Dietetic Practice, Certificate (0451)
Department website: http://www.wku.edu/ahs
Program Coordinator
Ann E. Embry, ann.embry@wku.edu, (270) 745-4031
This graduate certificate program provides the knowledge and practice requirements established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics to be eligible to take the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (R.D.N.) examination. Only students accepted into the WKU Dietetic Internship will be eligible for admittance to the Graduate Certificate in Dietetic Practice.
Program Admission
Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship is competitive and is managed through a national matching process. The Dietetic Internship Program/Graduate Certificate requires the completion of 15 graduate credit hours and a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised practice in a variety of practice settings, including hospitals, long-term care/skilled nursing facilities, community nutrition programs, and other health/community organizations.
Applicants must meet the following requirements for entrance into the Dietetic Internship/Graduate Certificate:
- Completed a Baccalaureate degree.
- Earned an overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
- Scored a minimum on the Graduate Record Examination of 142 on Quantitative and 144 on Verbal. All scores must be within 5 years of the time of application.
- Completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) prior to the start date of the internship.
- Submitted a signed Declaration of Intent to Complete Degree or Verification Statement. Once accepted into the program, all interns must submit signed Verification Statements prior to the start date.
- Submitted online application through the national centralized application system. More information regarding the application process is available at www.wku.edu/ahs/dieteticinternship/index.php.
- Submitted an application for admission to WKU Graduate Studies with appropriate fee (after being accepted into the Dietetic Internship).
Graduate Studies Admission
Please refer to the admission section of this catalog for Graduate Studies admission requirements.
Program Requirements (15 hours)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| HMD 583 | Foodservice Systems Management | 3 |
| HMD 584 | Community Nutrition Program Management | 3 |
| HMD 586 | Medical Nutrition Therapy in Practice | 3 |
| HMD 587 | Seminar in Concepts and Methods of Dietetic Practice | 3 |
| BA 510 | Advanced Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |