Dietetic Internship Graduate Certificate

A Nutrition Therapy Emphasis
KU offers an exceptional dietetic internship program which includes a nutrition therapy emphasis and 1,000 hours of supervised practice experience. The program includes rotations in community nutrition, food systems management, clinical nutrition and a practice area of interest designed by the student to meet personal learning and educational goals. With each rotation, interns receive guidelines that describe the competencies to be achieved, as well as assignments and performance evaluations to be completed during the experience. Interns are requested to list their top choices for clinical education facilities for each rotation. Interns may also provide suggestions for the clinical education facilities and preceptors to the Dietetic Internship program director.

Dietetic internship program classes are scheduled on one weekday for the fall and spring semesters. Supervised practice experiences are scheduled 32 hours per week in the fall and spring semesters and from 24 to 40 hours per week for the practice area of interest experience during the summer session.

Students who complete our graduate internship program receive a graduate certificate from the University of Kansas and are eligible to take the RD exam. Graduate credit earned during the internship program can be applied toward KU's Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition degree requirements.

Why Choose KU's Dietetic Internship Program?
Our program stands apart from others for many reasons, from the outstanding faculty to the opportunity for training with the latest technology and treatments in a leading healthcare facility. KU's program allows for a customized practice experience to match the student's individual interests. Located in an academic medical center, KU provides students with ample opportunities to experience cutting edge research and practice in an urban setting that is a life science center.

There are more than 45 clinical education affiliations in the metropolitan Kansas City area and surrounding regions as well as opportunities for international experiences. Affiliates include The University of Kansas Medical Center, Children’s Mercy Hospital, University of Kansas Weight Management and Energy Balance Lab, Developmental Disabilities Center at KUMC, VA Medical Center, HCA Hospitals, various health departments and public schools.

KU has established a proven record in producing top-level professionals, as evidenced by the consistently high first-time pass rates by our graduates on the registered dietitian exam. Our 5-year (2004-2008) first-time exam pass rate was 92% and the class average exam score exceeded the national average in 4 of those 5 years .

Curriculum
The following courses are completed during fall, spring, and summer terms.
DN 826 Applied Clinical Nutrition (6 credit hours)
DN 822 Nutrition Care Management (4)
DN 841 Public Health Nutrition (2)
DN 817 Seminar (2)
DN 827 Practicum (10)
Total hours = 24
Convenient Option for Master's Degree
Eighty percent of KU's graduates from the Dietetic Internship program continue on to complete KU's Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition.  Masters degree students can apply for a research or graduate teaching assistantship which covers part or all of tuition and includes an hourly salary. Research assistants and graduate teaching assistants work 16-20 hours per week for one of the department's faculty during the fall and spring semesters after completion of the one-year internship program.

Students are strongly encouraged to enter KU's Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition program upon completion of the Dietetic Internship graduate certificate program. Degree-seeking students in the graduate certificate program may transfer 14 hours (excluding practicum) toward the MS degree, which can be completed in two additional semesters. A total of 30 to 33 credit hours are required to complete the Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition.

Accreditation
The University of Kansas Dietetic Internship graduate certificate program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, the American Dietetic Association, 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, (800) 877-1600, ext. 5400.