Information on the UMASS Amherst Degree Program in Nutrition

The Department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is among the most comprehensive nutrition departments in New England and has an outstanding record in teaching, research, and community service. The award-winning faculty at this department are dedicated to excellence in education. Online learning is available for students and professionals nationally and internationally through UMassONE.

What Is Nutrition?

Nutrition is the science that focuses upon the nutrients contained in foods; their actions, interactions, and balance in relation to health and disease; and the processes by which an individual ingests, digests, absorbs, transports, utilizes, and excretes nutrients. In addition, the study of nutrition is concerned with the social, economic, cultural, and psychological implications of food and eating.

If you want a career that is exciting, challenging, and allows you to succeed, excel, and feel good about what you do, then consider this field. Nutrition is a vital, growing field open to creativity and opportunity — and the possibilities are endless.

What Can I Do With the RDN Credential?

Once you are a fully qualified dietitian you may work in a position in which you provide medical nutrition therapy to patients in a hospital or specialty clinic. Dietitians are also employed as consultants and managers of foodservice operations in health care or other institutional and commercial settings. They work in school nutrition as well as community nutrition programs to educate the public. Dietitians are active in the health and wellness industry and in corporate wellness where they address health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Dietitians also work in national, international, and state government agencies for public health programs such as Women Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-ED). They contribute to public policy in agencies such as the USDA and FDA. A growing number of RDNs work in private practice or as entrepreneurs providing nutrition products and services to consumers. They write books, articles, and newsletters. Here is a video about what a dietitian can do for you

Department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts

The nutrition department is housed in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS).

Admission to the University of Massachusetts Graduate School is described here.

UMass Amherst Graduate Admissions is committed to the responsibility of providing access and opportunities for all, while actively upholding diversity as a priority, demonstrating our commitment to inclusion of historically underrepresented communities. We believe that a multicultural and diverse campus is essential to achieving academic excellence, allowing students of all identities and backgrounds to thrive at UMass Amherst.

Assessment of Prior Learning

Each graduate student will be able to use prior learning to meet the requirements of the UMass Amherst DPD if appropriate. The DPD director will assess these courses to see if they meet the requirements of the DPD.

Course of Study

The course of graduate study for the MS in nutrition at UMass is expected to take two years (four semesters) to complete. Students can access their own student file through their UMass Spire account.

Online Classes

All current students in SPHHS have the option to take some of their courses with the University Without Walls (UWW). These courses are offered in spring, summer, fall, and winter terms and are eligible for financial aid, but the cost of taking a UWW course is different from campus-based courses and may be higher, or may not be covered by your particular form of aid. Before you enroll in any UWW course/s, it is highly recommended that you contact Financial Aid to ensure your current aid package allows UWW courses.

For more information, please go to the SPHHS undergraduate online course information page:

The UWW program is firmly committed to ensuring the integrity of its distance education and degree programs. All distance education students must use their university-issued credentials to log in to Blackboard, through which all course materials and assessments are provided. SPHHS strongly encourages faculty to incorporate randomized question pools for graded online assessments. Further, assessments may utilize other identity-verification technologies, including dedicated IP addresses, synchronous observation tools, and third-party proctoring solutions integrated in Blackboard. Faculty have access to anti-plagiarism tools (TurnItIn and Safe Assign) via Blackboard. Students’ access to Blackboard and all posted content is recorded and can be monitored and saved in accordance with university policies. All faculty teaching in distance education programs have access to course design/redesign services provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Instructional Media Lab to assist with ensuring academic honesty through innovative teaching methods and technologies. For more information on UWW and SPHHS classes please go to the following website

Academic Support

The undergraduate program at UMass has robust support services that we strongly encourage all our students to use. In fact, students earning good grades typically are those who use these services frequently.

