Can You Help Me Become A Registered Dietitian?
A Dietetic Internship Program is offered which enables students to complete a graduate degree, as well as the requirements to become eligible for membership in the American Dietetic Association and to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians. The Dietetic Internship Program is currently granted accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 312/899-0040 ext 5400.
Mission Statement of the Dietetic Internship Program:
Optimal food and nutrient intake play a critical role in health promotion and disease prevention. There is an increasing demand for professionals in the field of dietetics who can provide quality food and nutrition care services to individuals and groups. The mission of the Dietetic Internship Program is to prepare students for successful careers in dietetics and encourage students to assume leadership roles in their profession and in society.
Goals of the Dietetic Internship Program:
Goal 1: The program will prepare graduates to be competent entry level dietitians or professionals in fields related to dietetics.
Goal 2: Program faculty and staff will provide guidance and support that will motivate a diverse group of students to complete the graduate program and dietetic internship and to assume leadership roles in the dietetics profession and society.
Goal 3: Program faculty will be effectively utilized in the dietetics program.
Outcome Measures for the Dietetic Internship Program:
Outcome 1: At least 90% of interns will be rated, on average, as "excellent" or "good" in "Overall Potential as a Professional" by supervised practice preceptors.
Outcome 2: Outcome measure: At least 90% of students will successfully complete the dietetic internship program.
Outcome 3: Outcome measure: At least 90% of alumni will pass the registration examination on their first sitting.
Outcome 4: Outcome measure: At least 90% of graduates will be successfully placed in the field of foods and nutrition.
Outcome 5: Outcome measure: The dietetic internship program will attain and maintain a diverse intern population. (Note: It is against University of Georgia policy to set a numeric limit or quota for diversity).
Outcome 6: Outcome measure: At least 50% of graduates will pursue further education, additional degrees or certifications, be active in professional organizations or in legislative activities.
Outcome 7: Outcome measure: At least 90% of alumni will be rated as "more than satisfactory" or "outstanding" by their job supervisors in 19 selected knowledge and skill areas.
Outcome 8: Outcome measure: Students will maintain an average Grade Point Average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale.
Outcome 9: Outcome measure: At least 50% of alumni will rate their overall education at University of Georgia as "excellent" or "good", and 100% will rate their education at least "average".
Outcome 10: Outcome measure: At least 50% of alumni will rate their preparation of 23 selected knowledge requirements and skills as "excellent" or "good", and 100% will rate their preparation as at least "satisfactory".
This program is designed so students can complete the requirements for a graduate degree in Foods and Nutrition and also participate in 24 weeks of Dietetic Internship in health care facilities in Atlanta and Athens areas. Students take courses on campus during the academic year and will participate in Dietetic Internships during 2 summers in the Athens and Atlanta metro areas. Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians.
Our passage rate on the RD exam (first time test takers) is 93%. When graduates are surveyed ~ 2 years post graduation, greater than 90% are emploryed in the area of foods and nutrition or completing post-graduate degrees.
Expenses
Students will be responsible for living expenses and transportation during the Dietetic Internship. Housing costs average $500 per month for a single room. Meals may be purchased at the Internship facilities for $6 to $10 per day. Public transportation costs about $4 per day. Interns will need to purchase liability insurance each year ($29), be up to date with immunizations (~$150 total for three Hepatitis B vaccinations and ~$15 for TB test), and be CPR certified ($45). When taking classes at UGA, many of our graduate students receive financial aid in the form of teaching and research assistantships. However, during the Dietetic Internship (i.e. the 2 summers), students are usually not eligible for these assistantships. Since some of the sites are in Atlanta (~70 miles away), it is very useful to have a car. Several sites are now requiring criminal background checks (~$75) and drug tests (~$75) for student interns.
Please contact Dr. Barbara Grossman for more information about this program at bgrossma@uga.edu.
Do You Offer Financial Aid?
Most of our graduate-dietetic students receive financial aid in the form of teaching and research assistantships. When receiving an assistantship, tuition (but not fees) are waived. Additional scholarships and several types of low interest loans are available through the Student Financial Aid Department. For more information, click here.
What Are The Admission Requirements?
Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship program requires acceptance into the University of Georgia graduate school (masters program). A minimum of a Baccalaureate degree, granted by a U.S. regionally accredited college or university is required. For international applicants, the foreign degree equivalency statement must be obtained from one of the following non-for-profit agencies that provide this service (for a listing of these agencies, see http://www.cdrnet.org/programdirector/desk ref.html). In addition, students must have completed all, or will complete all, of the requirements of a Didactic Program in Dietetics and provide a Verification Statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or a declaration of the intent to complete a DPD program (provided by your Didactic Program Director). Coursework must have been completed within the last 6 years.
Students must also successfully computer match to our Dietetic Internship program. Students must submit to D&D Digital Systems the mark/sense card (obtained from your Didactic Program Director) with the prioritized list of selected Dietetic Internship and the computer-matching fee ($50.00) by February 15, 2008. The computer-matching number for The University of Georgia is 222. The card must be sent by certified mail (return receipt requested). D&D Digital Systems will not send notification of receipt. The applicant should call D&D Digital Systems if the certified mail receipt is not returned within three weeks. D&D Digital Systems may be contacted at: 304 Main Street, Suite 301, Ames, IA 50010 or dnd@netins.net or (515) 292-0490.
