Didactic Program in Dietetics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
Information for students interested in taking the dietetics track in nutrition.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
The field of nutrition and dietetics is dynamic, diverse, and continuously evolving. Dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy in hospitals and clinics. They are also employed as consultants and managers, in public relations, and food and culinary positions where they manage food service operations in health care or other institutional and commercial settings. They write books, articles, and newsletters. 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 programs such as Women Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-ED), as well as 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. RDNs also work as humanitarians around the world in the area of public policy to help during times of nutritional crises.
Here are the steps that you need to take to become a registered dietitian/nutritionist (RDN) as required by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR):
Here are the steps that you need to take to become a registered dietitian/nutritionist (RDN) as required by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR):
- Individuals complete coursework in a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by ACEND (Accreditation Council for Education of Nutritionists and Dietitians), which is achieved by completing a bachelor of science degree from an accredited program at a four-year university.
- Graduates from DPD programs apply to dietetic internships (also called supervised practice in programs) approved by ACEND. The dietetic internship is an intensive training program (lasting 1,200 hours) where graduates are mentored by practicing dietitians and receive graduate credit. These internships typically cost between $9,000 and $14,000. There are a few that have a much lower fee and some that are free and pay a stipend. Programs that offer a graduate degree along with the supervised practice will be more expensive. There are limited no-cost programs and few offer a stipend. Application into a dietetic internship program is competitive and not all graduates who apply are matched.
- Once graduates have completed the dietetic internship/supervised practice program they can apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN. The national registration examination is administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) website: www.cdrnet.org.
Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited dietetic internship. The UMass acceptance rate has averaged over 80 percent for the last three years. ACEND is located at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995; 312-899-0040, (web: ACEND [at] eatright [dot] org).
Changes to these steps starting Jan 1, 2024:
Effective January 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 Central time. They must also have submitted the application for approval to take the exam into the CDR’s Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, 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 questions about this deadline please contact https://www.cdrnet.org/ or call 800-877-1600 Ext. 5500.
For more information about the new master’s degree requirement visit CDR website: https://www.cdrnet.org/graduatedegree.
Here are the steps to show the options that UMass Amherst BS graduates will have to meet the new requirements.
- Individuals complete their coursework in the UMass Amherst Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), which is accredited by ACEND, by following the undergraduate dietetics track in the nutrition department. They will receive the DPD Verification Statement upon completion of these requirements.
- Students graduating from the UMass Amherst nutrition undergraduate program have the following options to meet the new 2024 guidelines:
- Complete the 4+1 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.
- 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.
- Apply to a dietetic internship that 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.
Licensed Nutritionist Dietitian (LDN)
In most states, RDNs also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. It is ACEND’s considered opinion that the program is designed to and does meet all state dietetics licensure and certification laws as some states may interpret their statutes differently.
Most people are unaware of the fact that individuals do not need to be licensed to call themselves a “nutritionist.” The term “nutritionist” is not protected. However, the term “Licensed Nutritionist/Dietitian” is protected by licensure in Massachusetts. Most positions will require licensure or RDN certification, and frequently both. In Massachusetts there are educational and experiential prerequisites for obtaining the LDN:
The LDN Licensure Board accepts the CDR (Commission on Dietetic Registration) internship and examination as equivalent to the statutory requirements for professional experience and a Board-administered examination. So, the fully qualified RDN only has to pay a licensure fee for the LDN license.
Without the RDN credential, graduates who wish to become licensed must meet one of the following criteria:
- You must have a bachelor's degree or higher for licensure. Your major course of study should be in dietetics and nutrition, human nutrition, nutrition education, public health nutrition, or a very similar field.
- The law requires professional experience prior to licensure. The experience may be a Board-approved formal, post-baccalaureate internship of not less than 900 hours in the Field of Dietetics and Nutrition and supervised by a licensed dietitian/nutritionist, or it may be paid professional experience. The length of that experience depends on your level of nutrition education:
- An individual with a doctoral degree must have one year of post-degree experience.
- An individual with a master's degree must have two years of post-degree experience.
