Degree requirement: Bachelor’s degree required
Program length: 20-22 courses (18-24 months depending on prior coursework completed)
Format: In-person
Dietetics brings together physical and social sciences to address today's nutrition and health issues. As a dietetics student, you will study the high-tech science of applying knowledge of food and nutrition to improve and maintain good health. This vital and growing field is open to creativity, with endless opportunities for you to pursue an important career.
This certificate program's target audience is students who already have a bachelor's degree and wish to complete their Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) requirements to obtain their DPD Verification Statement. The DPD Verification Statement is required for entry into the Dietetic Internship.
Program Highlights
Career Possibilities
Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) work in various settings, including health care, business and industry, community/public health, education, research, government agencies, and private practice.
Many of these environments require that an individual be credentialed as a RDN. This certificate program is a non-degree program and offers the ACEND-accredited DPD coursework requirements.
Completion of the ACEND-accredited DPD is the first requirement to become a RDN. The RDN credential also requires successful completion of an ACEND-accredited dietetic internship and passing the national Commission on Dietetic Registration exam.
Courses
Admissions requirements for the DPD certificate:
- Minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0
- Pre-requisite courses of General Chemistry Lecture and Laboratory I & II and Organic Chemistry Lecture and Laboratory I.
All students must maintain a 3.0/4.0 GPA to obtain the DPD Verification Statement Policy upon completion of the certificate program.
Certificate students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, including FSHN 329, FSHN 340, FSHN 420, FSHN 429, and FSHN 459. The DPD Director will evaluate transfer courses on a case-by-case basis. Students in the DPD Certificate Program can take the FSHN 101 and FSHN 150 Proficiency Exams. Courses at the 400 or 500 level may be counted towards a MS degree.
Prerequisites
- CHEM 102: General Chemistry I
- CHEM 103: General Chemistry Lab I
- CHEM 104: General Chemistry II
- CHEM 105: General Chemistry Lab II
- CHEM 232: Elementary Organic Chemistry
- CHEM 233: Elementary Organic Chemistry Lab I
Course list
- HDFS 105 or PSYC 100 or SOC 100 or ANTH 101: An Introductory Course in Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, or equivalent
- MCB 100 or FSHN 471: Introductory Microbiology or Food and Industrial Microbiology or equivalent
- MCB 101 or FSHN 472: Introductory Microbiology Laboratory or Applied Food Microbiology or equivalent
- MCB 244 or FSHN 250 or FSHN 595, Human Anatomy & Physiology I or Nutritional Physiology I or Concepts in Nutritional Physiology I
- MCB 246 or FSHN 251 or FSHN 595, Human Anatomy & Physiology II or Nutritional Physiology II or Concepts in Nutritional Physiology II
- HK 206 or HK 421: Health Care Systems or Health Administration
- FSHN 101: The Science of Food and How it Relates to You (Proficiency Exam option)
- FSHN 150: Introduction to Dietetics (Proficiency Exam option)
- FSHN 220 or FSHN 595: Principles of Nutrition or Nutrition for Food Scientists
- FSHN 249: Food Service Sanitation
- FSHN 322: Nutrition and the Lifecycle
- FSHN 329: Communication in Nutrition
- FSHN 340: Food Production and Service
- FSHN 345: Strategic Operations Management
- FSHN 414: Food Chemistry
- FSHN 420: Nutritional Aspects of Disease
- FSHN 422: Personalized Nutrition
- FSHN 426: Nutritional Biochemistry
- FSHN 427: Nutritional Biochemistry II
- FSHN 428: Community Nutrition
- FSHN 429: Nutrition Assessment and Therapy
- FSHN 450: Dietetics Professional Issues
- FSHN 459: Nutrition Focused Physical Assessment
Program Contact
