Prospective students

Dietetics Program Details

Pre-Dietetics Option

The pre-dietetics option is a minimum of 1 year, even for transfer students and those with a previous undergraduate or graduate degree. The chemistry coursework required is 3-4 terms and should be started as soon as a student plans to pursue this program. Students can choose to complete some coursework at a local community college (see course articulations).

Dietetics Option

Each spring, students who are close to finishing the pre-dietetics coursework can apply for the Dietetics option.

The dietetics option is 2 years of sequenced coursework taken on campus as a cohort.

Students can only begin the Dietetics Option in fall terms as the Dietetics option coursework includes sequenced NUTR courses that only start each fall term, and are prerequisites to get into the winter and spring courses.

New students

See sample degree plan and how to become an RDN for 4 year degree plan and timeline. College of Health students should meet regularly with their advisor to check on degree progress. Students should plan to meet the pre-dietetics requirements by the end of spring their second year, when they can apply to the dietetics option.

Transfer students

All transfer students start in the pre-dietetics option.

The pre-dietetics option takes a minimum of one year, and pre-dietetics students can apply for the dietetics option each spring.

The dietetics option typically takes 2 years for transfer students, unless they have completed courses that will transfer in to meet organic chemistry and anatomy and physiology requirements.

Students wishing to transfer should consider starting the pre-dietetics coursework via OSU Ecampus while still working on their previous program, to avoid extending the degree program timeline.

If you would like to get an idea of what courses you already have that might transfer, we have tools that can help you.

After applying to OSU, your transcripts will get articulated by the registrar’s office, which will show which courses will automatically transfer into the pre-dietetics/dietetics options.

Then, you will be assigned an academic advisor, who will figure out which courses you still need to take to graduate, and assist you with submitting petitions for any additional courses that you would like considered for transfer credit.

Contact the Program Director, Michelle Bump, for the current NUTR course schedule to assist in your planning.

Post-bac students

Post-bac students complete a second Bachelor of Science in Nutrition while simultaneously earning the verification statement for completing a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD).

All post-bac students start in the pre-dietetics option. The pre-dietetics option takes a minimum of one year, and pre-dietetics students can apply for the dietetics option each spring.

The dietetics option typically takes 2 years for post-bac students, unless they have completed courses that will transfer in to meet organic chemistry and anatomy and physiology requirements.

Students wishing to transfer should consider starting the pre-dietetics coursework via OSU Ecampus while still working on their previous program, to avoid extending the degree program timeline.

If you would like to get an idea of what courses you already have that might transfer, we have tools that can help you.

After applying to OSU, your transcripts will get articulated by the registrar’s office, which will show which courses will automatically transfer into the pre-dietetics/dietetics options.

Then, you will be assigned an academic advisor, who will figure out which courses you still need to take to graduate, and assist you with submitting petitions for any additional courses that you would like considered for transfer credit.

Contact the Program Director, Michelle Bump, for the current NUTR course schedule to assist in your planning.

Prior Learning Assessment

Course credit is not awarded for prior work or volunteer experience. However, the career exploration course, NUTR 104 Orientation to the Nutrition major, may be waived by the DPD Director if a student has a previous baccalaureate degree.

Transfer credit may be awarded for prior courses.

After admission, student transcripts are reviewed by the OSU Registrar’s Office, which will indicate which courses have pre-approved articulations for the DPD coursework. After admission, students are assigned an academic advisor, who will assist students with submitting petitions for additional courses they would like considered for transfer credit, such as nutrition courses taken outside of OSU.

Petitions are sent to the DPD Director, including a syllabus for the petitioned course(s), who will review the syllabi for equivalence to the Pre-Dietetics and Dietetics option courses.

The DPD Director considers several factors for approving petitioned courses for credit, including credit hours, textbooks and course resources, student learning outcomes, course content, and assessments.

To be counted as equivalent, the DPD Director is looking for the petitioned to course to be at least 85% comparable to the OSU course. If a NUTR course is approved in this process, the DPD Director may also require that the DPD student complete any KRDN assessments that are mapped to that course. 

Academic Advising

Academic advising is available to prospective and current students through the College of Health Student Success Office.

Current students may contact assigned academic advisors via email or book appointments through the online scheduling system.

Additional questions?

Contact the Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics, [email protected].