Upon completion of the 21-month Dietetic Internship Program and all degree requirements, graduates will receive a verification statement documenting completion of the internship requirements and will be eligible to complete the exam to become Registered Dietitians.
In addition, program graduates will have completed the requirements for the Master of Science degree. The Internship Program is developmentally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association.
Requirements & Schedule
The following outline represents the schedule and sequence of classes leading to a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics and completion of the requirements for the Dietetic Internship.
Please refer to the Family and Consumer Studies Graduate Handbook and The Kent State University Graduate Schools Catalog for additional information such as course descriptions and graduation requirements. Refer to the Kent State University Schedule of Classes for course registration information for each semester.
Program Requirements for Master of Science/ Dietetic Internship
The Kent State University Master of Science in Nutrition/ Dietetic Internship Program is completed in 43 credit hours which includes over 1500 supervised internship practice hours. The program is usually finished in 4 semesters and one summer. During the semesters, interns go to practice sites 3 days per week and to class two days per week. During the summer, interns complete a 12 week, full-time clinical experience in a hospital setting. The supervised practice component of the program must be completed within two years of the start of the program.
Upon completion of the 21-month program and all degree requirements, graduates will receive verification statement documenting completion of the internship requirements and will be eligible to write the registration exam to become Registered Dietitians. In addition, program graduates will have completed the requirements for the Master of Science degree and will receive the Master of Science from the University.
DIETETIC INTERNSHIP SUPERVISED PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS
Rotation Emphasis Areas: 1552 Required Hours
Experiences for all weeks listed include a total of 24 hours, usually M ,W, F except for the Hospital Clinical Experience which is completed full-time, usually M-F for 12 weeks.
I. Community (12 weeks): 288 Hours
Dialysis (5 weeks)
Outpatient (4 weeks)
School (3)
II. Business (5 weeks): 120 Hours
III. Management (16 weeks): 384 Hours
Food Service Management (12 weeks)
- Hospital (9 weeks)
- School (3 weeks)
Clinical Nutrition Management (3 weeks and 1 day or 10 days)
IV. Clinical (16 weeks): 576 Hours
Hospital (12 weeks Full Time)
Long Term Care (4 weeks)
V. Elective Rotations (6 weeks): 144 Hours
(Business and/or Community)
VI. Internship Orientation: 40 Hours
VII. Pediatric Seminar (2 days): 16 Hours
DIETETIC INTERNSHIP SUPERVISED PRACTICE EXPERIENCES
Food Service Management - 288 Total Hours
Food Service Management is completed in 288 hours. The experiences are completed over 12 weeks during the academic semesters by working 24 hours per week. The Food Service Management experiences include the following:
- Hospital Food Service Management 216 hours (9 weeks)
- School Food Service Management 72 hours (3 weeks)
Clinical Nutrition Management - 80 Total Hours (10 days)
Clinical Nutrition Management rotations are completed in 80 hours during the academic semesters by working 8 hours per day for 10 days. The Clinical Nutrition Management experience is usually completed in the hospital setting.
Community - 288 Total Hours
Community rotations are completed in 288 hours during the academic semesters. Interns work for 24 hours per week for 12 weeks.The required Community experiences include the following:
- Outpatient Nutrition Clinic/WIC 96 hours (4 weeks)
- Dialysis Center 120 hours (5 weeks)
- School Nutrition Education 72 hours (3 weeks)
Clinical Nutrition Therapy - 576 Total Hours
Clinical Nutrition Therapy rotations are completed in 576 hours during the academic semesters and during the summer. During one summer, interns work full-time at a major medical center for 12 weeks (480 hours) and complete Pediatrics, Medicine, Surgery, Critical Care, and Geriatric supervised practice experiences. Clinical dietetic rotations in Extended Care facilities are completed in 96 hours during the academic semesters. The intern works 24 hours per week for 4 weeks at an extended care facility.
Business - 120 Total Hours
Business experiences include 120 hours during the academic semesters. The intern works 24 hours per week for 5 weeks in business supervised practice experiences.The Business experience will include sales, marketing, food distribution, food delivery services, and/or other aspects of the business sector as appropriate for the organization. Possible rotations include:
- KSU College of Education, Health, and Human Services Public Relations
- KSU Dining Services
- KSU Food For Thought Cyber Café
- KSU Nutrition Outreach Program
- Dietitians in Private Practice
- Wellness/Recreation Programs
- School Programs
- Organizations that are expanding Nutrition Services
Electives - 144 Total Hours
Interns select 144 hours (6 weeks) during the academic semester to complete elective rotations. Electives can be selected from Community options, from Business options, or from the list below.The following are possible additional optional rotations:
- Culinary Techniques (KSU) Independent Study
- Nutrition Research Internship Program Administration
- Pharmaceutical Representative Dietitians in Private Practice
- Wellness Program Media
- Dairy Council Mid East Previous Rotations/Staff Relief
- Recreation Centers ADA National Meeting
- KSU Outreach Head Start
- State of Ohio Rehab & Corrections Health Department
- KSU KIDS Camp Internship Program Development
- Journalism Experience KSU Nutrition Outreach Program
- WIC Eating Disorder
- Home-Care Head Start
- Children with Special Needs Bariatric Experience
- Food Bank State of Ohio Rehab & Corrections
- Outpatient/Nutrition Camp Ho Mita Koda for Children with DM
- Health Department, Meals on Wheels
****Other organizations as approved by Program Director
MASTER OF SCIENCE REQUIREMENTS
| Master of Science Core Requirements | 15 | ||
| NUTR | 63520 | Macronutrient Nutrition | 3 |
| 63521 | Nutrition and Disease: Clinical Applications | 3 | |
| 63519 | Advanced Study of Micronutrients | 3 | |
| EDUC | 65510 | Statistics I Education Services | 3 |
| FCS | 61018 | Techniques of Research in Family and Consumer Studies | 3 |
| Additional Core Requirements | 16 | ||
| HM | 63024 | Management of Food and Nutrition Services | 3 |
| NUTR | 63525 | Dietetic Practice: Community | 1 |
| 63526 | Dietetic Practice: Management | 1 | |
| 63527 | Dietetic Practice: Clinical | 1 | |
| 63592 | Dietetic Internship | 10 | |
| Thesis Option* OR Master's Project Option** | 6 | ||
| NUTR | 63199 | Thesis I | 6 |
| 61198 | Master's Project | 6 | |
| Electives | 6 | ||
| In consultation with advisor, select 6 hours as elective courses | |||
| NUTR | 63523 | Nutrition and Gerontology | |
| 53520 | Nutrition for Fitness | ||
| 53518 | Maternal and Child Nutrition | ||
| 53515 | Community Nutrition | ||
| 51095 | Special Topic: Functional Foods and Botanicals | ||
| 51095 | Special Topic: Evaluating Nutrition Literature | ||
| Other graduate courses in FCS or from other clearly related areas. | |||
Thesis Option/ Master's Project Option
Students can select a Thesis Option* or a Master's Project Option**
*The Thesis Option is intended for students to have the opportunity to conduct original research. Approval of a thesis proposal by the student's thesis committee is required, as is the successful completion of an oral examination conducted by the thesis committee.
**The Master's Project Option is intended for students to approach research in a more applied manner. The presentation and interpretation of original research is not required. However, approval of the intended project by the student's master's project committee is required, as is the successful completion of an oral final examination conducted by the master's project committee.