Sports Nutrition Graduate Certificate

Enhance your knowledge in this specialization with an online graduate certificate in Sports Nutrition

Get your start in the field with USJ’s graduate certificate in Sports Nutrition.

Sports Nutrition is a specialized branch of nutrition that studies food as it relates to athletic performance. The field of Sports Nutrition is experiencing tremendous growth at the community, collegiate, and professional levels. Get your start in the field with USJ’s graduate certificate in Sports Nutrition.

Students admitted for the fall 2026 semester may be awarded a Values & Vision scholarship of up to $2,000 annually for up to 2 consecutive years (up to $4,000 total). Scholarship is awarded based on a holistic review of application for admission. Recipients of this scholarship must remain enrolled in at least 6 credits and maintain satisfactory academic progress within their program.

Students must take at least 6 credits per semester to receive the scholarship
The scholarship does not include summer classes
Students taking as few as one course prior to the fall 2026 semester will not receive the scholarship
If the length of time it takes to complete the program goes beyond the planned program length, there will be no extension on the scholarship

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Program Facts

The Certificate is 100% online, offering flexibility and options for working professionals and the required practicum can be completed locally in the student’s geographical area.
The program curriculum provides advanced education in Sports Nutrition based on the content areas of the Board Certification Exam for Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). Please note that completion of the Graduate Certificate in Sports Nutrition does not lead to eligibility for the CSSD exam. Additional requirements are needed to be eligible. More information can be found here.
Areas of focus include nutrition assessment, nutrition diagnosis, intervention, monitoring/evaluation, nutrition education, sports nutrition-related food services management, communication, and application of knowledge and ethics and professionalism.
Once students have passed their prerequisite coursework, they are eligible to enroll in a 3-credit practicum to gain hands-on experience in Sports Nutrition. The practicum can be completed at a local site in the student’s geographical area. Potential practicum sites could be collegiate athletics, professional teams, fitness centers, high school/youth athletic programs, worksite wellness, research/academic settings, and many more.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
- Admission application and nonrefundable admission fee
- Sealed transcript of a bachelor’s degree and any other course work from a regionally accredited institution
- Undergraduate GPA must be at least 3.0
- If you do not have a degree in nutrition you must successfully complete the following prerequisites before applying: a basic Nutrition course and Physiology. These must be from accredited colleges or universities. Each of these courses may have a prerequisite depending on where they are offered. These must be completed with a B or better to be eligible for matriculation.
- A planned program of study
- All immunization records as required by the Office of Admissions (if on campus)

Questions?

Contact:
Melissa Brown, Ph.D., RD, CSSD, LD
Chair and Associate Professor, Nutrition and Public Health
Graduate Program Director
Phone: 860.231.5262
Email: [email protected]

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