college does not have a nutrition major

College Majors
1

Hi!
I really want to become a RD. However, many of the schools I’m applying to do not have a Nutrition major. Do I need to have an ungrad major in nutrition or can I study nutrition in grad school and become a RD? The other major I’m interested in is Psychology, so I put that for all the schools I’m applying to without a nutrition major.

The schools I’m applying to with a nutrition major are Berkeley, UC Davis, Cal Poly SLO, CSU Long Beach, and Cornell.
The other schools are UCSD, UC Irvine, UCSC, UCSB, USC, Chapman, Pomona College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna, and maybe U Chicago.
Thanks!

2

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics seems to be the accrediting body for programs that lead to licensure as a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist (RDN).

http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/acend/accredited-programs

It seems like there are two ways you can become an RDN:

  1. Go to a bachelor’s program that is ACEND-accredited and then do the required internship hours and sit for an exam.
  2. Go and get a bachelor’s in anything else. Then go to a master’s program that is ACEND-accredited and then do the required internship hours and sit for an exam. You usually don’t have to have majored in nutrition to get the master’s, although there are prerequisites.

There are two types of ACEND-accredited programs:

  1. Coordinated programs, where you complete the didactic coursework (regular classes) and the supervised internship hours all in one program. There’s a list here: http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/acend/accredited-programs/coordinated-programs-in-dietetics. Some of these are bachelor’s and some are master’s programs. Examples are Colorado State University (an MS in food science & nutrition, emphasis in community nutrition), Howard University (a BS in nutrition therapy), and the University of Idaho (BS in community nutrition).

  2. Didactic programs in dietetics (DPDs), where you complete only the didactic coursework part (so classes). You then have to apply for a supervised internship after you complete the degree so that you can get your RDN. There’s a list here: http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/acend/accredited-programs/didactic-programs-in-dietetics. Some are bachelor’s and some are master’s. Examples are Auburn University (BS in nutrition), UC-Davis (BS in nutrition), and University of Maryland (BS in nutrition). It would see the the majority of programs, especially BS programs, are didactic programs; all of the programs in nutrition you listed above are DPDs.

So the answer is yes, you can major in something other than nutrition, but you will have to get a master’s degree in order to get your RDN. At the 5 schools on your list with nutrition majors, you can get your RDN after you do the bachelor’s degree (plus the internship hours and the exam).

You will also have to make sure that you take the prerequisites. They seem to be your standard health professions type prereqs: two semesters of chemistry, a semester of biochemstry, two semesters of anatomy and physiology (or one semester of each), a semester or two of biology, and a semester of human nutrition. Check individual programs’ websites for details.