D&D Digital Systems will notify you regarding computer-matching results. These results will be mailed to you on the Notification day of April 21, 2008. You must call the Department of Foods and Nutrition at 706-542-4908 to accept your appointment by April 22, 2008.
Since dietetic internship students must also be enrolled in the University of Georgia graduate school and the Department of Foods and Nutrition graduate program, graduate admissions must also be met. For acceptance into the graduate program in the Department of Foods and Nutrition, the following is required:
Preference criteria for admission to our graduate programs includes:
- Degree in foods and nutrition, food science, biology, zoology, biochemistry, chemistry, nursing, public health, or other closely related health science.
- Completion of at least two, and preferably three, of the following courses: organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology. Grades should be “C” or better.
- Verbal GRE of 400 or higher
- GRE of 1,000 or higher (verbal plus quantitative) for masters and 1,100 for doctorate.
- GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for masters and 3.4 for doctorate.
- TOEFL iBT score of 80 with a minimum score of 20 in each of the four exam sub-sections (international students).
- Work or volunteer experience in at least one of the following: laboratory research, clinical research, food industry, nutrition education, health promotion, or other area related to health, nutrition or food science.
- At least one faculty who agrees to serve as the student’s graduate advisor. See the list of faculty advisors at: http://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/grad/advisors.html.
For international applicants, note that the Graduate School rejects applications with TOEFL scores less than 213 (CBT), less than 550 (PBT), or less than 80 (iBT, minimums: Speak = 20, write = 20). So please do not apply if you do not meet these minimum test scores.
If you do not meet our admission criteria, then please consider applying to our undergraduate program or enroll as a post-Baccalaureate student (contact: Dr. Art Grider, agrider@fcs.uga.edu, http://www.admissions.uga.edu/).
For more information, please contact:
Mary Ann Johnson, PhD
Graduate Coordinator
Department of Foods and Nutrition
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
mjohnson@fcs.uga.edu (preferred)
706-542-2292
How Do I Apply To The Dietetic Internship Program?
Dietetic internship students must apply to the University of Georgia graduate school and to the Department of Foods and Nutrition, just as do all graduate students (internship and non-internship) in the Department of Foods and Nutrition.
All graduate programs are very competitive, so it is important that you prepare a competitive application that tells our department and faculty your primary interests and strengths, as well as the faculty that you would like to be your research advisor.
We only review completed applications. Follow the instructions below to complete your application.
Complete these materials for the UGA Graduate School, http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/admissions/requirements.html:
- Application to UGA Graduate School (complete this online).
- $50 application fee.
- Two copies of official transcripts from all institutions from which a degree was obtained.
- Official GRE scores.
- Official TOEFL scores (international students).
- Three letters of recommendation submitted online (we prefer that letters be submitted online, which let’s you track when the letters have been submitted).
When requested on the various forms and by various testing services, note that our major is "Foods and Nutrition" and our Degree Objective/Major Code is "347" and the ETS School Code is "5813".
Mail these materials to Graduate Coordinator, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Dawson Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602:
- Application to UGA Department of Foods and Nutrition Graduate Program: http://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/grad/docs/fdn_grad_application.pdf.
- If you would like to be considered for an assistantship, then check “yes” to this question on the form.
- There is no separate UGA application for our dietetic internship. However, if you are planning to apply to our dietetic internship, then check "yes" to the question "I will enter the D&D Digital Systems computer matching process for your Dietetic Internship Program."
2. Resume: summary of your educational background and relevant experience.
3. Statement of Purpose: one to two pages that explains your purpose in pursuing graduate studies in our department and your research interests.
Graduation/Program Completion Requirements
In order to complete both the graduate degree and dietetic internship and to receive a Verification Statement the following are required:
- Successful completion of all rotations
- Submission of Evaluation Forms, Competency Checklists, Work Samples as required from each rotation
- Complete and Exit Interview with the Program Director and complete requisite ADA forms
- Completion of 36 semester credit hours
- Maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA with no incompletes in any graduate course
- Successful completion and defense of thesis
- Submission of all requisite forms to the Graduate School
Dietetics Courses
The undergraduate dietetics coursework required for students interested in becoming a dietitian can be taken along with your graduate courses. Here is some information about the dietetics courses and programs offered at the University of Georgia: http://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/undergraduate/dietetics.html#dc.
Who Can I Contact For More Information?
For information about the application process, graduate program, assistantships, coursework and getting an advisor, please feel free to contact the Graduate Coordinator:
Dr. Mary Ann Johnson, Graduate Coordinator
Department of Foods and Nutrition
College of Family and Consumer Sciences
373 Dawson Hall
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-2622
706-542-2292
mjohnson@fcs.uga.edu
For information regarding the Dietetic Internship program, feel free to contact the Dietetic Program Director:
Dr. Barbara Grossman, Dietetic Program Director
Department of Foods and Nutrition
Dawson Hall
The University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-2622
706-542-4908
bgrossma@uga.edu
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Dietetics Internship Program
