Registered Dietitian Concentration with Dietetic Internship

Dietetic Internship Mission

The mission of the dietetic internship (DI) at SFA is to prepare competent entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists to serve in traditional and emerging dietetics professions in the communities of East Texas and beyond.

Goals and objectives

Goal 1: Program graduates will be prepared to be competent, entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionists in the various areas of clinical, community, foodservice management, and integrative and functional nutrition.

• Objective 1: At least 80% of students complete program requirements within 3 years (150% of the program length).
• Objective 2: Of graduates who seek employment, at least 90% percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
• Objective 3: At least 90% percent of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
• Objective 4: The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%.
• Objective 5: At least 90% of employers will rate program graduates as satisfactory or above as having skills equivalent to those of an entry-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (5-point scale: outstanding to unsatisfactory).

Goal 2: Program graduates will be prepared to work in the nutrition and dietetics profession to serve the rural populations of the East Texas region.

• Objective 1: At least 30% of our graduates will be employed in the dietetics field in the East Texas region.
• Objective 2: At least 80% of graduates will agree "the SFA dietetic internship prepared me for my first dietetics-related job" (5-point scale: strongly agree to strongly disagree).

Program outcome data is available upon request. Contact Dr. Darla O'Dwyer, DI director, by email at dodwyer@sfasu.edu or by phone at 936.468.2439.

The registered dietitian is the nutrition and food expert. To become a part of the growing and vital profession of dietetics, take the following steps:

1. Complete a baccalaureate didactic degree program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) such as the Dietetics and Nutritional Science program. The Registered Dietitian focus and Pre-Professional focus are ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) degree tracks.
2. Acquire supervised practice experience and a master’s degree by successfully completing an ACEND-accredited program(s) such as the Master of Science/Dietetic Internship in Nutrition and Integrative Health degree.
3. Pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) credentialing exam for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Note: Effective January 1, 2024, the 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 addition, the CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by ACEND. Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD at SFA are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program such as the Dietetic Internship (DI) program at SFA. Once they have completed the 1,200-hour supervised practice experience, candidates are eligible to apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN. For more information about educational pathways to become an RDN, visit the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics' information for students webpage.

Licensure Regulations

Texas law does not require a license to practice nutrition in Texas. However, the State of Texas does have a license for RDNs and many employers in Texas may require licensure to perform their job duties. Texas has title protection, which prohibits unlicensed individuals from using the terms “Registered Dietitians” or “RD” unless they are registered by CDR. Information on licensure for the State of Texas can be found on the Texas Department of Licensure and Regulation website. States vary in the requirements to practice nutrition and title protection. Please see the Commission on Dietetics Registration for more information on licensure and other requirements for each state.

Per HB1508, Texas Occupation Code, Chapter 53, if you have been convicted of an offense, then you may be ineligible to be licensed through the State of Texas. Please see the Dietetic Internship Handbook for more information.

While state interpretations of statutes may vary, it is ACEND's considered opinion that the program meets the educational requirements for dietetics licensure and certification in all states. However, completing an ACEND-accredited academic program alone does not qualify an individual for licensure or certification as a dietitian in any state. Individuals should review their state's licensing statutes and regulations to understand the specific requirements, including supervised practice and examinations, needed to obtain a dietetics license. More information about state licensure and certification can be found on the Commission on Dietetic Registration website (ACEND, 2024).

The Dietetic Internship uses Dietetic Inclusive Centralized Application Service (DICAS) for the application process. The fee to use DICAS is $50 for the application and $25 for each additional application.

There is no separate application fee for the SFA DI program.

DICAS Application Deadline:

• DICAS application opens August 5.
• DICAS due date is January 15.

Notification Process:

• Mar. 1, 2025: Applicant notification due date. Programs must notify applicants on or before this date. Waitlisted applicants will be notified of their waitlist status. 
• Mar. 15, 2025: Applicant decision due date. Programs may not require an applicant's decision to accept an appointment before this date. Waitlisted applicants will be notified on this date based on available positions. 
• Mar. 16, 2025: Programs with openings after March 16 may reopen their application to accept new applicants until July 15, 2025.
• Jul. 15, 2025: The program will not accept applications after this date.

