Nov 25, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Dietetics [M.S.]


Revised Program [Fall 2020]


The Coordinated Program in Dietetics (also referred to as CP or Program) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL  60606-6995
800/877-1600 ext. 5400
www.eatright.org

Career Opportunities

A degree in dietetics culminating with the registered dietitian credential provides many options for employment.  Job opportunities are available in the clinical area in hospitals, long-term care facilities, specialized healthcare settings, and insurance companies.

In addition, there are many opportunities in the community including positions in federal and state programs like the Women, Infant and Children’s Nutrition Program, Head Start, and Area on Aging.  The food service industry is also a place for employment including hospitals, long-term care facilities, corporate operations, and school systems.  Other areas where dietitians provide their expertise are in sports nutrition, universities, private practice, research, writing, and other government agencies such as the FDA and the USDA.

For current information related to a career in dietetics please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics site, by clicking here.

Important Information (click on the links below for details)

Overall Program and Eligibility Information (including FAQ and Tuition and Cost  Estimates)

Information Packet​  

Supervised Experience Requirements for On-Campus and Distance-Online Students

Physical and Mental Requirements  

Immunizations & Other Requirements  

Supervised Experience Requirements for Distance-Online Students

Dietetics Infographic  

Colorado Residents  

Directions for Securing Distance-Online Preceptors  

Preceptor Handbook  

Practice Experience Site Map for MI & OH Distance-Online Students  

Preceptor Summary Form  

  

  

Online Education for Out-of-State Students   

To view a short video from the Dietetics Clinical Coordinator on Securing Distance-Online Preceptors, click here. 

This program is available online. International applicants should check with International Admissions or program advisor before applying.

Program Admission


Eastern Michigan University offers two-degree programs in Dietetics, one ending in a Bachelor of Science and another ending with a Master of Science.

Applicants interested in either program will follow the same application process, and at the end of the process applicants will either be admitted into the bachelor’s degree program, master’s degree program, waitlisted, or not admitted.

The application process includes four components. Click on the links below for details.

  

  

  

  

  

School Information


Health Sciences | Colleen Croxall, Ph.D., Director | 313 Marshall, 734.487.4096, ccroxall@emich.edu

Advisor Information


Sandy Pernecky, M.S., R.D.N., Dietetic Program Intent Advisor260 Rackhamdieteticsms_advising@emich.edu | Advising via Zoom  

Program Information


Continuance

Once students have been accepted into the Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP), it is assumed that they will maintain their academic status.

In preparing for a professional career in dietetics, students are expected to assume responsibility for their learning, to support the ethics and standards of practice of their profession and to value honesty in the fulfillment of scholarly and professional endeavors. The department reserves the right to retain only those students who, in the judgment of the faculty, satisfy the requirements of scholarship and practice competence and personal integrity suitable to dietetics. Specific continuance policy details are available in the Student Handbook found on the Dietetic and Human Nutrition website.

Registration in Dietetics

Upon successful completion of the coordinated program in dietetics curriculum and degree prior to 2024, students will be eligible to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians through the Commission on Dietetics Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Passage of the exam will provide the recognized credential of Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

For those completing the dietetics curriculum and taking the Registration Exam for Dietitians in 2024 and beyond, successful completion of the coordinated program and dietetics curriculum and degree is required along with a graduate degree*, for the student to be eligible to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians through the Commission on Dietetics Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Passage of the exam will provide the recognized credential of Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

The Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) action to change the degree requirement for dietitian registration eligibility from a baccalaureate degree to a graduate degree will be effective January 1, 2024. For further information, please see the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). Those who apply to the CP in January of 2021 will be the last class of students who can complete the program requirements and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics before the graduate degree requirement goes into effect. 

*The graduate degree may be in any area, with the provision that it is granted by a U.S. regionally accredited college/university, or foreign equivalent. Please see CDR site for further details.

Degree Requirements: 72-75 hours


Semester Credit Hour Limit Waiver - Students in this program are granted a waiver of the University requirement that “Graduate Students may not enroll in more than 15 hours for any semester.”

Culminating Experience: 3-6 hours


Select from option I, option II, or option III:

Option I - Thesis: 6 hours

The thesis option involves a research study that is planned, executed, and written in thesis format. This option includes three classes (six credit hours). Each student must have a committee of at least two people; the thesis chair must have a PhD and be an EMU faculty. More specifically, the thesis consists of a research study that requires 5 chapters detailing the study. Statistical analysis is the responsibility of the student. Chapters 1-3 are a proposal of the study, written in Thesis I. Chapter 1 is the introduction, chapter 2 is the review of literature, and chapter 3 is the methodology (how you will do the study). Thesis II involves data collection and statistical analysis of the data. Chapters 4 (Results) and 5 (Conclusions) are written. Thesis III involves dissemination of the research through a poster presentation or an article in a peer-reviewed journal.

  2 hrs

  3 hrs

  1 hr

Option II - Non-Thesis Research: 6 hours

The research option is a three class series (six credit hours) working with one professor on a project that the student and professor agree on. More specifically, you may follow the same format as the thesis without the complicated statistics. You may also choose something completely different. For example, one student has designed a module to train future students on autism. In addition, students are guided toward submitting manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.

  2 hrs

  3 hrs

  1 hr

Option III - Research Writing: 3 hours

The research writing option is one class (three credit hours) focused on biomedical research writing. Students complete a series of assignments in research writing; complete a newsletter article, and a short manuscript that is distributed electronically to faculty and staff in the School of Health Sciences at the end of the semester.

  3 hrs