FAQ: Online MS

Visit the graduate admissions page to apply online. There is a nonrefundable $50 application fee.

Applicants must submit:

• Official transcripts from every college or university attended, whether or not a degree was earned. If undergraduate degree was earned at IUP, official transcripts are not required.
• Goal Statement, indicating career and academic goals.
• Two letters of recommendation submitted via e-mail to graduate-admissions@iup.edu or via US. postal mail. Recommenders should include your full name and that you are applying to the Food and Nutrition MS program.
• Résumé.
• If you are a current IUP student, please contact graduate-admissions@iup.edu to obtain a code to waive the $50 application fee. Promo code expires upon graduation from IUP.

The eligibility requirements for applying to this program include evidence of completion of prerequisite courses: chemistry, anatomy, and physiology at the undergraduate level. Preference is given to students with a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0; however, those with GPAs below this will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

No, there is not a GRE requirement.

Applications are considered under a "rolling admissions" process. However, a summer or fall semester start date is highly recommended, with a February 1 deadline encouraged.

Conditional admission status can be granted in some circumstances. It is possible to begin to take some graduate level courses while you complete prerequisite requirements. Contact the graduate coordinator for more information at ms-fdnt@iup.edu.

If you need to take undergraduate prerequisite course for graduate school, it may be best to apply for admission to the IUP Office of Extended Studies.

Students may apply and be admitted to two master's degree programs at IUP simultaneously. This means that you can earn two master's degrees in much less time that it would take you to earn these degrees separately—with as little as 54 credits combined! Up to 50 percent of the credits in one degree may be shared with the other degree, provided that (1) the courses are required courses or electives in both programs, or (2) the courses are accepted as substitute course by the graduate coordinator of the program.

This provides a great opportunity for students to cross-specialize! Popular dual degree opportunities with the MS in Food and Nutrition are in Adult and Community Education, Exercise Science, Human Resources and Employment Relations, and Health Services Administration. Other possibilities can be explored in areas such as history and sociology.

If you have gained experience/knowledge that may be equivalent to the goals of a particular graduate course in the curriculum for the Master's in Food and Nutrition, you may be eligible to apply for Prior Learning Assessment credits. Please note that in order for your learning experience(s) to be evaluated, you must be currently enrolled at IUP. In other words, this process cannot happen simultaneously with your application process. Up to one-third of the credits required for the Master's in Food and Nutrition can be from Prior Learning Assessment and/or transfer credits. For details, please see Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for Academic Credit.

Completion of the MS in Food and Nutrition is not a route to becoming a registered dietitian. If you are interested in becoming a registered dietitian, then you should apply for admission to the IUP MS in Food and Nutrition Dietitian-Nutritionist Program (DNP). This two-year program provides the opportunity for students with any background (not just undergraduate nutrition/dietetics majors) who meet prerequisite requirements to become eligible to take the national examination to become a registered dietitian. Contact the DNP director, Jodie Seybold, for more information. 

Also, more information about how to become a registered dietitian is found at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

Possibly, although this will require that you take several undergraduate classes, some of which are only offered on the IUP campus and not online. Some of the graduate courses that you would take during the MS in Food and Nutrition can replace some of the undergraduate courses and count toward earning the Verification Statement.

You will register for classes online through MyIUP. It is recommended that you talk with your academic advisor prior to registering.

Your academic advisor provides your registration PIN to you after you have both agreed on the courses you will take in a given semester. A PIN is not required to register for summer courses.

The Department of Food and Nutrition graduate coordinator is the academic advisor for all graduate students. Contact the program coordinator at ms-fdnt@iup.edu.

There is no minimum number of credits. In order to receive financial aid, a student must be at least half-time (4.5 credits).

A full load for graduate students is 9 credits. Graduate assistantships do have minimum credit registration requirements.

FDNT graduate courses are offered in the fall and spring semesters, as well as in the summer. No offerings are available during the winter session.

Students can elect to take additional 500-level and above courses from the IUP Graduate Catalog (including FDNT courses or through other departments) that are appropriate for their needs and interests. Advisors will approve elective choices. MS in Food and Nutrition students commonly select courses in ACE, ELR, HSAD, KHSS, and NURS. Some graduate courses outside of the department may be offered online.

No, you will obtain the same degree as that of an on-campus student. The courses are taught by the same faculty that teach on campus, and the curriculum is the same.