- An individual with a bachelor's degree must have three years of post-degree experience.
For information on Massachusetts state licensure, visit https://www.mass.gov/orgs/board-of-registration-of-dietitians-and-nutritionists or contact the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure, 1000 Washington Street, Suite 710, Boston; 617-727-9925 or visit the licensure website at https://www.mass.gov/ocabr/government/oca-agencies/dpl-lp (click on “Division of Professional Licensure Boards” and then “Dietitians and Nutritionists”).
For more information about state licensure requirements in other states in the U.S., click here.
More information on the nutrition and dietetics profession can be found at Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) website. (http://www.eatright.org/)
AND is located at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995; 312-899-0040.
Dietetic Major at UMass Amherst
The dietetics track at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is accredited with ACEND (ACEND [at] eatright [dot] org (ACEND[at]eatright[dot]org)). The track is for students who wish to apply for an internship to become an RDN.
The accredited dietetics track fulfills the ACEND Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) requirements, and is the first step toward becoming an RDN. Following completion of the degree requirements of the dietetics track, graduates will receive a Verification Statement, which is necessary to apply to a Supervised Practice or Dietetic Internship. Registration also requires passing a national Registration Examination. Acceptance into dietetic internships is very competitive, with the national match rate at about 65 percent. The acceptance rate for UMass Amherst graduates who applied to Dietetic Internships has averaged over 80 percent over the past three years.
Admission to the Didactic Program in Dietetics at UMass Amherst depends on admittance to the university:
https://www.umass.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions
We also adhere to the standards of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Code of Ethics and Professional Practices (link below).
https://www.nacacnet.org/advocacy--ethics/NACAC-Guide-to-Ethical-Practice-in-College-Admission/
Nutrition students who wish to major in the dietetics track must earn a GPA of 2.5 or above and a B in nutrition 230 (Basic Nutrition). 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 webpage: https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/academics/bs-nutrition
Required courses and course sequence for the DPD can be found on the Dietetics track page.
The cost of attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst can be found at the bursar’s webpage:
https://www.umass.edu/bursar/tuition/undergraduate-tuition-rates
Please refer to the Undergraduate DPD Handbook for more details on the cost of attending the University of Massachusetts on the dietetics track.
Some, but not most of the nutrition classes needed for the DPD are available online. Please note that enrolling in an online class at the University of Massachusetts costs $525/credit, plus University + Campus Fee $256/credit (total $781/credit) during the regular semester as well as during intersession. Most financial aid will not cover this cost.
The academic calendar of the University of Massachusetts Amherst can be found on the registrar’s webpage:
https://www.umass.edu/registrar/calendars/academic-calendar
For more information on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the dietetics profession, please visit the AND website at www.eatright.org.
Requirements for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) are described below:
Mission Statement of the DPD Program:
The mission of the DPD program of the University of Massachusetts Amherst is to provide quality teaching and a good scientific foundation to graduates, thereby enabling them to be successful in accredited dietetic internship programs (leading to eligibility for the CDR credentialing examination for Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist) and/or other professional careers.
Goals of the DPD Program:
- To prepare graduates for careers in dietetics, dietetic internships, and successful completion CDR RDN credentialing examination.
- 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.
DPD Outcome Measures (Goal One):
- 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 program graduates apply for admission to a supervised practice program prior to or within 12 months of graduation.
- At least 50 percent of program graduates 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.
DPD Outcome Measures (Goal Two):
- Eighty percent of dietetic internship 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.
- 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 UMass Amherst.
- Sixty percent of graduates will rate at least 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 UMass Amherst.
Students who apply within one year of graduation, have an acceptance rate is an average of 80 -90 percent. Our first-time pass rate on the RD exam averages over 90 percent. Our last successful accreditation was completed in 2021.
NOTE: Program outcomes data for the Didactic Program in Dietetics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are available upon request.
The education requirements of ACEND are fully met by the courses of the dietetics track at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
For more information on the dietetics track and the DPD at the university please refer to the Undergraduate DPD handbook.