Combined M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship Program (MS/DI)

The combined M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship Program (DI) is completed in 38 credits. Accepted students complete 20 hours of online M.S. in Nutrition Program coursework and 18 credits of DI-specific Program specific coursework that includes a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised practice. Students who successfully complete the program receive a Master of Science in nutrition and a Verification Statement of Program Completion. They are then eligible to take the national examination to become a registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). The program offers concentrations in Entrepreneurial Nutrition Practice and in Community and Public Health Nutrition.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the SEU Dietetic Internship Program is to provide graduates with didactic and supervised practice experiences meeting the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and prepare graduates for entry-level practice as RDs or RDNs. With unique learning opportunities and strong faculty support, the program promotes the professional development of each dietetic intern within their concentration in Entrepreneurial Nutrition Practice or Community and Public Health Nutrition.

Rooted in the University’s institutional mission, the DI Program extends the University’s long history of academic excellence and quality education with a concentration on leadership in dietetics, service to the community, and ethical practice.

Program Goals

• Graduates will be prepared for ethical, evidence-based entry-level positions in dietetics meeting the core competencies for RDs and RDNs as established by the ACEND, with an emphasis on acquisition of knowledge and practice skills specific to the ENP Concentration or CPHN Concentration.
• Graduates will develop skills and a commitment to service through exposure to community rotations, self- assessment of competence, initiation of a draft continuing education plan, and completion of a capstone portfolio.

Supervised Practice

Supervised practice is divided into five areas: Clinical Dietetics, Departmental Management, Community Nutrition, Professional Development and the Entrepreneurial Nutrition Practice (ENP) or Community and Public Health Nutrition (CPHN) concentration. The schedule is planned on a rotational basis. Students will participate in an orientation and simulated practice experience prior to the clinical rotation.

Clinical Dietetics includes 408 hours of intensive training in a variety of medical surgical specialties, nutrition support, critical care, outpatient and extended care environments. Seven weeks of clinical training will be completed at one of two major medical centers: Morristown Medical Center in Morristown or Overlook Medical Center in Summit. Additional hours will be completed through simulations and at out-patient and extended care facilities. These facilities are located throughout the state.

Departmental Management is typically completed in the health care setting. This rotation is 150 hours over the course of four to five weeks.

The Community Nutrition rotation includes 80 hours completed in a self-directed project as part of FN677 Program Design & Management in the Community (during coursework). In addition, there is a team-led community service project, and several simulations in child nutrition and school food service, cultural competence, and maternal health to round out the 141 hours.

The Professional Development rotation includes 67 hours of training and practice in motivational interviewing and professional and lay communications, such as social media. An evidence analysis investigation project, participation in the New Jersey Dietetic Association's Annual Meeting and/or other professional activities, and a 75-hour culminating experience make up the remaining hours of the Professional Development rotation.

The ENP concentration includes an additional 65 hours in nutrition education and counseling at SEU's Center for Nutrition or at other associated colleges and universities, and in corporate wellness. The retail/supermarket unit consists of 37 hours and rounds out the 120 hours in the concentration.

The CPHN concentration is completed with 120 hours providing nutrition education and counseling as well as other activities in a variety of settings, such as at farmers markets, local rural and urban farms, clinics, and outreach programs.

A complete list of our practice hours and rotations can be found at the University's website on the Dietetic Internship page, www.steu.edu/di.

Schedule

The ENP concentration is completed in two academic years (fall, spring, summer, fall, spring). The first year, students take coursework online and do not need to relocate. During the second academic year, the practice hours are completed 32-40 hours a week on a rotational basis, and students need to live in the vicinity and/or within commuting distance. One course is taken online in the summer between academic years. One course during the master's coursework includes 80 hours of supervised practice in the community in your geographic location.

For the CPHN concentration, the program starts in the spring semester. Students complete full-time online courses in the spring, a 2-credit course in the summer, and full-time coursework the
following fall semester. During the online courses, there is no need to relocate. Two courses include some practice hours that can be completed in your geographic location. Supervised practice starts in the spring after the coursework is completed. Supervised practice runs from early January through the end of August.

See the sample calendar from the current year available at www.steu.edu/di for a better understanding of the schedule.

Practice Sites

Supervised practice will be scheduled on a rotational basis. Students are responsible for their own travel and communicating with sites for workplace details (time and place to report, ID badge needs, etc.). Site placements are based on location, availability, and Site placements are based on location and availability and must also occur at the two specific medical centers described on the previous page. Faculty members are responsible for securing all sites (except the community site associated with FN677) and the elective rotation (75-hour culminating experience, for which faculty assistance is provided if needed).

General Admission Procedures

The Combined M.S./DI Program has three steps to the application process: (1) participation in the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Service (DICAS); (2) participation in the D&D Digital processes, including meeting all DICAS and D&D Digital deadlines; and (3) completion of the program’s Applicant Availability Form — available at www.steu.edu/diapp — and submission of the application fee to SEU. Applicants are responsible for fees paid directly to DICAS and D&D as well as the SEU application fee.

Applicants are not required to complete additional college application components. The program application process is separate from other graduate program admissions. GREs are not required. Applicants are responsible for meeting all application deadlines. A selection committee completes the ranking process for this application option.

SEU Foods and Nutrition Program students have the option to apply through a preselect process. Details are outlined in the Foods and Nutrition and M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship handbooks available from the Foods and Nutrition Department.

Students accepting preselect or matched appointments to the program will be expected to complete a modified graduate application and provide official transcripts and an original DPD Verification Statement to the director of Graduate Nutrition or Dietetic Internship before beginning the program.

Bachelor's Degree and DPD Verification

All students matched to the Combined M.S./DI Program must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent and a Verification Statement from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), meeting requirements of the ACEND.

At the time of application, students who have not completed the educational requirements must provide an Intent to Complete on DICAS through the DPD Director at their institutions. Applicants must successfully complete a bachelor’s degree and DPD verification prior to the program’s start date. Applicants matched to the program must provide an official transcript with the degree noted and the DPD Verification Statement prior to the program’s start date.

Medical and Background Clearance

Final acceptance into the program requires the applicant to meet all admission criteria and health and medical requirements, including proof of immunization of MMR, varicella, Hep B., proof of medical insurance, a seasonal flu vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine with booster(s) and other annual vaccines may be required. A student background clearance and New Jersey Department of Education fingerprinting may also be required.

Those matched to the program must complete acceptable background checks and medical clearances at the expense of the applicant. This is required as a condition of admission to the program. Certain medical clearances must be obtained during a specified time period before the start of the supervised practice. Interns will be advised regarding the proper forms and timeline to complete these requirements.