student Wellness Hub (https://www.mcgill.ca/wellness-hub/). Certain deadlines apply.