The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $222,500 grant to a University of Arkansas professor to fund the recruitment of qualified candidates into a new master's degree program focusing on nutrition.

Donna Graham, director of the university's School of Human Environmental Sciences in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, will use the USDA grant "to recruit underrepresented students with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition or related field into the master’s degree program," according to a March 3 press release. The release reprinted an article originally published by the University of Arkansas.

"Job opportunities for nutritionists and dietitians are expected to increase 11% by 2030," the article states, "but the lack of diversity among healthcare practitioners has limited equitable care for some populations."

That growth is "much higher than the average for all occupations," Graham said in the article.

"Northwest Arkansas is experiencing population growth in recent years and is expected to continue this growth with a more diverse population," she said in the article. "For example, the Hispanic population increased 22.4% from 2010 to 2017 in the Northwest Arkansas region."

Graham said training nutritionists from diverse backgrounds will help mitigate racial and ethnic imbalances in healthcare fields, according to the article.

Graduates will receive a Master of Science in Human Environmental Sciences, with a focus in human nutrition, according to the article. The Commission on Dietetic Registration requires individuals to complete supervised practice hours in programs accredited by the ACEND, in addition to a minimum of a master’s degree. The master's degree provides depth of knowledge in nutritional subjects and research skills to become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

Admitting two students this year and three in 2024 is the goal, Graham said, and graduates can look forward to several employment options.

“Graduates can work as part of a health care team in a variety of positions – hospitals, nursing homes, food service programs, nutrition communication, policy, food industries and more,” Graham said in the article. 

“They are trained to assist individuals with healthy eating, how to use nutrition to promote health and manage disease," she said. "Only dietitians can assess, diagnose, recommend and treat various medical diagnosis and dietary problems based upon the contributing medical conditions.”