Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition
Advance Your Career with an Online Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition (DCN)
The Department of Nutrition & Dietetics offers an online Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition (DCN). The DCN program is an advanced practice doctoral program with an emphasis on leadership, advanced evidence-based practice, and research. In contrast to a PhD in Nutrition, which is generally focused on bench research, this degree focuses on practice and emphasizes the production of applied scholarship and evidence-based outcomes in practice settings. Because we are a practice doctorate, you must be a registered dietitian with three years of practice experience to apply. The DCN will prepare practitioners for leadership roles in clinical, community, or higher education settings through course work, advanced practice residency, and the production of applied scholarship.
Develop Expertise in Chronic Disease Prevention and Nutrition Leadership
Graduates will gain expertise and skills in chronic disease prevention, clinical treatment, cultural competency, critical thinking, public policy, and outcomes research to become advanced-level nutrition and dietetics practitioners and researchers. The curriculum will integrate evidence-based practice in nutrition and dietetics to provide the foundation for the completion of an outcome-based research project. The significance of developing an advanced practice Doctorate in Clinical Nutrition is evident from the increasing prevalence of dietary-related chronic diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, certain cancers, and renal disease). Graduates of the program will be rigorously trained to provide leadership in dietary prevention, intervention, and treatment of chronic disease at the individual and population levels.
Flexible Study Options with Certification Opportunities
The DCN program of study may be completed full or part-time. Students are also encouraged to obtain certifications as part of their studies with consultation and approval from their advisor.
Application Deadlines
| Fall June 1 |
READY TO UNLEASH YOUR POTENTIAL WITH UNF?
Program Information
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Course Descriptions
View the UNF Course Catalog for detailed descriptions of our graduate courses.
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Admission Requirements
Successful applicants possess the RDN with a minimum of three years of practice experience and a master’s degree. Applicants without a master’s degree, may apply to and complete the UNF master’s program prior to entering the DCN program.
Applicants will submit an application letter, three letters of recommendation, and official transcripts from all college and/or university coursework with the final degree posted. Foreign degrees/transcripts need to have an official evaluation.
We highly recommend that students participate in an on-site, two-day orientation at the start of the program. The Fall 2024 orientation is scheduled for July 31st and August 1st, 2024. Additional details will be provided to applicants upon acceptance into the program.
For University and International admission requirements and more information on how to apply, please visit
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Graduation Requirements
Candidates will successfully complete all required program of study courses with a grade of “B” or better, the Advanced Practice Residency, and the dissertation project.
When all the required coursework is successfully completed, the candidate will successfully defend an Advanced Practice Residency outcomes study, which may have a clinical, community/public health, or other nutrition-related focus.
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What does the program cost?
The DCN program will likely carry a tuition rate that differs from other UNF graduate programs. The 2022-2023 tuition rate will be $750 per credit hour for both in-state and out-of-state students. Students will also be subject to additional per-credit-hour fees. View the 2022-2023 information on tuition and fees can be viewed.
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State Licensure Disclosure
You might have received a "Message from the Office of the Registrar" with the Subject "State Licensure Disclosure". Please note this has been done as a response to a new Federal mandate for disclosure. The DCN is currently not a licensure requirement in any state. The BS DPD, MS/DI, and ISPP nutrition programs at UNF are accredited by ACEND and prepare students to meet specific National Registration requirements. In addition, many states have licensure/practice regulations (i.e., licenses to practice/work in their state). Each state might also have additional requirements for licensure. Pls. contact your state's licensing board for additional information.
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State Authorization of Distance Education
The DCN is a fully online program and includes a practice residency, so it is important to determine the State Authorization of Distance Education and if the applicant will be able to do a residency in his or her home state or may have to do such elsewhere. Please see the UNF State Authorization Status website for more information and updates. "State Authorization of Distance Education is a complex and dynamic environment. Prospective students should check this site often for updates. Students are required to come onsite for 2-day workshops during the first three years of the program and also to defend their research project.
