Admission Requirements
Successful GP Applicants Must Meet the Following Requirements:
1. Meet general University admission requirements for graduate study
See complete details here. These requirements are often lower than the GP requirements which are outlined below.
2. Hold a Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent) as conferred by a U.S. institutional accredited college or university
Note: We do not require applicants to have an undergraduate degree in nutrition, dietetics, or a related field.
3. For applicants with degrees earned outside the United States: Evidence of English language proficiency via a TOEFL iBT test, with the following minimum scores:
- Overall minimum TOEFL score: 90
- TOEFL reading score: 22+
- TOEFL listening score: 22+
- TOEFL speaking score: 25+
- TOEFL writing score: 22+
This does not apply to anyone with a degree from the United States or an English Language Waiver Country - see list here.
4. Minimum 3.0 overall undergraduate GPA out of a 4.0 scale
5. Prerequisite coursework with "C" or better
The following courses are required without exception. CSULB course numbers are provided for reference:
- College algebra or higher (MATH 113)
- Statistics (PSY 110/STAT 118)
- General chemistry + lab (CHEM 111A)
- Organic chemistry + lab (CHEM 227)
- Microbiology + lab (BIOL 201)
- Anatomy + lab (BIOL 208)
- Physiology + lab (BIOL 207)
- Psychology (PSY 100 or SOC 335)
- Introductory nutrition (NUTR 132)
- Fundamentals of food preparation (HM 176)
- Food science (FSCI 232)
- Life course nutrition (NUTR 331)
- Advanced Nutrition (macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism) or equivalent. This is usually offered as an upper-division course (NUTR 436A/B). It may be called "Nutrition Biochemistry" as well.
Applicants with a DPD Verification Statement from an ACEND-Accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics must review the checklist and take any required courses (e.g., anatomy) if their program did not include them.
Not sure if your courses meet the requirements? Please download the GP Prerequisites Checklist and read the FAQs below before requesting a review of your courses.
4. Relevant volunteer or work experience in the field of nutrition.
Work experience is preferred, but not required.
Examples of relevant experiences include clinical/medical, food service (restaurant, hospital/residential food service), and community nutrition. Career changers from allied healthcare fields, the hospitality industry, or other adjacent disciplines are encouraged to apply. We are looking for applicants who can demonstrate experiences that show their ability to work well with others, think critically, engage effectively with diverse populations, and make a difference in their communities.
5. Timely completion of the full Application Process, which includes:
- Submitting complete applications to CalStateApply and DICAS by September 1
- Personal Statement (CalStateApply & DICAS)
- Demonstration of writing proficiency via a writing sample or a GRE analytical writing score of 4.0 or above
- Provide 3 references who will submit a letter of recommendation by the deadline (CalStateApply & DICAS)
- Submission of official transcripts (CalStateApply & DICAS)
- Resume (CalStateApply & DICAS)
- Answering short-answer questions (DICAS)
- Completing a Zoom Interview
Be sure to read the complete details on these requirements.
6. Readiness to comply with supervised learning facility requirements, which include:
- Access to a vehicle and consistent transportation (no exceptions)
- Evidence of a clear criminal background
- Clear drug test and willingness to be drug tested
- Proof of health insurance (can be obtained through CSULB)
- Proof of all required immunizations through titers and willingness to maintain current vaccination as needed by facility (e.g., flu shot, vaccine boosters, etc). These are required by facilities and non-negotiable for program applicants.
- Basic Life Support certification (American Heart Association approved)
- Professional student liability insurance (usually $35-$50/year)
FAQs About Admission Requirements
Follow these steps:
- Download the GP Prerequisites Checklist and read the course descriptions. We use this same tool to determine whether your courses will be accepted by the GP. We also provide links to some examples of similar courses elsewhere.
- If you took classes at a California community college, you can easily see if your course meets CSULB requirements by using www.assist.org and searching for “CSU Transferable Courses.”
- When in doubt, expect that we will always require an equivalent course versus waiving a course that may only partially meet the requirements. This is to ensure all GP students start with the same knowledge so you can succeed.
- Still unsure? Email GP Assistant Director Dr. Dustin Moore at dustin.moore@csulb.edu with the following:
- List of the exact courses you are unsure about
- The original syllabus (not just course description) for the course(s) in question
Are you an international/foreign degree holder? Check out our Tips for Applicants with International Degrees
Yes – non-enrolled students may take up to 24 units of coursework through Open University at CSULB. Open University allows anyone to enroll in a course without being admitted. Please review their website for details on how to register for a course through Open University.
One benefit of taking courses with us is that you can get to know other students and our faculty before applying, which may help go through the admissions process and to receive letters of recommendation if needed.
Some disclaimers:
- If an Open University course requires prerequisite courses, you must provide evidence.
- You must work with Open University and/or the individual instructor of the course, not the GP Director or other nutrition faculty, to determine eligibility and course availability.
- Course availability is not guaranteed and is based on demand.
- You are not guaranteed acceptance into the GP if you take your courses at CSULB.
Prerequisite courses can be taken at any U.S.-accredited college or university. Most are available at community colleges. However, a few are upper division and likely only offered at a university with an existing nutrition bachelor's degree program.
Here is a helpful (though not exhaustive) list of some harder-to-find GP prereq courses offered in-person and online outside of CSULB:
No. As long as students meet the admission requirements, they are eligible to apply to the GP.
A DPD Verification Statement is not a substitute for the required prerequisite courses.
No. While completing a DPD is certainly an asset, we do not use a DPD Verification Statement as our standard for admissions, as not all DPDs may require all of our prerequisite coursework (e.g. anatomy, psychology).
We encourage applicants to focus on the admissions requirements to ensure they are eligible to apply.
No. However, we prefer that applicants have taken at least 1 college-level nutrition course in the past 5 years. This could be any of the three required options (Introduction, Life Cycle, or Metabolism).
Taking coursework again may be less important if you have been working actively in the field of nutrition or healthcare and are able to demonstrate in your application that you are currently using/engaging in nutrition or related skills professionally.
No. As long as you have completed all required coursework by the start date (mid-January) of the GP, you may apply. When you enter your grade information into the DICAS Application Portal, you will have the option to enter courses that are in-progress in addition to those you've already completed.
No. Students are not required to arrange or commit to distance learning at the time of application. For more details about the distance option, please review the Student Handbook under "Supervised Experiential Learning Policies".
