Sports Nutrition Emphasis

Program Start Date

Starts June 2009

Brief Description

• An intensive Sports Nutrition internship rotation
• Core internship rotations in community, food systems/service management, and clinical nutrition
• Graduate coursework leading to a Master of Science degree (non-thesis)

Program Outcomes

• Earn a Master of Science degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition and a minor in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with a focus on human performance
• Complete an accredited dietetic internship program
• Be eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians
• Develop expertise in Sports Nutrition

Sports Nutrition Emphasis Competencies

• Manage menu development for student athletes in a variety of settings (i.e., campus food service facility; restaurant setting; training table).
• Manage production of food that meets nutrition guidelines, cost parameters, and athlete/coach acceptance.
• Supervise customer satisfaction systems for sports nutrition services.
• Manage applied sensory evaluation of food and nutrition products.
• Conduct general health, nutrition, and fitness assessments for athletes (e.g., blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, fitness level).
• Conduct counseling and education for athletes with chronic diseases/conditions, including eating disorders.
• Conduct counseling and education for athletes related to sports performance, recovery, hydration/electrolyte replacement and injury rehabilitation.
• Develop a health promotion/disease prevention intervention project (perform).
• Integrate the principles of biochemistry and evidence from published research to make sound recommendations related to the use of performance enhancement products and supplements.
• Manage the integration of financial, human, physical and material resources.
• Perform sports nutritionist responsibilities in accordance with the University of Florida Athletic Association and National Collegiate Athletic Association rules and policies.

Sports Nutrition Emphasis Benefits

• Intensive 12 month (30 hr/wk) rotation in Sports Nutrition supervised by two experienced sports nutritionists/registered dietitians from the University of Florida Athletic Association’s Sports Nutrition Department
• Additional internship experiences in community nutrition, food systems/service management and clinical nutrition
• $9,000 stipend (based on 30 hr/wk for one year; compensation based on actual hours worked above or below minimum)
• Full tuition reimbursement, pending satisfactory completion of courses, for up to 36 credit hours taken while receiving the assistantship
• Employee group insurance benefits while receiving the assistantship
• $500 meal allowance per semester while receiving the assistantship

Selection Process

The Sports Nutrition emphasis is currently limited to one student per year. Students must be accepted into the Graduate School and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department to be eligible for consideration. Upon acceptance into the Graduate School, applicants will be scheduled for a phone interview. The selection process will be completed by February 2, 2009, and all applicants will be notified of the decision by email on that date. The applicant selected for this emphasis will need to withdraw from the computer match if he/she already has submitted his/her materials to D&D Digital. Applicants not pre-selected for the Sports Nutrition emphasis will automatically be considered for the remaining internship positions if they submit the mark/sense card to D&D Digital Systems, Inc. with prioritized selections that includes our program as one of their choices by the February 13, 2009 deadline. Applicants who are not pre-selected also may apply to other dietetic internship programs through the computer matching process. Students selected for our program through computer matching have the opportunity to complete one or two four-week elective rotations (Research or General emphasis areas, respectively). Included on the list of rotations that students may request is a four-week Sports Nutrition rotation.