The application process for students on the Academy website provides information and resources on how to use DICAS. Your DPD director is also a great source of information about this process. The Academy website provides guidance on the code of conduct and traffic rules. The following information was taken from Dietetics Applicant and Program Code of Conduct and Traffic Rules:

Admissions Traffic Rules for Applicants

“Applicants applying to programs outside of their current institution, regardless of the use of DICAS, should follow these traffic rules.

• You may not be enrolled in more than one program at any time.
• In fairness to other applicants and nutrition and dietetics programs, if you have decided before March 15 (Spring) not to attend a program that has offered you admission, promptly withdraw your application from the program(s) by contacting the program director. 
• Once you have accepted an offer, if you were offered admission to other programs, you MUST contact the program director(s) to decline the offer(s). This allows waitlisted applicants to be given an offer.
• If you receive and accept an alternative offer after you have already accepted an offer, you MUST rescind/withdraw your acceptance at the program where you had previously accepted an offer within 24 hours of accepting the offer at the new program.”

The availability of dietetic internships varies yearly. Data on the national program enrollment trends is provided by ACEND.

Applicants who apply to internships using DICAS will be asked to complete a personal statement in 1,000 words or less. Questions to be addressed in the personal statement include:

• Why do you want to enter the dietetics profession?
• What are some experiences that have helped you prepare for your career?
• What are your short-term and long-term goals?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses or areas needing improvement? Note: if your GPA does not meet the minimum requirements, it is important that you discuss why it doesn’t and any circumstances that prevented you from meeting the minimum GPA requirements of the program
• What are your reasons for applying to the SFASU Dietetic Internship program?

Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be sent to DICAS according to their instructions.

References will be submitted electronically through the DICAS system. We require 3 letters of reference, preferably from faculty and/or employers that know you well and who can attest to your professional skills. References from friends or family will not be counted.

Apply to the Graduate School After Acceptance

After acceptance into the SFA MS/DI program, the student must apply for admission to the SFA Graduate School. The fee for applying to the SFA Graduate School is currently $50. The graduate school and the Dietetic Internship (DI) Director will need an official copy of your final transcript indicating that you received your BS degree. The DI Director will also need an original copy of your DPD verification statement. Please consult the MS/DI Handbook for more information. The DI Director will email all accepted students a detailed checklist of the required information.

Where are Nacogdoches and East Texas located?

East Texas is the region east of Interstate 45 and west of the Louisiana border. The university is located in Nacogdoches, Texas, often called “The Oldest Town in Texas” and is in the Deep East Texas region.

The population is about 30,000 and it is considered a rural area. Due to the small size of Nacogdoches, it is necessary to have sites in other cities in the East Texas area to provide a meaningful experience and accommodate the number of students we accept. You will be required to live in the East Texas area in August of the beginning of the second year, once supervised practice rotations start.

We Offer Two Sites to Meet Your Needs

Our program offers two sites where supervised practice will occur: the Nacogdoches/Lufkin area and the Tyler/Longview area. Lufkin is approximately 25 miles south, Tyler is 90 miles northwest, and Longview is about 70 miles north of Nacogdoches. The required rotations are available in both the Lufkin/Nacogdoches and Tyler/Longview areas while the elective rotations are in diverse areas of East Texas and further north and south of Nacogdoches.

Each site can accommodate 4-5 students; however, this will vary based on site availability. Students living in Nacogdoches at the time of acceptance will be given first choice for the Nacogdoches/Lufkin area. Students moving into the area will work with the DI Director to determine the ideal site placement. Please see Policy 23: Site Placement in the MS/DI Handbook for site placement procedures. The DI Director is very mindful of your time management and travel costs. Every effort is made to schedule rotations near your home base; however, there may be additional driving based on rotation availability and need (within a 70-90-mile radius), for all students.

Students living in the Tyler/Longview area drive to campus 4 times per semester to attend class on Mondays. Previous dietetic interns typically carpool with other students and enjoy the beautiful drive!

