What is Dietetics?

a mother instructing her daughter on arugala

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:

  • Hospitals
  • HMOs
  • Private practice
  • Health-care facilities
  • Community and public health
  • Food and nutrition industry
  • Sports nutrition
  • Corporate wellness programs
  • Academia
  • Research

Our dietetics program is a hands-on curriculum designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the field of nutrition and dietetics including preparation for the Registered Dietician exam. Students in our program learn how to assess individuals' dietary needs, develop personalized nutrition plans, and educate clients on making healthy food choices.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requirements to take the Registration Examination have changed. The exam now requires a master’s degree instead of a bachelor's degree. The 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. Visit the CDR's Website here.

ACEND logo
ACEND
a healthy salad
Dietetic Registration
uw building
Licensure in Wyoming

Becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist:

Pre-requisites:

placeholder image

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.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Beginning on January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requirements to take the Registration Examination have changed. The exam now requires a master’s degree instead of a bachelor's degree. The 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. Visit the CDR's Website here.

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.

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 the Commission for Dietetic Registration.

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 the Commission for Dietetic Registration's agency list. For more information on Wyoming licensure, please see the WY State Professional Licensure Boards.

Application Steps:

placeholder image

Begin the process for admitting to the University of Wyoming through their application for admissions.

Contact the DPND program housed in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences to apply for the Didactic Program in Nutrtion and Dietetics.

Stay in contact with both: Your advisor and the Program Coordinator. As you progress through the program, you will have coursework requirements outlined in the University Catalog that must be completed in order to graduate from the program.

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 2025.

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.

*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.

MEET OUR DPND DIRECTOR:

jenna chalcraft DPND director

EDUCATION HISTORY

  • University of Wyoming-Master of Science-Food Science and Human Nutrition
  • Utah State University Dietetic Internship 
  • University of Wyoming-Bachelor of Science: Family and Consumer Sciences: Didactic Program Nutrition and Dietetics

COURSES TAUGHT

  • Science of Food
  • Intermediate Foods
  • Geriatric Nutrition
  • Therapeutic Nutrition II

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Vitamin D Synthesis and Sensible Sun Exposure in Adults
  • Graduate Thesis Research in Cutaneous Vitamin D Synthesis in Adults

FUN STUFF

  • Running is my passion! I completed my first trail Marathon in 2022 in Fruita, Colorado.  
  • I recently learned to scuba dive! My first dive trip was in Little Cayman in 2022; I saw lots of sharks and sea turtles and colorful coral reefs! 
  • Cooking is another passion of mine. I enjoy making cuisine from all over the world but Mediterranean cuisine is my go to! 

Jenna Chalcraft

Senior Lecturer

Agriculture Building, #3013

1000 E. University Ave.

Laramie, WY 82071

(307) 766-5177

jchalcra@uwyo.edu