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Other Resources for Students at UMass

University Health Services (UHS)

University Health Services provides comprehensive medical care to a diverse population of UMass Amherst constituents and promotes campus health in the broadest sense. We are committed to the holistic integration of a multitude of campus services promoting health in educational and residential environments. We emphasize students first, and strive for excellence, sustainability, and efficiency. In addition to general medicine, UHS provides the UMass campus community with a wide variety of specialty services, including pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology on site. Students can access specialty services that include eye care, acupuncture, physical therapy, women’s health, transgender care, nutrition, and more.

The Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH) offers a community of care to UMass Amherst students to help cope with stress or anxiety, find strategies to overcome challenges, promote mental well-being, and succeed in college life and beyond. The list below shows the breadth of services available to students. The services on the list below can be accessed from the CCPH website.

Crisis Services

• On-call clinician available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

Let’s Talk

• Confidential sessions with counselor-consultants

Groups and Workshops

• Skill-building and support for undergraduate and graduate students

Individual Therapy

• Individual therapy at CCPH
• Off-campus mental health services

Psychiatric/Medication Services

• Psychiatric consultation
• Transitioning mental health care to college

Specialty Services

• Assessment for ADHD and learning disorders
• Eating disorder consultation
• Sexual assault services
• Substance abuse
• Mind/body medicine

Resources for Students of Color

• Includes helpful links, provider directories, self-guided and app resources, crisis numbers, and therapy funds

Additional Resources

• Recommended well-being apps
• Other online resources
• Campus resources
• For UMass parents and families
• Mindfulness at UMass
• Community/off-campus resources
• National resources
• Managing COVID-19 concerns

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Nutrition Faculty

The faculty of the Nutrition Department carry out research in a wide variety of topics. Some faculty are also engaged in clinical practice in the field of dietetics. Details of the faculty are listed below.

For further information about the department visit its website.

The site contains an updated listing of news and events as well as an overview of the nutrition department.

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DPD Requirements for Graduate Students

The Ddietetics Track at the University of Massachusetts is accredited with ACEND (ACEND [at] eatright [dot] org) and is the UMass Amherst Didactic Program in Dietetics. (NOTE: ACEND is the accreditation arm of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). AND is located at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995; 312-899-0040 (ACEND [at] eatright [dot] org (ACEND[at]eatright[dot]org)). The requirements for graduate students pursuing the DPD Verification Statement mostly overlap with the undergraduate DPD requirements. Where there is no overlap for an ACEND learning outcome, graduate students complete these independently.

Course (or equivalent) requirements for the DPD verification statement:

• Chemistry (two semester with lab)
• Introductory biology (one semester)
• Organic chemistry (one semester)
• Biochemistry (one semester)
• Human physiology (one semester)
• Psychology, sociology or anthropology (one semester)
• BIOSTATS 540 (required for graduate degree)
• Nutrition 230: Basic Nutrition
• Nutrition 210: Scientific Principles of Food
• Nutrition 352: Nutrition in the Lifecycle
• Nutrition 430: Nutrition & Metabolism or 630
• Nutrition 572: Community Nutrition
• Nutrition 580*: Medical Nutrition Therapy
• Nutrition 597M*: Special Topics in in Medical Nutrition Therapy
• MGT 301: Principles of Management or other introductory management class
• Personnel Management (such as MGT 314 Personnel Management or HTM 260 Hospitality Personnel Management)
• Food Service Systems Management (HTM 250: Food Service Management)

DPD competencies checklist for graduate students (in the undergraduate dietetic track these KDRNs are covered by coursework in classes that graduate students do not take):

• Sample of writing for the public. Please print and place in my mailbox.
• PowerPoint pdf. for professional audience (as handout 6 slides per page) — please use your PowerPoint for Nutrition 793.
  • Abstract for professional audience — please use your abstract for Nutrition 793.
• Evidence analysis worksheet — please read the instructions on this assignment.
• Summary of scope of Practice — please read the article on the Grad Student DPD Moodle page. Complete the assignment.
• Mentoring worksheet

Please read the articles on the Grad Student DPD Moodle page. Complete the assignment.

