Who Should Consider the Undergraduate Dietetics Program?

Human Biology, Health & Society (HBHS)
Nutrition, Food & Agriculture (NFA)
Nutritional Sciences (NS)

Clinical Nutrition, Community Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, Nutrition Management, Child Nutrition, Nutrition Counseling. If these career opportunities interest you, consider becoming a registered dietician. Job markets demand and many states require that anyone who advises others about nutrition must be a registered dietitian (RD).

Dietitians work in a wide variety of settings and some dietitians practice in highly specialized areas. Some key job trends include:

• Increased demand for dietitians in community settings such as in programs that promote maternal and child health, adult fitness and wellness, and diabetes education.
• Increased demand for dietitians with specialized expertise in the management of complex health conditions and diseases such as cancer, AIDS, newborn intensive care, eating disorders, and burns.
• Increased demand for dietitians by private industry such as food manufacturers, supermarket chains, food service corporations, software companies, health clubs, and print and broadcast media.
• Academic training and work experience in dietetics opens doors to advancement in many directions including management positions in businesses and not-for profit organizations, consulting or counseling practices, and opportunities to combine with other health care specialties. For examples of current job opportunities in dietetics see Jobs in Dietetics, a job list service for nutrition and dietetic professionals. Sample copies of this publication can be viewed in the Learning Resources Center, 339 MVR Hall.

How to Become a Registered Dietitian

The commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) is the professional organization that sets the requirement for becoming a registered dietitian. To become a registered dietitian, you must:

• Complete the required courses of an academic program that is accredited by the CADE.
• Complete a CADE-accredited dietetic internship program.

  Admission to these programs is competitive and requires prior completion of an undergrduate degree including the required courses in the didactic program. The internship programs are located throughout the United States and range from 6 to 12 months in duration. Interns receive supervised experience in clinical nutrition, community nutrition, and food and nutrition service management.

• Pass the national registration exam given by CADE to earn the Registered Dietitian (RD) credential. (The internship program must be complete before taking the exam.)

The Dietetics Program and Cornell

The Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University offers a CADE developmentally accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics. Many of the course requirements in the ADA-approved dietetics program are met by courses required in the Nutritional Sciences and Nutrition, Food and Agriculture majors. Students who wish to complete the dietetics program must plan their course schedules carefully to assure that they have all the prerequisites needed for advanced courses.

Many nutrition majors at Cornell complete the courses required for the dietetics program. These students work cloesly with their faculty advisers and with the Dietetics Program faculty to prepare their course schedules and to acquire field, work, and research experiences that enhance their classroom learning. Faculty can also help seniors prepare their applications to dietetic internship programs. Acceptance rate of Cornell nutrition senior into dietetic internships is excellent. Placement of graduates from 1995 through 2003 was at least 95%.

What Will You Learn in The Dietetics Program?

Translating the science of nutrition into healthy food choices for individuals and groups requires the integration of many different disciplines. The Dietetics curriculum provides a broad and integrated academic program that is strongly grounded in the physical, biological, and social sciences. The program emphasizes critical thinking, communication skills, quantitative literacy, and the application of theory to practice.

Students begin with basic courses in biology, chemistry, social sciences and introduction to food, nutrition, and health issues. In the second year students progress to organic chemistry, physiology and courses that examine the social science aspects of food and nutrition, and the nutritional and physicochemical properties of foods. Advanced courses taken in the junior and senior years apply biochemistry, physiology, and social sciences to problems in clinical nutrition, counseling, communications, public health, and food and nutrition management. Throughout the program students develop skills that will foster personal and professional growth as life-long learners and as leaders and team members in the dietetic profession.

Specific information about dietetics programs at other universities may be obtained by contacting the The American Dietetic Association at 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, at 1-800-877-1600, or at http://www.eatright.org.

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Webmaster Gail Canterbury
Updated July 6, 2004