1.    An applicant for licensure as a licensed nutritionist shall file a written application with the board, submit any fees required by the board, and submit proof of completion of the following requirements:

a.    Have received a master’s or doctoral nutrition degree or validated foreign equivalent with a major course of study in human nutrition, foods and nutrition, community nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition education, nutrition, nutrition science, clinical nutrition, applied clinical nutrition, nutrition counseling, nutrition and functional medicine, nutritional biochemistry, nutrition and integrative health, or a comparable course of study, or a master’s or doctoral degree or validated foreign equivalent, in a field of clinical health care from a college or university accredited at the time of graduation from the appropriate regional accrediting agency recognized by the council on higher education accreditation and the United States department of education, and have completed coursework leading to competence in medical nutrition therapy which must consist of the following courses:

(1) Fifteen semester hours of clinical or life sciences, including such courses as chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, botany, genetics, genomics, neuroscience, experimental science, immunotherapy, pathology, pharmacology, toxicology, research methods, applied statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, energy production, molecular pathways, hormone and transmitter regulations and imbalance, and pathophysiologic basis of disease. At least three semester hours must be in human anatomy and physiology or the equivalent.

(2) Fifteen semester hours of nutrition and metabolism, including such courses as nutrition assessment, developmental nutrition, nutritional aspects of disease, human nutrition, macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and    minerals, clinical functional medicine nutrition, molecular metabolism, nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, nutrition and digestive health, and public health nutrition. At least six semester hours must be in biochemistry or an equivalent as approved by the board.

b.    The applicant must have completed a board-approved internship or a documented, supervised practice experience demonstrating competency in nutrition care services and the provision of medical nutrition therapy of not less than one thousand hours including at least two hundred hours of nutrition assessment, two hundred hours of nutrition intervention, education, counseling, or management, and two hundred hours of nutrition monitoring or evaluation. A minimum of seven hundred hours of supervised practice experience is required in professional work settings and no more than three hundred hours can be in alternate supervised experiences such as observational client-practitioner interactions, simulation, case studies, and role playing. This experience must be under the supervision of a qualified supervisor. A qualified supervisor shall provide onsite supervision of an applicant’s supervised practice experience in the provision of medical nutrition therapy and provide general supervision of an applicant’s provision of other nutrition care services that do not constitute medical nutrition therapy.

c.    The applicant meets one of the following criteria:

(1) The applicant has successfully completed a board-approved examination such as the certification examination for nutrition specialists administered by the board for certification of nutrition specialists or the diplomate examination administered by the American clinical board of nutrition; or

(2) The applicant has either a valid certification with the board for certification of nutrition specialists that gives the applicant the right to use the term “certified nutrition specialist” or “CNS” or a valid certification with the American clinical board of nutrition which gives the applicant the right to use the term “diplomate, American clinical board of nutrition” or “DACBN”.

d.    The applicant shall complete a background check or fingerprinting if requested by the board.

2.    An applicant for renewal of a license as a licensed nutritionist:

a.    Shall comply with subsection 1.

b.    Must have satisfactorily completed continuing education requirements as specified and approved by the board.

c.    Shall complete a background check or fingerprinting if requested by the board.