Combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship
Program Overview
Dietetic Internship Program Details
Combined Internship Graduation Requirements
Combine Internship Admission Procedures
Ohio University’s Combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship program is a four-semester program that accepts 10 interns annually. Application to this program is open to students who have completed a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited university or college and Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) coursework approved by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).
Interns will spend their first two semesters completing graduate classes at the Dublin Integrated Education Center and completing rotations in Central Ohio. The last two semesters, interns will continue graduate courses at Ohio University’s main campus in Athens, Ohio. Second-year internship experiences will be located in Southeastern Ohio. In addition to graduate coursework and internship experiences, interns will complete a graduate project in an area of interest prior to graduation.
Graduates of the program receive a Master of Science Degree and are eligible to sit for the national Registered Dietitian examination . Program outcomes data are available upon request; for more, please contact Program Director Kim Orben .
Program Accreditation
Ohio University's Combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship is granted accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) under the 2022 Accreditation Standards . ACEND can be contacted by email ( ACEND@eatright.org ), phone ( 1.800.877.1600 x5400), or mail (120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995).
2024 CDR Master's Degree Requirement
Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship program at Ohio University are eligible to apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN.
In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. State licensure requirements
More Educational Pathways to Become a RDN
Contacts
Program Director
Kimberlee Orben, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Assistant Clinical Professor, Dietetic Internship Director
Director, Food and Nutrition Sciences
Ohio University-College of Health Sciences and Professions
School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness
Phone: 614.946.5462
Email: orben@ohio.edu
Graduate Coordinator
Robert G. Brannan, PhD
Food and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Coordinator
School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness
Grover Center E170
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.563.2879
Email: brannan@ohio.edu