The Dietetics Major: A Diverse Profession
Our dietetics graduates work in a wide variety of responsible and exciting positions throughout the country. Some of these include:
- Medical centers
- Major teaching and research hospitals
- Outpatient medical clinics or health centers
- Home health care
- Health departments
- Colleges and universities
- Research centers
- School foodservice programs
- Test kitchens
- Government agencies, including all branches of the military
- Wellness Centers
Becoming a Registered Dietitian
| To become qualified
for one of these exciting positions, you need to be a Registered Dietitian
(RD).
The first step is to complete a bachelor's degree at a regionally accredited institution in a program that combines science, foods, nutrition, and foodservice management, and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of The American Dietetic Association (ADA). This is called a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). Following graduation from a DPD, you must complete an ADA-accredited dietetic internship (DI), an experiential program with a minimum of 900 hours supervised by a Registered Dietitian. After successful completion of this experience,
you will be ready to take the registration examination for dietitians. |
JMU's DPD
Mission Statement:
The purpose of our program is to provide a strong academic foundation based on the liberal arts with a strong emphasis in nutrition, food systems, management, and natural sciences. The program is primarily didactic; however, it strives to provide a learning environment conducive to personal and professional growth. Each student will have a field experience in a dietetics setting under the supervision of a Registered Dietitian. The courses offered are designed to prepare the student with knowledge requirements necessary for entry-level dietetics practice after a dietetic internship. All dietetics majors are prepared with the assumption they will pursue dietetic registration.
The goals of the DPD program at James Madison University are:
-
The program will prepare students for entry-level positions in clinical, community, and foodservice areas.
-
The program will promote professional values in students.
-
The program will produce graduates capable of conducting research in dietetics.
-
The program will meet the need for nutrition professionals in the mid-Atlantic region.
-
The program's collective resources will be used effectively and efficiently.
Additional information regarding program goals and outcomes measures are available by clicking here: JMU DPD Program Goals
In the James Madison University DPD, students use creativity in learning from classroom experiences, case studies, computer applications, and problem-solving and decision-making projects. Students will gain research experience in their senior year. Students also obtain real-life experiences by completing a hospital-based practicum covering all aspects of dietetics practice.
The four year program in dietetics includes courses in many areas to prepare you for your career in dietetics. You will complete the general education program designed to provide a firm liberal studies base for your continued education, and courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics along with your foods and nutrition courses.
The DPD program follows the standard James Madison University academic calendar with one course required during the summer between the junior and senior years to be completed in a distance education format from the student's hometown.
Cost to students, in addition to university tuition, include laboratory fees, laboratory coats, textbooks, and laboratory manuals, not expected to exceed $3000 for the entire program.
Students successfully completing the JMU DPD will receive a signed Verification Statement necessary before beginning a Dietetic Internship
| Contact Information | Dr. Janet Gloeckner, RD Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics Health Sciences Department MSC 4301 Harrisonburg, VA 22807 540-568-7084 gloeckjw@jmu.edu |
