Nutrition Department
Frequently Asked Questions
I am really interested in your dietetic internship program with a community emphasis. Can I just be enrolled in that program at your university?
No. We require that all of our dietetic interns be degree seeking in either the Master of Science in Nutrition and
Wellness (M.S.N.W.) or Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program at the university. The practice Verification Statement will
not be awarded until the degree requirements are complete.
I already have a bachelor degree, but it is (a) not from a Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE)
of The American Dietetic Association (ADA) accredited program in
the past four years or (b) is from a CADE of ADA accreditated program four or more years ago.
Can I just do the M.S.N.W. program at your university and
become eligible to take the Registered Dietitian (RD) exam?
No. In order to become eligible to take the RD exam, you must complete a dietetic internship.
In order to be eligible to be accepted into
a dietetic internship program, you must have a DPD Verification Statement from a program that has accreditation
by CADE of ADA that reflects current knowledge and skills. To know if we consider your
coursework current, refer to our Course Verification and Validation
Policy (click here). If your DPD Verification Statement was issued within the past 3 years at the time of application
for our combined dietetic internship/master degree program, we will consider completed coursework "current."
I already have a bachelor degree and want to complete the requirement to become a RD. I realize that the DPD program is
an undergraduate program. Can I do them both at the same time at your university? Is there any benefit?
This was the million dollar question! YES! Because you already completed a bachelor degree, we can "bridge" some of
the DPD and MSNW nutrition course requirements. You would still begin with undergraduate status ("second degree" student), which
typically enables you to register on the first day of registration period, providing you with more flexibility.
You would fulfill your cognate requirements (e.g., sciences, rhetoric) and begin with the lower level nutrition courses.
We would have you hold off on a few nutrition courses that you could instead take as graduate courses. Taking them as graduate
courses will save you time toward meeting the goal of a masters degree in nutrition, yet still meet (actually surpass) DPD
requirements. The DPD Director will finalize your course articulations after you are accepted to the university as an
undergraduate student.
These courses provide a savings of 9 of the 36 (25%) NUTR semester credits ($6255 in tuition) and include:
- NTR 511 Nutrition and Health Education (instead of NUTR 271, saves 3 semester credits)
- NTR 595 Nutrition Counseling (instead of NUTR 395, saves 2 semester credits)
- NTR 621 Obesity + NTR 519 (or 630) Sports Nutrition + NTR 632 Disordered Eating + 1 credit independent study (instead of NUTR 341, saves 2 semester credits)
- NTR 629 Nutrition and Health Research Planning (instead of NUTR 392, saves 2 semester credits)
Those with an outdated DPD Verification Statement can meet still meet additional requirements towards updating their
DPD Verification Statement, saving 6 more credits (plus an additional savings of $4170 in tuition) - 41% of NUTR course credits
requirements can now be met through this "DPD bridge to MSNW":
- NTR 614 + NUTR 291 (instead of NUTR 241, saves 2 semester credits)
- If the transcript record shows a passing grade of "C" or better of 3 or more credits of food science and lab, you
can attempt the food science validation test (passing means meeting NUTR 244 and 245 requirements, saves 4 semester credits)
The following DPD requirements are available at the graduate or undergraduate level at Benedictine University:
exercise physiology, statistics, and organizational behavior.
If you hold a current sanitation license at the time of admission to the program, we will waive the requirement for the NUTR 150 course (saves 1 semester credit).
We will also count your NTR electives required for the M.S.N.W. as already met (saves 4 quarter credits).
I am interested in your combined master degree/Dietetic Internship program. What are the admissions criteria?
The admissions criteria are posted online at:
http://www.ben.edu/nutrition/application.html and http://www.ben.edu/nutrition/msapplication.html.
Am I guaranteed admission to the Dietetic Internship program if I complete the DPD requirements at Benedictine University?
Acceptance into our dietetic internship program is competitive. We do not grant admission simply because you attend or
attended the university. To maintain a quality program, applicants must at least meet the admissions criteria (refer to the
response to the
question above).
We encourage a high level of excellence and learning.
Besides, a high level of academic performance will increase your potential for scholarship
awards. Active leadership involvement will enhance your skills and resume for the future.
Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship concentration is also contingent upon being “matched” to the university internship program. Students external to the
university must "match" through the use of a computer match process.
Currently enrolled Benedictine University students and alumni have the advantage of a "pre-match" option.
Six of the 12 total available full-time dietetic intern slots may be filled via pre-match annually in December.
Thus far, the number of pre-match slots has been adequate as
not all students in the
DPD choose to pursue a dietetic internship or a combined master/dietetic internship program.
However, we plan to request an increase from 12 to 15 for our number of
total slots for qualified dietetic interns.
Potential candidates should consult with the university Dietetic Internship Director about procedures and "pre-match" date as his/her time approaches.
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