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Graduate Outcomes

The goals of the Coordinated Program are to:

  1. Prepare graduates to provide competent nutrition care as entry-level registered dietitians at the completion of the program.

  2. Prepare graduates to meet the demands of the diverse health care community in Texas, including the needs of pediatric and geriatric populations and multiple diverse communities and cultural groups.   

The Coordinated Program aims to graduate team-oriented clinicians ready to function in acute, chronic, and community health care settings across Texas. With a concentration in nutrition therapy, the Coordinated Program builds on a science foundation to develop the skills to:

  1. Assess the nutrition needs of individuals and provide medical nutrition therapy for all ages (pediatrics to geriatrics) based on lifestyle and health status.
  2. Provide medical nutrition therapy for clients and patients of all ages across a spectrum of settings, from wellness centers to intensive care and home care.
  3. Integrate interpretation of biochemical parameters and medications in the nutrition-care process.
  4. Adapt nutrition counseling strategies to overcome barriers to lifestyle change.
  5. Function within interprofessional teams across all areas of practice to provide nutrition support for clients and patients with chronic and complex medical problems.
  6. Provide culturally competent nutrition education and counseling to populations with diverse nutrition needs.
  7. Incorporate knowledge of functional foods, phytochemicals, and food processing, as well as knowledge of nutrient-gene interactions, to serve as food and nutrition experts for the public through mass media and other nutrition information venues.
  8. Interpret and use evidence-based research in practice as a registered dietitian-nutritionist and participate in research to advance evidence-based nutrition and dietetics practices.
  9. Lead and manage human, material, and financial resources in food and nutrition-related businesses.

Graduates of the Coordinated Program may assume positions in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and home health care agencies. They may focus on specialty areas such as pediatrics, diabetes, renal, weight management, nutrition support, or cancer. Others may pursue opportunities in sports nutrition, fitness and wellness programs, schools or universities, community health programs, and industry.