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Nutrition and Dietetics Internship is closing May 31, 2025
The NDI will accept one final cohort of students over the fall semester of 2022. The maximum number of students that can be selected is 5. At this time, eligibility is limited to current SDSU undergraduate students with plans to graduate from the SDSU Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) by December 2022, May of 2023 or August 2023.
Students selected into the NDI will start the program in the fall of 2023 with a plan to graduate from the program in May of 2025.
The NDI is closing as part of a transitional plan at SDSU nutrition and dietetics to accommodate our new accelerated bachelor's to master's degree program.
The nutrition and dietetics (M.S.); the NDMS program is an accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program with supervised experiential learning (SEL) experiences incorporated throughout this competency-based program. Students accepted into the program with the required prerequisites can complete the program in three years. Including prerequisites, completion of the entire bachelor’s to master’s degree program takes approximately five years. Graduates will be eligible to take the national examination for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs).
The first cohort of NDMS students will start in the fall 2022 and graduate from the program in May 2025. The first cohort class size consists of seven students. The accredited maximum enrollment for the NDMS program is 20. Initially, the NDI planned to close in May 2024. However, due to the smaller than anticipated class size of NDMS students; the program is able to provide an adequate number of sites and preceptors for an additional year of NDI students. The Accreditation Council for the Education of Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) has approved the delay of NDI closure to May 31, 2025
Want to be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist?
ACEND Accreditation Statement
The South Dakota State University Nutrition and Dietetics Internship is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, (800-877-1600) ext. 5400.
The SDSU NDI program meets the requirements for an intern to complete an ACEND - Accredited Supervised Practice Program, which is required prior to taking a national exam administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
State Licensure
In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. For more information about state licensure requirements, visit Commission of Dietetic Registration State Licensure.
South Dakota is among 46 states that have enacted legislation regulating the practice of dietetics. State licensure and state certification are separate from the registration exam by CDR. The South Dakota codified law and administrative rules regarding dietetics and nutrition and the state licensure process are found on South Dakota Legislature Legislative Research Council. Application information for the South Dakota Licensed Nutritionist process is available on the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners. Graduates of the nutrition and dietetics (M.S.) who are issued a verification statement are eligible to apply for a temporary South Dakota Licensed Nutritionist license which is good for one year. Successful passing of the CDR examination for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists is required for application to be issued permanent South Dakota Licensed Nutritionist status.
Megan Northrup
Director for Accelerated Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics
School of Health and Human Sciences