We prepare you for a successful career as a registered dietitian/nutritionist, encouraging you to assume a leadership role in your profession and society.
Optimal food and nutrient intake play a critical role in disease prevention and health maintenance. The field of dietetics offers many opportunities related to foods and nutrition in health care, management, sports nutrition, schools, business, and industry settings. The majority of clinical dietetics positions are available in hospitals, clinics, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, and private practice. Other opportunities include management of food or nutrition care services in health care facilities, schools or restaurants; public health nutrition; research and/or education in universities, medical centers, and government agencies. Job opportunities in dietetics are projected to increase.
Accreditation
The dietetics major is a Didactic Program in Dietetics accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 800-877-1600, ext. 5400.
ACEND Accreditation Standards
DPD Faculty can view ACEND Accreditation Standards as part of the New Faculty and Teaching Assistant Orientation presentation and ongoing training that the DPD director provides. In the presentation linked below, new DPD faculty and teaching assistants will receive an orientation to the mission, goals, objectives, and educational philosophy of the DPD and will receive training on ACEND standards and core knowledge requirements. Each fall semester, all departmental graduate students who have teaching assistant responsibilities in DPD courses will receive the ACEND training and will document that they have received the training.
View Standards/New Faculty and Teaching Assistant Orientation
Policies and Procedures
Information pertaining to all program policies and procedures [including Estimated Expenses (9.3.e), Application and Admission Requirements (9.3.f), Academic Calendar (9.3.g), Graduation and DPD Completion Requirements (9.3.h), and Supervised Practice Programs and Computer Matching (9.3.j)], can be found in the program’s student handbook located on the right side of this page.
Planning to get a Master's Degree, too?
If your future plans include earning a Master's Degree,* consider our dual degree Double Dawg program. You can earn a bachelor's degree in dietetics and a Master's degree in Nutritional Sciences in five years or less! Our unique program allows you to begin taking graduate level courses in your 3rd year as an undergraduate student. You can use 12 graduate credit hours toward both degrees, meaning you'll need just 18 additional credit hours for the Master's degree. Visit the Double Dawgs section of our website for more information about this outstanding opportunity.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Students completing their degree requirements at the University of Georgia receive a Bachelor of Science degree. For post-baccalaureate and M.S. Non-Thesis + DPD students enrolled in Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) coursework for the purpose of obtaining a verification statement, their undergraduate degree must be from a U.S. regionally accredited institution or foreign equivalent. Upon completion of the DPD or post-baccalaureate programs, graduates must complete an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program, such as a dietetic internship, to become eligible to take the registration examination for dietitians to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Upon successful completion of our DPD program, acceptance to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program, and passing the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialing exam* for Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), graduates are eligible to apply for licensure in Georgia. In Georgia, graduates must obtain licensure by the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians in order to practice. Additional information and disclosures regarding state licensure for professional practice in nutrition and dietetics can be found at the UGA Licensure Disclosure Portal. More information about becoming an RDN can be found on the Careers in Dietetics page.
*Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. For more information about this requirement visit CDR's website: https://www.cdrnet.org/graduatedegree.
Expectations of Transfer Students
Students who have completed two years of college work and are planning to transfer into this major should be aware of the following requirements: preferred courses taken as part of the core include statistics, psychology, speech communication, biology (equivalent to BIOL 1107/1107L), and general chemistry (equivalent to CHEM 1211/1211L). Organic chemistry is required as a part of Area VI courses and should be equivalent to CHEM 2211/2211L. Students taking chemistry courses outside of University System of Georgia (USG) institutions must pass the American Chemistry Society (ACS) end of course examination in order for the course to fulfill the requirement within the department.
Looking for a way to get involved?
The University of Georgia Student Dietetic Association is an organization run by students in the Department of Foods and Nutrition majoring in Dietetics.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Students incur charges for a variety of services provided by the university. View information concerning tuition, fees, and financial aid. Scholarships are available for students enrolled in the Didactic Program in Dietetics.
Program Director
Featured Alumni
Maria Breen Williams
Williams earned her BS & MS/DI from FDN and is a sports dietitian for UGA Athletic Association. There was no sports nutrition program at UGA when Maria Breen Williams began her undergraduate career 12 years ago.