Become a Registered Dietitian

A registered dietitian is a licensed health professional that can help the public eat and stay healthy. To become an RD, you’ll need to get a bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Choose the type of program you want to go into, as well as your degree concentrations.. If you earned your degree from a Didactic Program in Dietetics, you’ll need to apply for a Dietetics Internship, which can last up to a year. Once you’ve completed your education and your internship, register for and pass the Registered Dietetics exam within a year. Once you pass the exam, you’ll officially be an RD!

Steps

Getting Your Education

1. Choose between a Coordinated or Didactic Program. A Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP) includes your internship as part of your education. When you graduate from a CP, you can sit for the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) exam immediately. If you attend a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), you’ll have to arrange the internship on your own. Check to see which programs are CPs and which are DPDs.
   • A CP might be a bit more expensive to begin with, but it could save you money in the long run, since you won’t have to apply for internships on your own.
   • DPD programs are a good option if you’re looking to save money ahead of time and think you can work and save money before you apply for your internship.
2. Earn a bachelor’s degree through an accredited program. All RDs must have a bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)-accredited program. Your major name will vary depending on the school you attend. You might major in Dietetics, Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science and Nutrition, Human Nutrition, or Nutritional Sciences. If you’re unsure which major to declare, talk to your academic advisor.
3. Choose your concentrations. Each ACEND-accredited program has areas of concentration for you to choose from. Depending on your school, you might choose one or two concentrations. Options for concentrations include health promotion/disease prevention, public health nutrition, urban health and nutrition, food service management, and nutrition education.
   • In some programs, you'll choose your concentrations right away. In others, you won't have to decide until you get some course work out of the way. Talk to your advisor about when you should choose your concentrations.
   • If you’re unsure which concentration to choose, you can speak to one of your faculty members. Tell them what you’d like to do with your nutrition degree and they can tell you which concentrations would be best.
4. Complete your internship. CP programs include an internship as part of your education. Your internship will be arranged by your faculty, and you’ll complete it before graduation. Make sure you discuss your post-graduation goals with your advisor so they can help you find an appropriate internship.

Completing a Dietetic Internship after a DPD Program

1. Search for internships. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics works with a company called D&D Digital to match DPD program graduates with internships. You’ll be able to find available internships through the D&D websites. Search for those internships first so you know what’s expected during the application process for each of them.
2. Make sure you qualify academically. The competition for Dietetic Internships (DIs) is fierce – only half of the people who apply for one get it. The minimum GPA for most DIs is 3.0, but the higher your GPA, the more competitive you’ll be.
3. Take the GRE. Some DI programs require that you take the GRE before applying for the internship. The minimum required GRE score will vary from internship to internship, so make sure you check with the internship you want. The higher the score, the better.
   • The GRE costs about $240 to take.
   • You can find great study guides for the GRE on the College Board website and at your local bookstore.
4. Secure letters of recommendation. The number of letters you need will also vary by internship, so make sure you know how many you need. You should ask people who know you well and are familiar with your work ethic and think you do good work. Your dietetics professors are great choices for writing your letters.
5. Write customized cover letters. Each internship program will want you to address different things in your cover letter. Customize each cover letter to the program you’re applying for and make sure you address everything they ask for. Don’t submit the same generic cover letter to each position.
6. Apply through Dietetic Internship Central Application Service. Once you’re ready to apply, you’ll need to register with D&D Digital to create an account. Then you choose the internships you want to apply for and upload your materials.
   • Each internship will have different application deadlines, so make sure you write them down during your initial search and keep track of them.
   • You’ll need to pay an application fee for each internship you want to apply for. These fees vary, but they’re around $100 each.
7. Wait for your match. Matches happen in April and November of every year. The exact date will vary, but you can expect a response sometime in those months. You should shoot for the deadlines related to the April match date if you’re graduating in the spring, and the deadlines for the November match date if you’re graduating in the winter.
   • If you don’t match right away, you might hear a few days after the original match date. Any unmatched internships will go to a second round of applicants after the first round has gone out.
8. Reapply if you don’t match. If you don’t get a match during your original match process, you can reapply. Check the D&D website to see which internships are still accepting applications and then email the director of the program. They can tell you if you should submit your application.
   • If there aren't any internships accepting more applicants, you'll have to wait until the next matching round and redo the entire application process.

Taking the Registered Dietitian Exam

1. Make sure your school submits your name for eligibility. As you get close to graduation, your program will submit your name to Pearson Vue – the testing company that administers the CDR. Check with your advisor to make sure that your name has been submitted.
2. Check your email after you complete your internship. If you’ve attended a CP, your internship will be part of your education. If you attended a DPD, you’ll have to complete your internship on your own. Once the internship is complete, Pearson Vue will email you with instructions for registering for the exam.
3. Pay for the exam. Once you’ve registered for the exam, you’ll need to pay for it. It’s $200 to register for and take the exam. You’ll have to pay online with a credit or debit card.
4. Schedule your exam within a year of becoming eligible. Once you’ve paid the registration fee, you’ll get an email from Pearson Vue about scheduling the date and time of the exam.
5. Bring the correct documentation. When you go for your exam, you’ll need to bring a copy of your eligibility email – which should have come from your program after you finished your internship. You also need to bring a drivers’ license or state photo ID.
6. Retake the exam if necessary. You need a score of 25 or higher to pass the exam. Because the number of questions you have to answer varies from exam to exam, how many you have to answer correctly to pass will vary. If you fail, you can retake the exam after 45 days.
   • You'll have to pay the same amount for the retake as you did for the original exam.
   • There is no limit to how many times you can retake the exam, as long as you wait 45 days between each attempt.
7. Maintain your credential. After you pass the CDR, you’ll get information from Pearson Vue on how to maintain your RD credential. You’ll have to pay a maintenance fee and take part in continuing education opportunities every 5 years.

Quick Summary

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