About Our Program
KU's dietetic internship program offers two tracks, both with a medical nutrition therapy emphasis. The dual master's degree/dietetic internship program is a 20-month program completed over five semesters designed for those students without a current graduate degree. The program consists of 38 graduate credit hours along with approximately 1,100 hours of supervised practice in a variety of practice settings.
For those students who have already completed both a DPD program and a graduate degree, KU also offers an eight-month dietetic internship graduate certificate track, which consists of 16 hours of graduate coursework (eight hours of didactic coursework and eight hours of practicum) along with approximately 1,100 hours of supervised practice experience. Learn more about the dietetic internship graduate certificate program.
Learn about our program in this video!
Practice Experiences
Practice experiences include clinical nutrition, community nutrition, food and nutrition management and a culminating practice area of interest experience designed by the intern to meet personal, professional and educational goals.
Here is a sample of potential supervised practice experience locations:
- The University of Kansas Health System
- Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics
- Various St. Luke’s Hospital facilities
- VA Medical Center
- University Health
- KU Athletics
- KU Weight Management
- Cray Diabetes Center
- Eating disorder facilities
- WIC
- Food banks
- Grocery stores
- Public schools
- Health departments
- Hospital food service facilities
- And many more!
Faculty and Format
As a student in our fully accredited program, you will train with outstanding faculty at a world-class academic health center featuring the latest technology and interventions and ample opportunities to experience cutting-edge practice and research in an urban setting serving diverse populations in the region.
The dual master's degree/dietetic internship program track consists of both graduate coursework and supervised practice experience completed simultaneously across 20 months (five total semesters).
After Completing the Dual Master's Degree/Dietetic Internship Program
Students completing the dual master's degree/dietetic internship program will receive a Master of Science in Dietetics degree, a Dietetic Internship Graduate Certificate and a verification statement that will allow the graduate to be eligible to apply for approval by the Commission on Dietetic Registration to take the national Registration Examination for Dietitians.
KU has a proven record in producing top-level professionals, as evidenced by the consistently high first-time pass rate by KU graduates on the national registration examination for dietitians.
The first-time pass rate for KU graduates of the past five years (2017-2021) is 96.1% (97th percentile rank). One hundred percent of those graduates passed the registration exam within one year of their first attempt.
The University of Kansas dual master's degree/dietetic internship graduate certificate program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 800-877-1600, ext. 5400; ACEND@eatright.org.
The program outcomes data are available upon request to prospective students and the public. Documents relating to accreditation may be obtained from the department office.
The full accreditation covers the remainder of the seven-year term ending December 31, 2023. This term was extended to December 31, 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Another extension was granted in summer 2022 and is valid until December 31, 2025.
Graduates of KU's dual master's degree/dietetic internship graduate certificate program are eligible to take the registered dietitian examination offered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. All U.S. states with licensure and certification requirements currently accept the registered dietitian credential for state licensure and certification purposes. The Commission on Dietetic Registration provides information on specific state licensure requirements.