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MONTEVALLO – Intelligent magazine ranked the University of Montevallo’s nutrition and wellness program as the fourth best nutrition degree program in the nation and the best nutrition program in the South in its Best Nutrition Degree Programs of 2022 rankings.

Intelligent magazine, which is centered around a lifelong commitment to continuous improvement, assessed 190 universities and colleges and compared 283 undergraduate and graduate accredited education programs to determine which had the best nutrition, dietetics and science programs.

They evaluated each program based on flexibility, faculty, course strength, cost and reputation, according to the rankings. They then calculated the Intelligent Score for each program on a scale from 0 to 100. Montevallo scored a 98.11.

“We’re certainly very excited about the news,” said Dr. Kelley DeVane-Hart, assistant professor of dietetics at UM. “The Coordinated Program in Dietetics began at UM in 2014. Students who complete this program are eligible to sit for the exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Our students have garnered an excellent pass rate of 93.4% since the program began.”

UM’s Nutrition and Wellness Program has been recognized for its stellar accomplishments before:

• Ranked as the No. 18 best Bachelor’s Program in Nutrition Sciences in the United States by bachelorsdegreescenter.org in 2019
• Ranked as the No. 7 best Nutrition Bachelor’s Degree for 2020 by BestHealthDegrees.com

Devane-Hart said the primary reason the program is successful is because of its students.

“While we have a very challenging curriculum, the students consistently rise to the task in the classroom and in their internship experience,” she said.

“Our graduates are successful at jobs in hospitals, health departments, child nutrition programs, long-term care facilities and private practice. In some cases, students have been offered employment from the sites where they completed internship hours.”

To learn more about UM’s Nutrition and Wellness Program, visit Montevallo.edu/academics/colleges/college-of-education/undergraduate/exercise-and-nutrition-science-exns/coordinated-program-in-dietetics-cpd/.