Academic Verification in Dietetics

INTRODUCTION

The Academic Verification in Dietetics program is for individuals who already have a Bachelor’s degree and wish to achieve the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential.  The Commission on Dietetic Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (CDR) determines the requirements for the RDN credential.  To obtain this credential, individuals must pass the national RDN examination.  Eligibility to take the RDN exam requires a Bachelor’s degree, which can be in any discipline, as well as coursework and supervised practice completed through programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).   The Messiah University Nutrition and Dietetics major is accredited by ACEND to provide the coursework needed to apply to ACEND-accredited supervised practice programs, such as the Messiah University Dietetic Internship.    The Academic Verification Program offers the opportunity to complete the Nutrition and Dietetics major courses without the need to complete a second Bachelor’s degree. 

The Messiah academic verification program includes:

• Evaluation of academic transcripts to determine which nutrition and dietetics course requirements have already been met and which still need to be completed.
• Advising on availability of required courses at Messiah University.  (Enrollment in upper level nutrition and dietetics courses is limited.)
• Assistance in the supervised practice program/master’s program application process (as a part of the Senior Seminar in Nutrition and Dietetics course).

Application Process: Students interested in this program must first have their transcripts evaluated by the Messiah University DPD Director.  The fee for this evaluation is $40.00.  Students interested in beginning classes in the fall should request a transcript evaluation no later than March 1, and students interested in beginning classes in the spring semester should submit transcripts no later than October 1.  Transcript evaluation requests received from April through August will typically be evaluated in September.  To request a transcript evaluation please follow the directions below:

1. Have official transcripts from the school at which you received a Baccalaureate degree, as well as all transcripts documenting courses and grades you may have taken at other colleges or universities that might count towards the verification course requirements, sent to the Messiah Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Director.  All transcripts should be mailed or emailed directly from the college or university at which courses were taken to the DPD director at the following addresses:  Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics, Messiah University, One University Avenue, Suite 3030, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055; or nutritionanddietetics@messiah.edu.

2. Complete the Academic Verification in Dietetics Transcript Evaluation Request Form and submit it, along with the $40.00 fee, online.

Upon receipt of the transcript evaluation request form and all transcripts, the DPD director will evaluate the transcripts against the course requirements for DPD verification at Messiah University.  After the evaluation has been completed (typically about 2-3 weeks after all materials have been received), the DPD director will email or mail the results of the transcript review.  Upon receiving the transcript review results, students interested in starting the program should contact the DPD director to set up an interview and course planning meeting.

If you have questions about this program, please contact the Messiah DPD director. 

Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics
Messiah University
One University Avenue, Suite 3030
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
nutritionanddietetics@messiah.edu