• Public policy worksheet

Please see instructions on how to complete the policy assignment. Complete the assignment.

• Health policy assignment — please read the instruction on the Graduate DPD Moodle page and complete the assignment.

When all assignments are completed please put them in a Zip file and send them to me.

*Nutrition 580 and 597M are taken together and are only offered in the fall

Upon completion of the DPD, achieved by finishing all the requirements above, students will receive the DPD Verification Statement. The DPD Verification Statement shows that students have successfully completed the courses needed to achieve the student learning outcomes and competencies set by Accreditation Council for the Education of Nutritionists and Dietitians (ACEND). The DPD Verification Statement is needed to apply to a Supervised Practice or Dietetic Internship. Registration also requires passing a national registration examination. The Verification Statement shows that a student has achieved the academic standards in a program that meets the administrative standards of ACEND. ACEND sets out learning objectives that all students must show mastery of in order to earn the Verification Statement. Academic programs wishing to educate future dietitians must meet rigorous administrative standards that demonstrate that our students are successful in the application process for dietetic internships and in the RDN exam. Upon graduation from the dietetics track, all students will receive an electronic copy of their Verification Statement.

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian/nutritionist (RDN). Approval to sit for the registration examination with a bachelor’s degree requires that individuals have completed the DPD and Dietetic Internship (and so have met all eligibility requirements) before Dec. 31, 2023 at 12.00 midnight CT. They must also have submitted the application for approval to take the exam into the CDR’s Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12 midnight CT, Dec. 31, 2023. If you miss this deadline, you will have to have a master’s degree and completed 1,200 hours of supervised practice to be eligible to apply to take the exam. For more information about the new master’s degree requirement, visit the CDR website Or call 800-877-1600 ext. 5500.

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The DI Application Process

Acceptance into dietetics internships is very competitive, with the recent national acceptance rate at about 61 percent. The acceptance rate for UMass graduates who applied to dietetic internships has been over 80 percent of graduates who apply for the past three years. While at UMass, students in the didactic program in dietetics (DPD) are given guidance on how to work through the process of applying to a dietetic internship. Here is a brief summary of the process.

Internship applications are typically submitted online to an application agency (DICAS). Application deadlines are in mid-February for programs beginning in the summer or fall, or September for January start dates. Programs that offer graduate degrees may differ. For the Spring application cycle (when most of our students apply), the didactic program director holds several meetings to explain the application process in detail. Students may apply to as many programs as they choose. Selection is done largely by computer matching through an online matching agency, D&D Digital (again, graduate programs may differ). Students register with D&D Digital in order to participate in the computer matching process, in which students rank the internships to which they are applying in order of preference. Around the middle of April, applicants will receive notification of if and where they have been matched. Students can only be matched with one program. Acceptance of the position is required by a specified date. Because of the competitive nature of DI applications, it is strongly recommended that students obtain nutrition-related experience through extracurricular activities and work and volunteer experiences. It is also recommended that students have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to apply for a DI.

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Where have Our Dietetics Students Matched?

2012-2021

Distance Programs

Aramark Distance Learning Internship (1), Sodexo Distance Dietetic Internship (3)

The Didactic Program in Dietetics Mission, Goals, and Objectives

The Didactic Program in Dietetics has developed a mission statement as well as goals and objectives for its graduates.

Mission Statement of the DPD Program

The mission of the DPD program of the University of Massachusetts is “to provide quality teaching and a good scientific foundation to students, thereby enabling them to be successful in accredited dietetic internship programs or professional careers.”

Goals and Outcome Objectives of the DPD Program

Program Goal 1: To prepare graduates for careers in dietetics, dietetics internships, and successful completion of the dietetic registration examination.

Standard 3.3 Program Objectives Related to Goal 1 (2017-2022):

1. At least “80 percent of students who are enrolled in the dietetics track as juniors will complete the program within three years of that time.”
2. At least “60 percent of program graduates apply for admission to a supervised practice program prior to or within 12 months of graduation.”

