Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
UW-Stout's 100% online Master of Science (M.S.) in Nutrition & Dietetics will prepare you to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and to provide advanced education for current RDNs. The degree program is available for students who do or do not have undergraduate preparation in nutrition; however, to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), you will need to complete Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) courses and a Dietetic Internship (DI) in addition to completion of the M.S. program. The DPD courses and Dietetic Internship are also offered at UW-Stout.
Note to prospective students: As of 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has changed the requirement from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree in order to be eligible to take the CDR credentialing exam for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
What Is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)?
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are food and nutrition experts who have met the following criteria to earn the RDN credential:
- Completed 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.
- Completed an ACEND®-accredited supervised practice program at a healthcare facility, community agency, or a foodservice corporation or combined with undergraduate or graduate studies. Typically, a practice program will run 6-12 months in length.
- Completed a graduate degree program (this is a requirement starting in January 2024).
- Passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
- Completed continuing professional educational requirements to maintain registration.
How Can I Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)?
University of Wisconsin-Stout has several pathways for you to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Your path will depend on your current educational credentials.
Begin your UW-Stout journey by applying to B.S. Dietetics program.
Note: As a B.S. Dietetics student, you’ll be able to pursue the accelerated B.S. Dietetics + M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics program.
Transfer or transition into the B.S. Dietetics program, and prepare to take advantage of the accelerated B.S. Dietetics + M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics program.
You will need to complete the Didactic Program in Dietetics, and once you complete that, apply for the M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics.
Please reach out to Lindsay Heidelberger at heidelbergerl@uwstout.edu to ensure your eligibility before applying.
If you have or will have completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) and can provide a DPD verification statement, you can apply directly to the M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics.
Please reach out to Lindsay Heidelberger at heidelbergerl@uwstout.edu to ensure your eligibility before applying.
If you have a foreign degree, you would need to ensure you have a DPD Verification Statement from an ACEND-accredited institution. Please review ACEND's Education and Credentialing Requirements for Those with Foreign Degrees for additional information including where you can get your degree validated.
If your academic degree(s) is validated as equivalent to the bachelor's or master's degree conferred by a U.S. regionally accredited college or university and you can provide a DPD verification statement, then you can apply directly to the M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics.
Please reach out to Lindsay Heidelberger at heidelbergerl@uwstout.edu to ensure your eligibility before applying.
100% Online: Complete Your Degree at Your Own Pace and Schedule.
Career-Defining Curriculum
Our curriculum encompasses a variety of areas within dietetics, including nutrition research, clinical nutrition, nutrition counseling, community nutrition, and foodservice management. You will engage in high impact practices including research, collaborative projects and assignments, and community-based learning.
Program Overview
Full-time students can complete their graduation requirements in one year (summer, fall, and spring sessions). The curriculum is designed this way because approximately 90% of the Dietetic Internship (DI) programs start in the fall. The DI program is your final step to completing the dietetic education requirements to be eligible for the RDN credentialing exam.
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics.
Request Information
"What makes UW-Stout’s graduate program really amazing are the faculty and staff that support us. The number one reason I stayed at Stout for my graduate degree was the faculty and staff’s dedication and advocacy for their students."
-- Heidi LochenM.S. Food & Nutritional Science
Industry-Experienced Faculty Instruction
At UW-Stout, building close relationships with our industry-experienced and academically accomplished faculty will play a key role in your polytechnic education. Whether your passion is understanding the behavioral and environmental factors that influence diet; the connection between food insecurity, access to food, health; or any other nutrition or dietetics-related concerns, our instructors are ready to help you creating a lasting impact on the lives of everyday people.
General UW-Stout Graduate School Application
All prospective graduate students at UW-Stout must follow a standard application process through our Graduate School. Beyond that, each graduate program has specific requirements that must be met to be successfully admitted to the program:
Program-Specific Admission Requirements
Eligibility
To be admitted with full status to the M.S. Nutrition & Dietetics program, you must:
- Have earned a minimum GPA of 3.0
The prerequisites for admission to the program are statistics (Stats 320 or equivalent), physiology and anatomy (BIO 234 or equivalent), nutrition (FN 212 or equivalent), and advanced nutrition (FN 320 or equivalent).
Applicants who are denied admission due to deficiencies in these prerequisites will be advised that the courses can be taken at UW-Stout as a special non-degree student, but this will not guarantee admission into the graduate program.
In alignment with the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the M.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics program has the following overarching program objectives:
- At least 80% of full-time students will complete program/degree requirements within 18 months (150% of the program length).*
- Of graduates who seek employment, 80% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 18 months of graduation.*
- 80% of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.*
- The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%.*
In order to meet the program objectives, the following learning objectives are established for this program:
- Apply and integrate graduate-level nutritional sciences principles when presented with a practical problem.
- Design, implement, evaluate, and disseminate nutrition research.
- Demonstrate creative, critical, and strategic thinking skills that can be applied to nutrition and dietetics.
- Employ a professional, philosophical, and ethical approach to work following the professional code of ethics.
- Apply effective leadership, management, and collaboration strategies to meet operational goals.
- Apply evidence-based food and nutrition information to meet the needs of individuals, groups, and organizations.
- Utilize patient-centered educational strategies to create nutrition care plans that promote positive outcomes.
- Integrate public policy, the physical and social and cultural environment, food, nutrition, and biological influences into community nutrition practice.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills.
Advisory Committee Members
| Kristal | Gerdes | Professor; Chair, Hospitality & Technology Innovation Department | UW-Stout |
| Stacey | Getten | Director, Dietetic Internship Program; Instructor | UW-Stout |
| Mitch | Holliday | Captain, EdD, RDN, FAND, Dietitian Chief Professional Officer | Public Health Service |
| Laura | Knudsen | MS, RDN, Clinical Dietitian | Mayo Clinic Health System Red Cedar |
| Susan | Krahn | MS, RDN, CD, CLC | Nutrition Matters |
| Mary | LaRue | Associate Professor; Chair, Kinesiology, Health, Food & Nutritional Sciences Department | KHFNS Dept., UW-Stout |
| Karen | Ostenso | Associate Professor; Program Director, B.S. Dietetics | UW-Stout |
| Kerry | Peterson | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Miranda | Roberts | MS, RD, CD, Dining Services | UW-Stout |
| Amanda | Zastrow | Adult Student Services Coordinator | UW-Stout |