Dietetics prepares professionals who are recognized for expertise in food and nutrition. Graduates of the University of Kentucky Dietetics Program are prepared to apply to an accredited Dietetic Internship program to become Registered Dietitians to function as entry level professionals with opportunities for practice in medical nutrition therapy, community dietetics, food systems management, and/or the business of dietetics. Becoming a registered dietitian involves a combination of academic preparation, including a minimum of a baccalaureate degree, and a supervised practice component and successfully passing the registration examination for dietitians.
The UK DHN Dietetics Program offers two options to earn a bachelor’s degree in dietetics. Option A is the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) and Option B is the Accelerated Coordinated Program in Dietetics (ACP). Both options lead to the Bachelor of Science in Dietetics and fulfill the foundation knowledge and/or competencies established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, ACEND, the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, AND. The DPD and the ACP are both fully accredited by ACEND. Option B, ACP, is a selective admission program to which students must apply prior to beginning the major course work in the third year of the dietetics program.
Option A, designated as the Didactic Program in Dietetics, DPD, focuses on the foundation knowledge requirements provided by the academic component of dietitian education. Note: Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum degree requirement for eligibility to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist will change from a bachelor’s degree to a graduate degree. A student must be a declared dietetics major in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition to complete the DPD. Students must attain a cumulative grade-point average of 2.4 or above to progress into course work designated as major requirements.
In addition to earning a degree, individuals must complete at least 1,000 hours of supervised practice to gain real-world experience and apply knowledge learned in the classroom to the context of a variety of work settings.
Individuals may apply to ACEND accredited combined graduate degree and supervised practice programs or after receiving a graduate degree, individuals may apply to ACEND accredited supervised practice programs.
Upon successful completion of the supervised practice requirement, the individual is eligible to sit for the national registry exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, CDR, the credentialing agency of the AND, which grants use of the nationally recognized credential “RDN” Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
Option B, designated as the Accelerated Coordinated Program in Dietetics, ACP, provides the foundation knowledge requirements provided by the academic component of dietitian education (see DPD above), graduate level course work and an ACEND-accredited supervised practice component. Students who have completed the premajor requirements and are interested in the Accelerated Coordinated Program to attain the academic preparation (B.S. and M.S.) and supervised practice program through the UK DHN Dietetics Program may apply for admission to Option B, the ACP. Option B requires four more semesters and two summer sessions of didactic course work at the bachelors and masters level prior to beginning the 1,200 hour supervised practice program that will take place in the spring and summer of Year 5. Students in the ACP must successfully complete the didactic and supervised practice component to receive the B.S. in Dietetics degree, the M.S. in Nutrition in Food Systems, and a Verification Statement to sit for the RD credentialing exam.
The ACEND-accredited ACP is a selective admission program. Admission to the University of Kentucky DHN Dietetics Program does not guarantee admission to the Coordinated Program, ACP. A limited number of students who have completed the required preprofessional courses will be admitted on the basis of cumulative grade-point average, potential qualities for becoming a successful dietitian, leadership potential and professional involvement and commitment.
The application deadline for the ACP is October 1 in Year Three of the Dietetics Program. Year Three of the Dietetics Program is the beginning of the Major Requirements for completion of course work. Program application materials should include an application form, a letter of professional goals and qualifications, two letters of reference, and record of academic performance..
The ACP Admissions Committee considers grade-point average, letter of professional goals and qualifications, work experience, honors and extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation. Students who apply to the UK DHN ACP will be granted an interview where the applicant’s goals, communication skills, knowledge of the profession, and organizational and leadership skills are evaluated.
Successful ACP applicants will be notified of provisional acceptance into the CP before UK’s priority registration dates for the ensuing spring semester. Final acceptance depends on successful completion of the work in progress at the time of the application and throughout the remaining didactic component prior to beginning the supervised practice component of the program.
Transfer students are urged to contact DHN@uky.edu for a preliminary evaluation of credits well in advance of the application date. ACP applicants must be a declared major in the UK DHN dietetics program or if a transfer student, indicate intent to declare dietetics as their major.
Successful completion of Option B, the ACP, results in the Bachelor of Science in Dietetics degree, a Masters of Science in Nutrition and Food Systems Degree, and a Verification Statement. Graduates of Option B are eligible to sit for the national registry exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, CDR, the credentialing agency of the AND, which grants use of the nationally recognized credential of Registered Dietitian (RD).