Becoming a Registered Dietitian

Steps to Becoming an RD

Dietitians require a strong knowledge base and excellent skills. To become a Registered Dietitian, a student must graduate from a Didactic Program in Dietetics accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association (CADE), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and by the United States Department of Education. The graduate then must complete a Dietetic Internship accredited by CADE. Following successful completion of an internship, the graduate is eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians and become a Registered Dietitian.

Successful completion of The Didactic Program in Dietetics and university requirements at BYU qualifies the student to receive the ADA Verification Statement, and prepares students for the post-graduate Dietetic Internship. Students may apply to the BYU Dietetic Internship, which accepts six interns per year, or to any of the more than 250 Dietetic Internships across the country. Click here for more information.

Post-Graduate Dietetic Internship

Admission to internships is highly competitive. To increase the likelihood of obtaining a position in a DI, students should prepare by:

• maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA,
• having 1000 hours of dietetics-related work and/or volunteer experience,
• participating in meaningful volunteer activity, and
• demonstrating leadership ability in work or volunteer settings.

Meeting these criteria does not guarantee placement in a dietetic internship, but failure to meet them will almost surely preclude placement.