BS in Nutrition: Dietetics (DPD) Track

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) apply their expertise to improve the health and well-being of people in a variety of ways, such as: providing nutrition care for patients in hospitals, specialty clinics, primary care health centers, and long-term care centers; working with individuals and populations at risk for health conditions or poor nutrition; working for schools and public health programs; implementing fitness and wellness programs; working with athletes as sports dietitians; consulting for businesses, non-profit organizations and institutions throughout the world; counseling clients and providing nutrition education in private practice. Learn more about what RDNs do at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.

The field of dietetics offers unique career opportunities for students with an aptitude for science and who enjoy helping people.

The dietetics track is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and fulfills the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) requirements. To sit for the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) exam, students must complete the DPD curriculum, a master’s degree and a supervised practice program, also called a Dietetic Internship (DI). Students graduating from the UMass Amherst Nutrition undergraduate DPD program have the following options to meet the RDN requirements.

1. Complete the 4+1 accelerated master's in nutrition program at UMass Amherst, which allows students to complete the BS and MS in five years and then apply to a dietetic internship not associated with an MS degree. These are typically based in hospitals.
2. Complete an MS, MPH, MA, MBA in another department or college (these may be one or two years in duration), then apply to a Dietetic Internship which is not associated with a graduate degree.
3. Apply to dietetic internship which will give a graduate degree, typically an MS or MPH while also completing a dietetic internship (these are usually two years in duration).

While at UMass Amherst, DPD students are given guidance on how to work through the process of applying to a dietetic internship.

For more information about opportunities for RDNs and the pathway to becoming an RDN, see our Didactic Program in Dietetics page.

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