Please visit the Office of Student Billing for the most updated graduate tuition and fees. You can estimate your total tuition and fees on the Graduate Admissions website.

Multiple positions are available for graduate assistants in the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) Department of Food and Nutrition for the upcoming academic year.

Option 1: Part-time (10-hour per week position)

• RDN credential preferred
• In exchange for 10 hours/week of work, 12 credit tuition waiver (6 credits per semester) + stipend
• Flexibility with when/how 10-hour workload could be accomplish

Option 2: Full-time (20-hour per week position)

• In exchange for 20 hours/week of in-resident work, 18 credit tuition waiver (9 credits per semester) + stipend
• Classes are 100% online
• Would also require submission of online application to the IUP School of Graduate Studies
• Email the graduate coordinator for more information.

You can find more information about financial aid by visiting the Office of Financial Aid website.

Yes, scholarships may be available. Contact the graduate coordinator for more information. 

Dr. Pao Ying Hsiao (pyhsiao@iup.edu) 

Online learning is a great option for individuals who need the flexibility of working at their own pace to complete the degree requirements. Time management skills are very important for success.

The program is designed to be completed in two years, with fall and spring semester enrollments in each year. It may be possible for students who begin in the fall semester and elect to enroll in summer elective courses to complete requirements in 16 months.

The amount of time you need to dedicate per week, per course will vary by course as well as your learning needs and style. A general rule of thumb is you should plan to dedicate a minimum of three hours of study time for every one credit hour you take.

Currently, there is no need to come to the campus. You may elect to take courses on campus or online offered by other IUP graduate programs to fulfill elective requirements. Please check with the graduate faculty coordinator before registering.

Master's students must complete degree requirements within five years from the first date of earning or transferring credit. For special circumstances, the period may be extended through a student petition if approved by both the student's department and the dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.

This will depend on the professor. E-mail is usually the most efficient way to communicate with professors of online courses. Contact your professor at the beginning of the course to ask what the best way is to get in touch with them. Many professors hold office hours on certain days of the week and often allow students to make appointments outside of these hours, if necessary.

LMSs are what you can consider the "classroom" in online education. Currently, IUP courses utilize two LMS platforms, Moodle and D2L. More information about Moodle and D2L can be found by visiting the IT Support Center website.

To obtain technical support for computer issues, you may contact IUP's IT Support Center Monday–Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. by logging a ticket at ihelp. If you have trouble accessing this site, please call 724-357-4000.

You must have a computer with reliable Internet connection (preferably a broadband connection) that will sufficiently support your ability to watch streaming video (e.g., YouTube, Netflix).

The following software is required to view course content and to participate in planned course activities:

• Adobe Reader
• Flash Player
• Adobe Shockwave Player
• Microsoft Office
• Access to a Web browser (e.g., Firefox, Internet Explorer)
• Access to Zoom application (via iupvidoeo.zoom.us) 

A microphone and video camera equipped computer as well as an external headset microphone are required. Many courses will require you to meet and/or present via web conferencing at scheduled points throughout the semester.

You can look up, and purchase if desired, required textbooks by course and section at IUP's Co-Op Store. Faculty teaching online course will typically send an e-mail (to your IUP e-mail address) to students several weeks prior to the start of a course to provide start-up instructions, including textbook specifications.

You can do this by completing the Undergraduate Application for Graduate Coursework form. The policy states: "IUP undergraduate students with an academic grade point average of at least 2.6 who are within 32 semester hours of graduation are permitted, after receiving appropriate approvals, to take up to 6 semester hours of graduate work whether or not they have applied for acceptance into an IUP graduate program.

"Graduate hours so earned have no necessary bearing upon the meeting of undergraduate degree requirements, and no assurance is given or implied as to their later applicability toward graduate degrees should the students be admitted to IUP graduate programs. Should these credits later be approved toward a graduate degree program, they will be treated as transfer credits."

Note: Graduate credits earned and applied toward an undergraduate degree cannot also be applied toward a graduate degree.

Yes! IUP's Early Admission program is designed for highly motivated and successful IUP undergraduates who wish to continue their studies in a graduate program at the university.

Applicants must have at least a 3.25 GPA to be considered for early admission, and must have completed at least 15 credit hours in their undergraduate major. More information is available at Early Admission to Graduate Programs.