HNFM Graduate Certificate

For health professionals with master’s or doctoral degrees who choose not to take the full HNFM master’s degree curriculum, the University of Western States offers an online graduate certificate in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine that helps you to deepen your understanding of these subjects. The curriculum includes nine of the 17 required courses in the UWS master of science program. Please note, the HNFM certificate is distinct from the HNFM master’s degree program. Speak with an admissions advisor to find out which program is best for you.

Certificate completion consists of the eight core courses below plus one elective of the student’s choice. The Principles of Functional Medicine course must be taken first, after which courses may or may not be taken in the order listed. The Supervised Nutrition Mentorship is optional and fulfills the elective requirement.

The HNFM program often hosts prestigious guest lecturers to speak about exciting topics in health, nutrition and wellness. Here are a few guests we’ve had the honor of hosting and the topics they presented on:

Neal Barnard, MD – “Evidence on Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes”
Kara Fitzgerald, ND – “Molecular Biology of Fatty Acid Therapy”, “Food Allergy, Intolerance, Sensitivity”, “Allergy and Atopy”
Alan Gaby, MD – “Controversies in Nutrition”
Alan Goldhamer, DC – “Fasting, Food Addictions”
James Gordon, MD – “Self-Care is the Heart of Health Care”
Dennis Hoyer, DC – “Fundamentals of Laboratory Assessment”

Upon completion of the certificate program, participants may choose to finish the remaining coursework to earn the master of science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine degree. All of the completed courses in the certificate program will count toward the master’s degree.

With appreciation of the rapid advancements in the field of clinical nutrition and the increasingly respected role of nutrition in the maintenance of health and the prevention of disease, the human nutrition and functional medicine graduate certificate program prepares graduates to safely and effectively utilize nutrition, natural remedies and biopsychosocial therapies in the management of patients with complex health challenges at an advanced level beyond traditional nutritional programs.

Graduates of the HNFM graduate certificate will develop effective, evidence-informed management and wellness approaches utilizing nutritional and lifestyle interventions within a functional medicine framework.

You can buy your textbooks online. Find the HNFM textbook list here.

The UWS catalog houses the curriculum, course descriptions, curriculum sequence and other helpful information about the program. View the current catalog.