Registered Dietician Masters Degree
Didactic programs in dietetics dpd these programs provide coursework that leads to an undergraduate or graduate degree.
Registered dietician masters degree. In 2011 dietitians with a master s degree were paid an average of 5 000 more per year than those with only a bachelor s degree. First you ll need to finish at least a bachelor s degree at an accredited school of dietetics. Evaluate why you want to become a registered dietitian rd before we get into programs and pre requisites and all that we need to talk about why you want to go down this career path.
While a master s degree satisfies the academic requirements for many advanced careers some graduates choose to continue on to a ph d. While a master s degree is not required to work as a nutritionist a graduate degree can help qualify you for higher level positions and a higher salary. Program for further study.
The academy of nutrition and dietetics recommends five steps in becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist or rdn. A master s isn t required to become a registered dietitian so many rds don t take this step. 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.
Other details you should know if you are considering a career as a dietitian and will be affected by this change in the education requirement one interesting thing to note is that your graduate degree can be in any major or field of study. How to become a registered dietician. Program objectives may include securing certification as a registered dietician or simply expanding knowledge and skills for use in professional pursuits.
A dietitian with a master s earns a higher average salary than one with a bachelor s. The first step to become a registered dietitian is to get a degree in the area of nutrition and earn a verification statement from an accreditation council for education in nutrition and dietetics acend accredited program. This is required in order to sit for the cdr exam.
Some master s degree programs prepare students to earn the registered dietitian credential which is highly desired by employers. I really had to dig deep to figure out why i wanted to do this as i had just recovered from a long stint of disordered eating and exercise. To become a registered dietitian rd a student must earn a bachelor s degree in dietetics and complete an internship program approved by the.