3. At least “50 percent of program graduates are admitted to a supervised practice program prior to or within
   12 months of graduation.”

4. The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80 percent.

5. At least 80 percent of dietetic internship directors rate at least a four on a five-point scale that UMass students came into the internship with an adequate level of knowledge competence appropriate for a supervised practice program*

Program Goal 2: To educate graduates who will reflect current nutrition science in their professional practice by providing a strong understanding of the scientific basis of the study of nutrition and dietetics.

Outcome Measures Related to Goal 2 (2017-2022):

1. Eighty percent of dietetic directors rate at least a four on a five-point scale indicating that UMass graduates have a strong understanding of the scientific basis of dietetics practice.

2. Sixty percent of seniors will rate at least a 4 on a 5-point scale that they received a strong understanding of the scientific basis for the study of dietetics in their coursework at University of Massachusetts

3. Sixty percent of graduates will rate at least a four on a five-point scale that they received a strong understanding of the scientific basis for the study of dietetics in their coursework at University of Massachusetts.

Currently, the dietetics program at UMass has met or exceeded all benchmarks. For data, please contact the DPD director at cpnorton [at] umass [dot] edu (cpnorton[at]umass[dot]edu).

The dietetics program is designed to meet the 2017 Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education Foundation Knowledge Requirements and Learning Objectives for dietetics programs. These requirements and objectives are:

1. Scientific and Evidence Base of Practice: integration of scientific information and research into practice.
2. Professional Practice Expectations: beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors for the professional dietitian level of practice.
3. Clinical and Customer Services: development and delivery of information, products, and services to individuals, groups, and populations.
4. Practice Management and the Use of Resources: strategic application of principles of management and systems in the provision of services to individuals and organizations.
5. Support Knowledge: knowledge underlying the requirements specified above

For more information on how the UMass DPD program meets these ACEND learning objectives, please contact the DPD director at cpnorton [at] umass [dot] edu (cpnorton[at]umass[dot]edu).

For more information about the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, including required courses and recommended course sequence, as well as other information on our career preparation,        please go to our undergraduate program information web page.

For more information on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the dietetics profession, please visit the AND website.

Requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), the accreditation arm of the ACEND [at] eatright [dot] org (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), are described below:

If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of complaints within UMass, ACEND® has established a process for reviewing complaints against accredited programs in order to fulfill its public responsibility for assuring the quality and integrity of the educational programs that it accredits. Any individual, for example, student, faculty, dietetics practitioner, and/or member of the public, may submit a complaint against any accredited program to ACEND®. However, the ACEND® board does not intervene on behalf of individuals or act as a court of appeal for individuals in matters of admissions, appointment, promotion, or dismissal of faculty or students. It acts only upon a signed allegation that the program may not be in compliance with the accreditation standards or policies. The complaint must be signed by the complainant. Anonymous complaints are not considered. Here is the information on the ACEND page regarding filing a complaint. On this page students will find details of the procedure and a link to the Complaint Investigation Form.

Other Important information about attending the University of Massachusetts:

The cost of attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst can be found at the bursar’s web page.

Graduate Policies and Resources

For information on graduate student policies and resources on any academic question, including but not limited to performance monitoring, retention and remediation procedures, disciplinary or termination procedures, filing a complaint, formal assessment, protection of student privacy and online classes, please contact your graduate advisor, Zhenhua Liu (the Graduate Program Director) or refer to the Graduate Guidelines Document, which is available at the following link: https://www.umass.edu/sphhs/sites/default/files/Nutrition%20Graduate%20Guidelines_210630.pdf

https://www.umass.edu/graduate/policies/resources

Academic Calendar

The University of Massachusetts Amherst follows the academic calendars approved by the Faculty Senate. For more information and details, check out current or future calendars.

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