The student must meet the undergraduate requirements from an ACEND accredited DPD program with a BS degree and have a verification statement indicating completion (or intent to complete) of the requirements for the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD).

A screening committee reviews applications from a holistic standpoint. For example, inadequate performance as an undergraduate may be compensated by high-quality, post-baccalaureate work in a dietetics-related field and/or evidence of above-average performance in graduate-level nutrition course work.

Academic Requirements

Minimum overall GPA of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, and at least 3.4 on a 4.0 scale in all DPD courses. 

GRE scores are not required.

Additional requirements after admission

Dietetic interns are required to provide proof of the following immunizations:

• MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunization or serological confirmation of immunity
• DTaP (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis), Tdap booster immunization or serological confirmation of immunity
• Varicella immunization or serological confirmation of immunity
• Hepatitis B series or serological confirmation of immunity
• Evidence of 2 negative TB skin test or a negative blood test 
• Flu vaccination during flu season (typically October through April)
• COVID-19 vaccine

Exemptions for COVID-19 and the flu vaccine may be accepted at sites with an exemption process in place. Some sites do not allow an exemption for COVID-19 and/or the flu vaccine. Unvaccinated students at sites that do not accept your exemption will not be able to intern at those sites, which may impact ACEND required hours.

For more information about vaccination requirements or other requirements, please see the Dietetic Internship Handbook.

Dietetic interns will be required to have the following to be allowed to participate in supervised practice:

• Drug Screen/Drug Abuse Panel
• Background Check 
• Health Insurance card (copy of card)
• Copy of Liability Car Insurance card and copy of Driver’s License 
• Copy of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Membership card

Please see the Dietetic Internship Handbook for more information. The DI director will also provide further information after admittance to the program.

Graduate Course Schedule

Graduate courses start in the fall of year one and will be fully online or have hybrid offerings. Students will not be required to live in the area in year one.  Year two are the graduate courses associated with supervised practice and will be face-to-face. Students will need to live in the East Texas area starting year two (August). There are currently two required courses in the summer term after year one.

Fall (6 to 9 credit hours) Year One

• NUTR 5335 - Integrative and Functional Nutrition I (3 credit hours, face to face, livestream)
• KINE 5350 - Intro to Research in Health & Kinesiology (3 credit hours, online)
• Elective

Spring (6 to 9 credit hours) Year One

• NUTR 5339 - Integrative and Functional Nutrition II (3 credit hours, face to face, livestream)
• Electives

Summer (6 credit hours) Year Two

• *NUTR 5332 - Public Health Nutrition (3 credit hours, online)
• *NUTR 5311 - Introductory Dietetics Practice (3 credit hours, face to face, livestream)

Fall (6 credit hours) Year Two

• *NUTR 5431 - Supervised Practice for Dietetic Interns (4 credit hours, face to face) (this course includes approximately 500 hours of supervised practice, 32 hours per week at facilities, Tuesday through Friday starting in August)
• *NUTR 5231 - Supervised Practice Seminar (2 credit hours, face to face)

Spring (6 credit hours) Year Two

• *NUTR 5431 - Supervised Practice for Dietetic Interns (4 credit hours, face to face) (this course includes approximately 500 hours of supervised practice, 32 hours per week at facilities, Tuesday through Friday starting in August)
• *NUTR 5231 - Supervised Practice Seminar (2 credit hours, face to face) 

9 hours of electives to meet 36 hours. Note, students who do not have a statistics course at the undergraduate level will be required to take a statistics course at the graduate level. We have awesome electives. Choose from integrative-focused courses like women’s health, pediatric nutrition and private practice to sports nutrition and foodservice management. Elective courses in other areas of human sciences are also available.

*ACEND competencies will be required in this course

Graduate Comprehensive Project

Throughout the graduate program, students will be required to maintain an ePortfolio and present it to various constituents during the last semester of the graduate program.

Note: The graduate program follows the university academic calendar. Supervised practice does not follow the university academic calendar. Students will be in rotations during the break between the summer II session and fall semester, one to two weeks of Christmas break and one to two weeks of the break between the spring semester and summer I session.

