Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Educational and Professional Requirements to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist include:

  1. Completion of a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a U.S. regionally accredited university or college and course work accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
  2. Receipt of a verification statement from such an accredited program.
  3. Completion of an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program consisting of a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised practice.
  4. Passage of a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). For more information regarding the examination, refer to CDR’s website at www.cdrnet.org.

SHSU’s Combined MS/DI program assists qualified students with completion of step 3. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will receive a verification statement indicating eligibility to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians administered by the CDR.

For more information on becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), go to http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/career/become-an-rdn-or-dtr

State Certification or Licensure

After successful completion of the RDN exam, graduates may apply for licensure in Texas and other states that require licensure of dietitians. Additional information on licensure of dietitians is available at http://www.cdrnet.org/state-licensure.