Career Pathways

Collaboration with Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM)
The human nutrition and functional medicine programs are offered as collaborative endeavors between UWS and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), the organization which founded and developed many functional medicine concepts used today.  This global agreement leads to further collaboration between the two institutions, including integration of IFM’s novel patient assessment tools.

Make Connections
Not only do our students come from all over the world, their professional and educational backgrounds are just as diverse. Graduates find this aspect extremely beneficial during the program because they can learn from each other’s unique professional and personal experiences. Many continue to nurture the connections they’ve made while students, creating an extensive network of collaborators throughout the world.

Clinical Focus
The HNFM programs include advanced instruction in clinical nutrition and also presents extensive educational content on functional medicine principles and practices. These include important interdisciplinary and evidence-informed perspectives, patient assessments and clinical interventions designed to enhance the function of the whole person. The information presented is continually reviewed and updated with new research and findings.

Integrated Faculty
The faculty hold advanced degrees in a variety of fields and have experience in a host of wellness-focused disciplines. This brings educational diversity to the program and offers our students insight into a wide range of approaches, practice methods and occupational fields.

Our faculty expertise includes:

• nutrition
• functional medicine
• public health
• immunology
• environmental medicine
• mind-body health
• social work
• chiropractic
• exercise and sports science
• biochemistry
• epidemiology
• medicine
• naturopathy
• pharmacology
• gastroenterology
• herbal and botanical medicine

Completion of the Master of Science in human nutrition and functional medicine program satisfies all of the coursework requirements to sit for several important national certification exams in the field of nutrition, including:

• Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)
• Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN)
• Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (DACBN)

December 2021 CNS Exam Results: 16 of the 17 HNFM graduates who took the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) exam in December 2021 passed. All of them were taking it for the first time. Our pass rate was 94%. The national pass rate for all institutions was 70%.

Our communities are struggling with an increasing burden of chronic, complex illnesses – many of which are perpetuated by suboptimal nutrition. To address the most challenging patient cases, we need expert practitioners, doctors of clinical nutrition, who can apply advanced evaluation and treatment strategies to find the underlying drivers of illness and help to resolve them. For this reason, our Doctor of Clinical Nutrition program utilizes a functional medicine model, enabling students to integrate the best available scientific evidence with a comprehensive, whole-person care approach. With this knowledge, doctors of clinical nutrition can also develop targeted, individualized prevention plans to help reduce the risk of chronic illness and support optimal physical, mental and emotional well-being for the patients and clients they serve.

Current clinicians and health professionals with an existing master’s or doctoral degree who have very specific focus may find the graduate certificate program well-suited to their need for a faster path to completing their education.

Nutrition licensure varies state-by-state and is evolving toward greater inclusivity. Check out the valuable resource, theana.org/advocate, to learn more about the particular laws in your state and keep updated on the newest initiatives affecting the nutrition world.

It is the responsibility of the individual student to understand and comply with all relevant local or jurisdictional requirements for clinical practice, which are highly variable and subject to periodic change. UWS makes no representation or guarantee that completion of UWS coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain certification, licensure or other authorization to practice in any specific jurisdiction.

Human nutrition and functional medicine graduates currently have a tremendous variety of career options, and the field of health and nutrition is growing every day.

Graduates may seek careers that include:

• nutritionist, solo practice
• nutritionist, group/integrated practice
• health and wellness coach
• educator
• lecturer
• author
• entrepreneur
• employee health coordinator
• corporate wellness manager
• health director
• public policy expert