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Nutrition Therapist Master Certification
NTI prides itself on excellence in nutrition education. Graduates from our school have a reputation for being knowledgeable, skilled, and ready to start making an impact on day one. Getting Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition (BCHN) builds upon the strong foundation that NTI provides. Yet, not all of our students have been eligible to sit for the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) BCHN exam. We set out to change that and the result is an exciting new program realignment. Beginning July 8, 2019, NTI will be offering only one certification program – the Nutrition Therapist Master Certification Program (NTMC).
NTMC – The History and Process
A year ago, we were made aware of discontent among the CNTP graduates that they were not eligible to sit for the NANP BCHN board exam. Only those graduating with an MNT are eligible to take the board exam. Immediately, the NTI leadership team started working on a plan to address this concern. It became clear that a program realignment is the necessary action to maintain the high standards of our curriculum and meet the needs of all our graduates to be eligible for BCHN certification.
As of July 8, 2019, NTI will discontinue accepting enrollment for the individual CNTP and MNT programs. Instead, the curriculum of both these programs will be combined into one certification program – the Nutrition Therapist Master Certification (NTMC). NTMC will be the only program available for enrollment for both new and continuing students.
The first step was to get approval for this change by our state regulatory agency, the Colo. Dept. of Higher Education, Division of Private and Occupational Schools (DPOS). The application and approval process was lengthy – 6 months in total. In May, DPOS approved our program realignment with the stipulation that it be called Nutrition Therapist Master Certification. In accordance with DPOS revised program naming rules, the name of the specialization needs to be the first part of the program name – Nutrition Therapist. Then, we felt it necessary to retain the word Master – to emphasize that our graduates have achieved mastery in the use of nutrition therapeutics. Lastly, this is a certification program – thus the word Certification. Nutrition Therapist Master Certification. Graduates from this program will have the designation NTM, and will call themselves Nutrition Therapist Masters.
Just a side note, regardless of our decision to combine programs, DPOS would have required our MNT program to be renamed in the fall of 2019 to comply with their new program naming rules. It would have been named Nutrition Therapist Master Certification. We decided to take this opportunity to use this prescribed name for our program realignment since it comprises the same curriculum as the MNT program (which includes CNTP courses as prerequisite).
What Does the NTMC Program look like?
A great deal of thought and planning went into combining the curriculum of CNTP and MNT together. A first consideration was to evaluate the courses required by NANP in order to be BCHN eligible. Recall, graduating MNTs would have taken all the courses in CNTP and MNT – a total of 17 courses. Three existing NTI courses are not required by NANP for board certification, and thus were eliminated in the realigned NTMC program. They are the Personal Relationship with Food workshop, Food Quality and Food Politics in America, and the Internship. NANP does require business training – we feel the content in Personal and Professional Skills (PPS) and Business Readiness and Coaching Skills (BRCS) not only meets the needs for business training but also for the self-exploration necessary to be a skilled practitioner, so these two courses have been combined into one BRCS in the NTMC program.
Just to be clear, the course content for all the remaining courses is the same – no curriculum is being changed. The slides, videos, recordings, quizzes and exams for the NTMC Program are the same as those in the CNTP and MNT programs.
Some numbers to remember: CNTP comprises 11 courses and is a prerequisite for the MNT program. MNT entails an additional 6 courses to graduate and be eligible for the NANP BCHN exam. The tuition cost for CNTP is $8,065, MNT is $4,210 for a total of $12,275. The duration of the full CNTP and MNT programs is 2 years for full-time students.
The realigned NTMC program consists of 13 courses and the tuition cost is $9,955. The program length is 18 months for full-time students.
A side-by-side comparison of program courses and tuition costs looks like this:
^Combined with BRCS into one 20-week BRCS course (10 classes)
*Not required by NANP to be eligible for BCHN exam
Next Steps for Our Students
Ideally, we’d like all current students to sign a new enrollment agreement for the NTMC program (catalog 22). This will allow you to take advantage of the lower cost and shorter duration to achieve the highest level program credentials NTI offers. And yes, all your previously completed courses will transfer with you as you move to the new catalog. Should you choose to continue with your current CNTP or MNT enrollment agreement and catalog, you may do so until it expires at which time you will be required to sign a NTMC enrollment agreement to complete any remaining courses. (You can find your current enrollment agreement on your profile page under My Account>Student>EA)
If you are currently in the CNTP program and had planned to progress into the MNT program – signing a new NTMC enrollment agreement is in your best interest. If you only intended to get your CNTP and do not wish to continue with the advanced courses, you must complete your CNTP by the time your current enrollment agreement expires.
Answers to Anticipated Questions
What if I have already taken one of the eliminated courses – PRWF, Internship, or FQFP? Congrats! You got more than what NANP requires and you will be able to draw on that acquired knowledge in your future practice.
As a NTMC program student, can I still take one of the eliminated courses? Yes, but it is not required so you would be taking it as an elective. PRWF and FQFP will only be offered as online courses. NTI will continue to facilitate internships for any student who chooses to do one, but it is NOT required for graduation in the NTMC program.
I received my CNTP diploma, but did not complete my MNT. I’d like to come back and complete the requirements for NTMC. Can I do that? Yes. For those returning CNTP grads needing to complete the 5 courses necessary to get their NTMC, we are offering a tuition discount. For these students only, if registered by July 31, 2020, the regular tuition cost will be discounted $50 for each of the following courses: NERH, IHSL, R&C and IS. These students will need to take an abbreviated version of BRCS to fill in where their PPS left off; this course will cost $500. These discounts equate to $1065 in savings over the previous MNT tuition costs.
I’m close to completing my MNT – what should I do? If you have only one or two courses remaining, and can finish them before your current enrollment agreement ends, you should stay the course and complete your MNT. If you have more than two courses to complete or won’t be able to finish before your current enrollment agreement ends, then it’s best if you sign a new NTMC enrollment agreement so that when you graduate, you have the new credentials. Call our advising dept. for guidance on your individual circumstances.
I graduated with my MNT. Can I keep these credentials? Yes. The program name change and graduate designation is not retroactive. It only applies to upcoming students and graduates.
NTMC – Good for the NTI Community
We feel the NTMC program realignment is an ideal choice for our current and future students. It takes the best of what NTI has to offer with our robust, comprehensive curriculum and confers BCHN board exam eligibility to all of our NTMC graduates. It shortens the full program duration by 6 months (for a full-time student) while also reducing the tuition cost. The NTMC program will help NTI maintain its strong presence as one of the best nutrition schools in the country and helps all NTI grads retain their well earned reputations as the best in their field. It’s a win-win for us all.
Please reach out to us with any questions you may have. Our dedicated office, advising and admissions staff are excited about this change and happy to help make the transition smooth for all involved.
Thank you,
Dianne Koehler, Director
Nutrition Therapy Institute
303-377-3974
dianne@ntischool.com
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