Dietetics
The Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) is a food and nutrition expert who has met the minimum academic and professional requirements to qualify for the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Registered dietitian nutritionists work in a variety of settings that include, but are not limited to, hospitals, HMOs, private practice, health-care facilities, community and public health, food and nutrition industry, business, sports nutrition, corporate wellness programs, academia, and research.
To become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, the following steps must be taken:
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You must complete a bachelor’s degree at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university in which the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) academic requirements are approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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You must complete an ACEND approved supervised practice experience – a Dietetic Internship (DI) or an Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP). NOTE: Only students who apply and do not match to a DI are eligible to apply to ISPPs.
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After completion of your academic requirements and supervised practice experience, you must
pass the Registration Examination for Dietitians administered by the Commission on Dietetic
Registration (CDR), the credentialing agency for the Academy. More information on the exam
can be found at https://www.cdrnet.org.
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Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requirements to take the Registration Examination will change from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s degree. CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The master’s degree can be in any major. Dietitians credentialed prior to 2024 are NOT required to get a master’s degree to remain credentialed. For more information visit
https://www.cdrnet.org/new-graduate-degree-eligibility-requirement-effective-January-1-2024.
NOTE: Many states have regulatory laws for dietitians. Often these individual state requirements can be met through the same combination of education and training required to become a RDN. As of July 1, 2012, RDNs practicing in the state of Wyoming must be licensed. For more information on how to obtain state licensure, please see http://www.cdrnet.org/statelicensure-agency-list. For more information on Wyoming licensure, please see https://ai.wyo.gov/divisions/directors-office/licensing.
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Admission Requirements and Application Protocol
The Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) at the University of Wyoming is housed in the
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Entrance into the DPND is gained only through an application process. Applicants must follow the admission protocol outlined in
Appendix A. Each prospective DPND student will initially enter the Human Nutrition and Food option. Students will be eligible to apply to the DPND at the end of the spring semester of their sophomore year if they have completed the required list of prerequisite courses and meet both the established minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) and minimum GPA in the specific prerequisite courses (see
Appendix A). Once admitted to the program, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and receive a minimum grade of C in every course in the program including those taken in the semester of entry in order to earn a Verification Statement. Courses with grades of less than C must be repeated within one year for the student to remain in the program. If your GPA falls below 3.0, you will be considered to be on probation from the DPND. If your GPA does not increase the following semester, you could be removed from the program and placed back in the Human Nutrition and Food concentration. The DPND application for admission can be found in
Appendix B. The DPND is structured to have four remaining semesters after acceptance with the upper division courses designed as professional dietetics courses.
If you have an existing bachelor’s degree from another institution and are interested in completing the necessary coursework to obtain a DPND Verification Statement from the University of Wyoming, you must first meet all UW general admission requirements. The DPND Director will evaluate your previous academic preparation and identify the remaining coursework needed to earn the Verification Statement. When you begin this coursework at UW, a minimum grade point average of 3.0 will be required in your first semester and a grade of B or better must be earned in your first two required science courses for acceptance into the DPND. For students requesting course substitutions, the Office of the Registrar first determines if prior coursework meets the university’s transfer credit acceptance criteria and course equivalency. For DPND professional classes, the Program Director may request to see course syllabi and/or textbooks. Although some course substitutions may be made, please note that in order to obtain a Verification Statement from the UW DPND, the following courses must be taken from UW: FCSC 4145 Advanced Nutrition, FCSC 4150 Experimental Foods, FCSC 4210 Therapeutic Nutrition I, FCSC 4220 Therapeutic Nutrition II, and FCSC 4230 Therapeutic Nutrition Counseling. All courses required for a Verification Statement must be completed with a grade of C or better.
If your existing bachelor’s is from UW, you must meet the criteria for returning students. When you begin the coursework for your Verification Statement, a minimum grade point average of 3.0 will be required in your first semester and a grade of B or better must be earned in your first two required sciences courses for acceptance into the DPND. Although some course substitutions may be made, please note that in order to obtain a Verification Statement from the UW DPND, the following courses must be taken from UW: FCSC 4145 Advanced Nutrition, FCSC 4150 Experimental Foods, FCSC 4210 Therapeutic Nutrition I, FCSC 4220 Therapeutic Nutrition II, and FCSC 4230 Therapeutic Nutrition Counseling. All courses required for a Verification Statement must be completed with a grade of C or better.
Program of Study
The Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) requires 120 overall credit hours that include University Studies courses (general education requirements also known as USP), Family and Consumer Sciences core courses, and specific dietetics courses as described in the
University of Wyoming Catalog.
The Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) requires 120 overall credit hours that include University Studies courses (general education requirements also known as USP), Family and Consumer Sciences core courses, and specific dietetics courses as described in the
University of Wyoming Catalog. Of the total, a minimum of 42 credit hours must be upper division (3000 level and above). Thirty (30) of the upper division credit hours must be from UW. The program is structured for eight consecutive semesters – four before application to the DPND and four after admission to the program. The DPND coursework ranges from human nutrition and food science to sociology, psychology, mathematics, management, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, and microbiology. Proper course sequencing is critical to the successful completion of your degree within the desired time frame. Planning your class schedule using the program check sheet is done with your academic adviser each semester during advising week. Access academic calendars here
http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/calendar/Cost of Program
DPND students should be prepared for the following program expenses:
DPND students should be prepared for the following program expenses:
- Tuition and fees; financial aid; books and course packets; room and board for attending the University http://www.uwyo.edu/sfa/cost_of_attendance
- Local transportation to off-campus facilities approximately $50
- Lab coat $20.00 to $40.00
- Slip resistant shoes $50 to $100
- Health insurance as per the University requirements
- Immunizations (university requirements: MMR, Hepatitis B) and current TB screening
- Student membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) $50.00
- Dietetic Internship Computer Application Service (DICAS) $45.00 minimum
- D & D Digital computer matching fee $55.00
- Dietetic Internship Program application fees (~$25-$50 per program)
- ServSafe Online Test Voucher $36.00
- Nutrition Terminology Reference Manual (eNCPT): Dietetics Language for Nutrition Care $50
- Additional optional costs (eg, attendance at the annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) ($400-$600)
- For financial aid and scholarship information click here http://www.uwyo.edu/sfa
DPND Accreditation
Accreditation is necessary because dietetics is a unique profession that requires a defined educational process based on established national standards.
Accreditation is necessary because dietetics is a unique profession that requires a defined educational process based on established national standards. The accreditation process requires a detailed description of how a specific DPND meets the national educational standards and an on-site evaluation by accreditation reviewers. The process is completed every seven years and is undertaken by:
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)
of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
Phone: (800) 877-1600 ext. 5400
ACEND is responsible for setting the national standards and for evaluating, recognizing, and publishing the list of programs that meet these standards. The Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Wyoming is fully accredited.
Verification Statements
The ACEND Verification Statement is an official document that indicates the completion of course requirements for the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) at the University of Wyoming.
The ACEND Verification Statement is an official document that indicates the completion of course requirements for the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) at the University of Wyoming. Prior to graduation, all DPND seniors should complete the Verification Statement Request Form, which is available either from the DPND Director or in
Appendix D of the handbook, and submit it to the DPND Director. Students must make a request through the Office of the Registrar to have an official transcript sent to the Program Director after graduation. Preparation of the Verification Statement is done after the Office of the Registrar posts your degree with passing grades in all courses and your official final transcript has been received. Each graduate will be given six signed Verification Statements. An original signature from the DPND Director must appear on the Verification Statement in colored ink. Copies of this form are not acceptable for official verification. Graduates accepted into a Dietetic Internship (DI), Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) or Coordinated Master’s Program will be required to provide a Verification Statement with the DPND Director’s original signature in blue ink. A Verification Statement is also required to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Therefore, it is a good idea to file these in a safe place. A permanent record of your academic program along with a Verification Statement is kept in the department files. If in the future you need additional Verification Statements for application to an internship, employment, or licensure, please make a request in a timely manner to the DPND Director at the University of Wyoming.
All information listed above, in addition to the program mission, goals and objectives, is available in the Handbook. Program outcome data is available on request.
Future Education Model Program in Nutrition and Dietetics
The University of Wyoming dietetics program has applied to the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) to open a new and innovative program to prepare Registered Dietitian Nutritionists in Fall 2024.
Our eligibility application was accepted by ACEND* and we are in the candidacy process for our proposed Future Education Model graduate degree program. The program is not accepting applications at this time but will do so upon successful completion of the eligibility application process if the program receives candidacy for accreditation status from ACEND.
Contact Megan McGuffey Skinner, DPND Director, (mcguffey@uwyo.edu) for more information.
*The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) released the Future Education Model Accreditation Standards for programs in nutrition and dietetics (see www.eatrightpro.org/FutureModel). These accreditation standards integrate didactic coursework with supervised experiential learning in a competency-based curriculum designed to prepare nutrition and dietetics practitioners for future practice.
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