About the Program

The Dietetics Program @EIU is a comprehensive package of programs designed to provide nutrition & dietetics training for students pursuing clinical and health-related fields and professions.

The undergraduate program is currently transitioning away from Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accreditation.  Because the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) now requires a master's degree to be eligible to sit for the RDN credentialing exam, the Nutrition & Dietetics Program has crafted a complementary package of degree programs designed to provide multiple pathways to  the RDN credential.  The DPD program will be retired effective May 31, 2026, and currently enrolled students must complete all requirements for their degree before May 31, 2026, if they wish to receive a DPD verification statement.  Until May 31, 2026, the DPD program remains accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), 120 Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, (312) 899-5400. 

Students entering the BS Nutrition program beginning Fall 2024 who want to become an RDN will need to complete all requirements of the MS Nutrition & Dietetics: Coordinated Program to receive their verification statement and be eligible to earn their RDN credential. 

 

I'm interested in Nutrition, but I don't want to be an RDN.  Do you have options for me?

Absolutely! Check out the Nutrition Minor!  We'll give you a firm foundation in Nutrition that can enhance your professional capabilities in your chosen discipline.  Or....consider adding the BS Nutrition as a second major.  We can coordinate completion of our program with your primary program advisor.

I'm already an RDN, but I don't have my master's degree. Can you help?

We have a Nutrition Education track in our master's, and can grant up to 9 credits through CPL.  If you are an RDN with at least 4 year's experience, you can complete the master's degree in 24 credits plus 9 credits by CPL -- go full time, and you can be done in 2 semesters!  Or go part time to maximize your employer's tuition reimbursement benefit. Contact Dr. Julie Dietz (jcdietz@eiu.edu) for more info.

I'm pre-med/pre-clinical, and I want a gap year plan or professional back-up plan.

We have a pathway for you to complete the MS Nutrition & Dietetics in the Coordinated Program as long as you have all the required science prerequisites and a few key nutrition courses.  Take your coursework while you are applying or re-applying to your clinical graduate programs, and then decide about OUR clinical placement and the RDN credential later.  You can also switch to the Nutrition Education track and finish the MSND without a clinical internship if that is a bet match for your career plans.

Most clinical graduate programs provide very little education about nutrition. Our program can help you stand out on your applications, or be better prepared for your primary clinical profession because of your nutrition & dietetics background.