A verification statement of completion will be issued after successful completion of all competencies, a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised practice, 36 hours of graduate course credit, and completion of the graduate comprehensive exam project.

Please consult the Dietetic Internship Handbook for more information on the graduate course descriptions and supervised practice schedule.

Verification Statement Requirements

A verification statement of completion will be issued after successful completion of all competencies, a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised practice and completion of the MS degree in Nutrition and Integrative Health (36 hours of graduate course credit, graduate comprehensive exam project).

The following items must have been turned in and be on file with the DI director:

• DPD Verification Statement.
• Final official transcript from the institution that conferred your Bachelor of Science degree.
• Final official transcript of your Master of Science degree.
• Documentation of a minimum of 1,000 hours (documented in QClassroom).
• Evaluations approved by the preceptor(s) indicating satisfactory completion of ALL competencies. Note: Competencies will be completed in supervised practice (NUTR 5431) and within the following graduate courses: NUTR 5231, 5335 and 5311.
• Completed site evaluations for all supervised practice sites.
• Copy of the CDR transcript release form.

An electronically signed verification statement of completion will be emailed to all students at the end of year two (early summer), following documentation of all requirements.

The DI Director will submit information to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) for eligibility to sit for the RDN examination during the early summer.

The department keeps intern records on file in a secured, password-protected computer or in file cabinets in the DI Director’s locked office.

The dietetic internship wants to see you succeed and that includes passing the registered dietitian exam. The Inman Review will be required as the program’s RD exam study guide. The DI director will help prepare you for the exam throughout the internship program by reviewing exam questions regularly in class.

Please see RD Exam pass/fail statistics maintained through CDR for national pass rates.

Program outcome data on the SFA MS/DI program pass rate is available upon request. Contact Dr. Darla O'Dwyer, DI director, by email at dodwyer@sfasu.edu or by phone at 936.468.2439.

For information on program costs, tuition and fees, see the Program Costs, Financial Assistance and Scholarships section on the MS in Nutrition and Integrative Health page.

SFA grants credit for assessment of prior learning (APL) allowed by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). APL grants credit to interns who can demonstrate documentation of work experiences that are equivalent to the required ACEND competencies that are provided in supervised practice. Coursework or experience required by the DPD program will not be counted towards APL credit.

Graduate course assignments will not be waived unless hours are granted for a specific rotation as part of the APL credit.

The tuition and fees for the Internship will remain the same, regardless of the amount of APL granted.
APL hours awarded will in no instance exceed the number of hours assigned to interns for a rotation. For example, the hospital foodservice management rotation is 96 hours/3 weeks, WIC clinic is 64 hours/2 weeks (See supervised experience schedule in Dietetic Internship Handbook). The experiences must be equivalent to the required rotations in the internship.

Prior learning may be granted for one of the following paid work experiences:

Hospital Foodservice Management (FSM)/Independent School District

• 6 months full-time or 1-year part-time work experience is equal to up to 32 hours/1 week APL credit
• 1 to 5 years (full-time or equivalent) work experience is equal to up to 96 hours/3 weeks APL credit

WIC/Extension

• 6 months to 1 year (full-time or equivalent) work experience is equal to up to 32 hours/1 week APL credit
• 1 to 2 years (full-time or equivalent) work experience is equal to up to 64 hours/ 2 weeks APL credit
• 2+ years (full-time or equivalent) work experience is equal to up to 96 hours/3 weeks APL credit

Clinical

• 1+ years (full-time or equivalent) work experience is equal to up to 2 weeks APL credit

If you are interested in prior learning credit assessment, please contact the DI director for the prior assessment worksheet for foodservice management, community, or clinical experience.

Provide documentation as evidence for meeting the CRDN competencies as per the instructions on the worksheet.

Paperwork must be submitted by June 1 after receipt of internship acceptance.

The DI director will inform the intern as to which competencies have been assessed as “met” and the hours of internship time that will be adjusted.

Submission of an APL does not guarantee credit will be awarded, in full or in part as requested.

There are no exceptions for “late” or “delayed” APL

Additional documentation or clarification of activities must be provided to the DI director upon request. Failure to do so in a timely manner may preclude obtaining APL credit.