Dietetics Internship Application Process

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

Where have our own dietetics students matched? (2012-2021)

California
Cal State Pomona (1)
UC Davis Medical Center (2)

Colorado
St. Francis Colorado Springs (1)
Tri-County Health Department in Denver (1)

Connecticut
St. Joseph’s Hospital (7)
University of Connecticut CP MS program (1)
Yale (4)

Delaware
University of Delaware (1)

Georgia
Georgia Regents University (1)
Southern Regional Medical Center (1)

Illinois
Bradley University (1)
Illinois State University (1)
Rush University Medical Center (1)

Iowa
Iowa State Distance (1)

Louisiana
Tulane University (2)

Maryland
National Institute of Health (NIH) (1)
University of Maryland College Park (1)

Massachusetts
Beth Israel Medical Center (7)
Brigham and Women’s Hospital (8)
Boston University DI/MS (1)
Mass General Hospital (8)
Mount Auburn (4)
Priority Nutrition Care (2)
Simmons College (6)
Sodexo (New Bedford) (2)
South Shore Sodexo (Obesity) (1)
UMass Amherst (13)
UMass Amherst MPH + DI (3)
UMass Lowell (1)
Wellness Workdays (4)

Minnesota
University of Minnesota (1)

New Hampshire
Keene State (6)
University of New Hampshire (1)

New Jersey
College of St. Elizabeth (3)
Rutgers (3)

New York
Bronx VA (1)
Hunter College (1)
New York Presbyterian (5)
Sage College (2)(
Sodexo (MNT) (3)
Stony Brook University (1)
Stony Brook University Distance (1)
SUNY Oneonta (1)

North Carolina
Aramark (Fayetteville) (1)
Duke University Hospital (1)
Meredith College (2)

Oregon
Oregon Health and Science University (1)

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico Department of Health Dietetic Internship (1)

South Carolina
Medical University of South Carolina (1)

Texas
Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center and Master’s Program in Houston (1)

Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (2)

Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin Green Bay (1)
Viterbo University Wisconsin (1)

Washington
Bastyr (1)

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):

“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.”
At least “60 percent of dietetics graduates will apply to supervised practice programs prior to or within 12 months of graduation.”
At least “50 percent of program graduates who apply are admitted to a supervised practice program within 12 months of graduation.”
“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.”
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):

80 percent of dietetic directors rate at least a 4 on a 5-point scale, indicating that UMass graduates have a strong understanding of the scientific basis of dietetics practice.**
60 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
60 percent of graduates will rate at least 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.

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

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:

Scientific and Evidence Base of Practice: integration of scientific information and research into practice.
Professional Practice Expectations: beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors for the professional dietitian level of practice.
Clinical and Customer Services: development and delivery of information, products, and services to individuals, groups, and populations.
Practice Management and the Use of Resources: strategic application of principles of management and systems in the provision of services to individuals and organizations.
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 cpnorton [at] umass [dot] edu (DPD director).

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 visit our undergraduate program information webpage

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

For requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, please visit the ACEND website.