Becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
The process to becoming a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered (NDTR) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) begins at Shepherd University!
RDNs are food and nutrition experts who met the following criteria and earned the RDN credential:
- Completed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree*
- Completed required supervised practice/ experience
- Passed a national examination
Education
Registered Dietitians must complete a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a regionally accredited university and coursework through an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited Didactic (DPD), Coordinated (CP), Future Graduate (FG) or Foreign (FDE) or International Dietitian Education (IDE) program.
*Effective January 1, 2024, a master’s degree will be required to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration RDN credentialing exam.
Supervised Practice Experience
A supervised practice experience through an ACEND accredited Dietetic Internship (DI), Coordinated (CP), Future Graduate (FG) or International Dietetic Education (IDE) Program or an Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) offered through an ACEND-accredited program must be completed to be eligible for the national Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Examination. Upon successful completion of the RDN Credentialing Examination, individuals earn the RDN credential and maintain it with continuing professional educational requirements (similar to requirements held by MDs, Nurses, Social Work, and other medical professionals)
Following credentialing, RDNs may seek state licensure. All U.S. states and territories with licensure and certification laws accept the RDN credential for state licensure and certification purposes. It is ACEND’s considered opinion that the program is designed to and does meet all state dietetics licensure and certification laws as some states may interpret their statutes differently. Please refer to the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s web page that has a listing of state and U.S. territory licensure and certification laws. See licensure in various states.