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 Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP). 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 CP are both fully accredited by ACEND. Option B, CP, 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. 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.
Successful completion of the DPD curriculum enables graduates to apply to a ACEND-accredited supervised practice program, SPP, in a postbaccalaureate Dietetic Internship.
Upon successful completion of the Dietetic Internship 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 “RD” Registered Dietitian.
Graduates of the UK DHN Option A may apply for placement in the Dietetic Internship program offered by the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, School of Human Environmental Sciences, or any other ACEND-accredited dietetic internship outside the department. Students must consider the highly competitive scenario in competing for acceptance into a Dietetic Internship.
Option B, designated as the Coordinated Program in Dietetics, CP, provides the foundation knowledge requirements provided by the academic component of dietitian education (see DPD above) and an ACEND-accredited supervised practice component. Students who have completed the premajor requirements and are interested in the Coordinated Program to attain the academic preparation and supervised practice program through the UK DHN Dietetics Program may apply for admission to Option B, the CP. Option B requires three additional semesters of didactic course work in the major requirements prior to beginning the 1,200 hour supervised practice program. Students in the CP must successfully complete the didactic and supervised practice component to receive the B.S. in Dietetics degree.
The ACEND-accredited CP is a selective admission program. Admission to the University of Kentucky DHN Dietetics Program does not guarantee admission to the Coordinated Program, CP. 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 UK DHN CP is February 1, prior to potential fall admission 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 CP Admissions Committee considers grade-point average, letter of application, work experience, honors and extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation. Students who apply to the UK DHN CP will be granted an interview where the applicant’s goals, communication skills, knowledge of the profession, and organizational and leadership skills are evaluated.
Successful CP applicants will be notified of provisional acceptance into the CP before UK’s priority registration dates for the ensuing fall 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 undergraduate dietetics program.
Transfer students are urged to contact the DHN Academic Coordinator, 203 Funkhouser Building, for a preliminary evaluation of credits well in advance of the application date. Year Three of the Dietetics Program is the beginning of the Major Requirements for completion of course work. CP 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. Students accepted into the CP must be majors in the UK DHN dietetics program.
Successful completion of Option B, the UK DHN CP, results in the Bachelor of Science in Dietetics degree. 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 “RD” Registered Dietitian.
The UK DHN ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship, DI, selects competitive students who have completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics at UK or other ACEND-accredited institutions. Qualified graduates compete for a limited number of positions in the UK DHN DI. For information regarding the UK DHN Dietetic Internship, the application and/or screening procedures, please contact:
Director, Dietetic Internship Program
203 Funkhouser Building
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0054
Degree Requirements
Each student must complete the following:
- Complete UK Core requirements.
- Complete 120 credit hours with a minimum grade-point average of 2.0.
- Complete the required curriculum in the major program.