Newsletters and Publications
- Newsletters
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DCN Student Publications
Evidence-Based Pratice
Van Horn, L. & Wright, L. Trends Related to Evidence-Based Dietetic Practice Among Dietitians with Varying Levels of Education and Experience. Topics Clin Nutr 2022;37:113-22.
Colin C, Woodcock L, Wright LY, Jiminez EY, Papoutsakis C. The need for and challenges of nutrition and dietetics registry studies: an update on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Health Informatics Infrastructure (ANDHII). J Acad Nutr Diet. (Published online ahead of print January 6, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2023.01.002.
Colin C, Arikawa A, Cooper M, Lamers-Johnson E, Wright L, Papoutsakis C. Documentation of the evidence-diagnosis link predicts nutrition diagnosis resolution in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' diabetes mellitus registry study: a secondary analysis of nutrition care process outcomes. Front Nut. 2023;10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1011958.
Qubty LA, Wright L, Intiful F, Arikawa A, Van Horn L. A two-day virtual workshop on the micronutrient-directed nutrition-focused physical exam for Ghanaian nutrition professionals: examining perceived self-efficacy and innovation. J Diet Ed 2022;1(1): Article 7.
Metcalf K, Wright L, Arikawa A, Ross J. Barriers to implementing weight management recommendations. Nutr Today. 2022;57(5):258-266.
Lewis SL, Wright L, Arikawa AY, Papoutsakis C. Presence of the etiology-intervention link predicts resolution of nutrition diagnosis: a Nutrition Care Process outcomes study from a Veterans Affairs Hospital electronic health record system. J Acad Nutr Diet 2020;121(9):P1831-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2020.04.015
Clinical/Chronic Diseases and Conditions
Hiller L, Wright L, Foulis P, Goldsmith S, Epps J. Estimation of 24-hour Urinary Creatinine Excretion through the Development of a Model to Identify Malnutrition in Critically Ill Veterans. Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 2023;6. http://doi.org/10.1002/ncp.11009 .
Galena AE, Chai J, Zhang J, Bednarzyk M, Perez D, Ochrietor JD, Jahan-Mihan A, Arikawa AY. The effects of fermented vegetable consumption on the composition of the intestinal microbiota and levels of inflammatory markers in women: a pilot and feasibility study. PloS One 2022;17(10):e0275275.
Arikawa A, Kraft D, Harris M, Ross JM, Perez D, Bednarzyk M. The relationship between diet, exercise, and inflammation in college students: a cross-sectional study. Nutr Health. Preprint posted online January 17, 2023. doi:10.1177/02601060231151263
Arikawa A, Snyder J, Ross JM, Harris M, Perez D, Bednarzyk M. Dietary supplement intake is associated with healthier lifestyle behaviors in college students attending a regional university in the Southeast: a cross-sectional study. J. Diet Suppl. Preprint posted online October 18, 2022. doi:10.1080/19390211.2022.2134532
Public Health and Community
Wright L, Marsland C, Ross J, Arikawa A, Nicholson J, Epps J. Investigation of the Multidimensional Determinants of Negative Nutrition Coping Strategies and Tradeoffs in Adults Accessing Food Relief: A Secondary Data Analysis. Nutrition and Health. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1177/0260106023117024
Ross JM, Sanchez A, Epps JB, Arikawa A, Wright L. The impact of a food recovery-meal delivery program on homebound seniors’ food security, nutrition, and well-being. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2022;41(2):175-189.
Ross J, Wright L, Epps J. Meals on Wings: A home delivered meal program to improve the Nutritional health and well-being of seniors and empathy and social responsibility of student volunteers. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019; 51(7)(suppl):S3.
UNF offers this program in an online format.
Applicants may view the program description
and request more information.
Contact the Program Director
Jen Ross, DCN, RD, LD/N, FAND
