Program Description
We are a 5-semester, 21-month ACEND®-accredited Coordinated Program meeting the knowledge requirements and competencies for entry-level practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Students take coursework in the Fall and Spring of both academic years. Supervised practice hours typically begin in the Summer between the first and second year and continue through the last Fall and Spring semester. We coordinate all supervised practice experience hours required to take the registered dietitian examination. However, if you have a particular area or site that you would like to rotate, we are often able to work with you and potential preceptors to expand your experience.
Students who complete all requirements at the time of graduation are awarded a Master of Science degree in Food and Nutrition Services and issued a Verification Statement. Both the degree and the Verification Statement is required by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to become eligible for the national credentialing examination for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.
Admissions & Application Requirements
All applicants to the UMCP receive a holistic review. Applicants are admitted on a competitive, space-available basis. Applications are due each year by January 15 at 11:59 p.m.
Applicants are required to submit a DICAS application to be considered for review. The following information will be required:
- Personal Information
- Academic History
- In the coursework section, you must list at least the following courses (you can list more if you wish). Sample course descriptions and additional information about pre-requisite coursework are located in the program-specific questions section.
- For applicants without a DPD Verification Statement and not enrolled in a DPD program:
- Basic Foods or Culinary course
- Menu development course
- General Nutrition course
- Nutrition Assessment course
- Medical Nutrition Therapy course
- Foodservice Management course
- Minimum 6 hours of Human Anatomy & Physiology w/2 hours lab
- Minimum 3 hours organic chemistry w/1 hour lab OR combined survey of organic and biochemistry course
- Minimum 3 hours biochemistry OR nutritional biochemistry OR combined survey of organic and biochemistry course
- For applicants enrolled in a DPD program or with a DPD Verification statement
- All of your chemistry and biology courses
- All of your professional DPD courses (nutrition and foods courses)
- GRE test scores - you will type them into the academic history section and submit a document of them in the program-specific documents section
- Official transcripts
- Supporting Information
- Resume/CV
- DPD Verification Statement or course list form, if applicable
- (optional) Achievements, experiences memberships, licensures/certifications
- Program materials
- Questions
- Program-specific documents
- Personal Statement (question prompts can be found in that section)
- Document of GRE scores, downloaded from ETS
- Copy of DPD Verification Statement, if applicable
- A minimum of two recommendation letters: one from an academic reference and one from a work or volunteer reference
What to Expect During the Admissions Process
Step 1: Application review
Applications are given a holistic review and scored in the following areas (in no specific order): academic achievement, desirable characteristics, and professional skills & experience. Information from all parts of the application (resume, personal statement, recommendation letters, and transcripts) are used for scoring during this step.
- What is considered academic achievement?
- Examples: GRE scores, overall GPA, and grades in pre-requisite courses
- What is considered desirable characteristics?
- Examples: perseverance, initiative, time management, interpersonal skills, and self-awareness
- What is considered professional skills & experience?
- Examples of professional skills: food preparation and/or serving, cash/money management, employee scheduling, customer service, or teaching (does not have to be directly related to nutrition)
- Examples of professional experiences: shadowing in a professional work setting, working with populations that are different from you, or fluency in a language other than English
To assist in scoring your application, we recommend that you indicate the approximate hours/week and approximately how many weeks/months/years you were involved in specific volunteer activities or jobs. These can be indicated directly on your resume or described in your personal statement.
Step 2: Virtual Interviews
Students who advance to step 2 of admissions will be asked to interview with a panel of preceptors, the UM CP Director, and/or current students and faculty via Zoom. The following areas are scored during the second round of selection (in no particular order): verbal communication skills, organizational skills, conflict resolution, and self-awareness.
Step 3: Invitation to the program/Notification of waitlist status/Invitation to apply later
Students who are admitted into the program will be required to complete the University of Mississippi Graduate School application ($50 fee) within 7 days of acceptance in order to reserve their space. This will include submission of official GRE scores. If you have not yet completed your degree or pre-requisites, additional official transcripts will be required before you can begin the program. You can find more information about the application to the UM Graduate School here: Overview of Application Process.
Some students may be notified that they are on a waitlist. This means that if the program has a space become available, you may be extended an invitation.
Once all spaces have been accepted, the remaining applicants may be invited to apply again at a later date. Although applicants will not be provided with exact scores or rankings, applicants can request a meeting with the CP Director to go over areas of weakness in their application.
