Nutrition, M.S. & Dietetic Internship

Changes lives through the power of nutrition.

In a time when health is more important than ever, the world needs people like you to guide others toward holistic wellness, and nutrition is at the core of health.

The Dietetic Internship program, in concert with the Solmaz Institute, offers you the opportunity to meet the post-baccalaureate requirements necessary to allow you to sit for the registered dietitian certification exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

After completing the Dietetic Internship program, you will be ready to sit for the Registered Dietitian exam. Between 2019 and 2021, 92 percent of students in LR’s Dietetic Internship program passed the CDR Credentialing Exam for Dietitian Nutritionists within one year of the first attempt. Full outcomes data are available upon request.

Program Prerequisites

For the Dietetic Internship Certificate option, completion of a graduate degree and an earned Didactic Program in Dietetics Verification Statement is required.  For the Master of Science in Nutrition, completion of a bachelor’s degree and an earned Didactic Program in Dietetics Verification Statement is required.  Those who have successfully completed the prerequisite coursework from an ACEND-accredited program will have a Didactic Program in Dietetics Verification Statement.

If you are interested in practicing in the field of nutrition and dietetics learn more about programs in your area that offer this coursework. The Dietetic Internship is a graduate program only, and the required undergraduate courses are not offered at LR at this time.

Program Completion Requirements

Successful completion of the Dietetic Internship Certificate option requires submission of all required documents and satisfactory completion of coursework and supervised practice requirements (18 credit hours of coursework and 1,000 hours of supervised practice). Upon successful completion of all program requirements interns will receive a Dietetic Internship Verification Statement.

Successful completion of the Master of Science in Nutrition, Dietetic Internship option requires submission of all required documents and satisfactory completion of coursework and supervised practice requirements (35 credit hours of coursework with 1,000 of supervised practice). Upon successful completion of all program requirements, interns will receive a Dietetic Internship Verification Statement and will be awarded a Master of Science in Nutrition degree.

Each program option prepares the dietetics internship student to sit for the registered dietitian credentialing examination. Students completing the Dietetic Internship program will be prepared for entry-level positions in dietetics.

New Credentialing Exam Requirements

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). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023.

For more information about this requirement visit CDR's website. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited dietetic internship program at Lenoir-Rhyne are eligible to apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN.

In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. For more information about state licensure requirements visit the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

For more information about educational pathways to become a RDN visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.