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Didactic Program in Dietetics

Program Description | Curriculum | Expenses | Requirements | Handbook | Application Forms | Comments

Program description
The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is a Bachelor of Science degree program that provides the student with the appropriate coursework to apply for a dietetic internship. This major is currently granted accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE)*. The DPD has accreditation through 2011. Completion of the DPD allows graduates eligibility for application to any dietetic internship accredited by the CADE. After a graduate completes the dietetic internship he/she is eligible to take the national examination for registered dietitians. The mission of the DPD is to equip students with the knowledge, insight, and skills to participate effectively as dietetic professionals in a contemporary society.
*120 South Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL 60606, 312-899-5400.

Curriculum
Students are admitted to the program upon completion of the freshman and sophomore level core (60 hours). The core requirements for Georgia State University can be found on the university website (http://www.gsu.edu/) Specific freshman and sophomore level core requirements unique to the nutrition program include:

BIOL 1110K Anatomy and Physiology I (4 semester hours)
BIOL 1120K Anatomy and Physiology II (4)
or
BIOL 1107 K Principles of Biology I (4)
BIOL 1108K Principles of Biology II (4)
BIOL 2240 Human Physiology (3)
and
BIOL 2300/2310 Microbiology and Lab (4)
CHEM 1151K Survey of Chemistry I (4)
CHEM 1152K Survey of Chemistry II (4)
 

Students are admitted to the program for the junior and senior years for 60 total semester hours. Courses in nutrition and health sciences have been carefully selected to achieve program goals that provide well-rounded graduates who possess the necessary knowledge and skills for successful completion of a dietetic internship program. These courses include:

Health Science Core (9 semester hours)
HHS 3000: Communication and Cultural Diversity (3)
HHS 3010: Advanced Medical Terminology for Healthcare (3)
HHS 3400: Spanish for Health and Human Sciences (3)
 

Nutrition Courses (45 hours)
NUTR 3000: Introduction to the Profession of Nutrition (4)
NUTR 3150: Food Science I (4)
NUTR 3160: Food Science II (4)
NUTR 3500: Nutrition and Metabolism (3)
NUTR 3600: Normal Nutrition through the Lifecycle (3)
NUTR 4000: Food and Culture (3)
NUTR 4200: Medical Nutrition Therapy I (3)
NUTR 4250: Medical Nutrition Therapy II (3)
NUTR 4300: Nutrition Intervention I (3)
NUTR 4400: Nutrition Intervention II (3)
NUTR 4500: Organization and Management of Nutrition Services (3)
NUTR 4600: Food Service Systems (4)
NUTR 4950: Nutrition Seminar for Seniors (2)
HHS 3700: Medical Biochemical Principles (3)

NUTR Electives: Two courses (6 hours)
NUTR 3100: Nutrition and Health (3)
NUTR 3170: Food Safety and Sanitation (3)
NUTR 4960: Nutrition and Physical Fitness (3)
NUTR 4970: Nutrition and the Media (3)
NUTR 4980: Geriatric Nutrition (3)
NUTR 4990: Entrepreneurial Nutrition (3)
 
Expenses
Details about expenses can be found at the Tuition and Fees web site. Updated fee information can be found in each term's on-line Registration Guide at www.gsu.edu/registrar.

Housing costs for university housing can be found here. In general, university housing rent per semester is currently $2,565.00 and includes all utilities, cable TV service, local telephone service, and transportation to the main campus and metro Atlanta via MARTA.

Textbook costs vary each semester, and students are encouraged to budget around $200-$300 for books per semester of attendance.

Transportation costs include parking, gas, automobile expenses, and/or MARTA cards.

Optional expenses are for associate membership in the American Dietetic Association ($43.00) and the Greater Atlanta Dietetic Association ($10.00)

Georgia Resident Students In-state Tuition and Out-of-State Tuition for undergraduate students.

Application Requirements
The selection of potential candidates for the DPD is competitive. This program has more stringent admission requirements than those of Georgia State University. Students will be formally admitted into the DPD for the nutrition concentration at the beginning of the fall semester of the junior year. Admission requirements include:

  • Acceptance to Georgia State University
  • Completion of prerequisite courses by the end of summer semester
  • Courses in nutrition, organic chemistry, human physiology, microbiology, and biochemistry must have been completed within the past ten years of admission to the DPD
  • Minimum GPA 2.5 and a letter grade of C or higher in all science courses
  • Nutrition courses completed at other institutions may be considered for transfer credit if they have been completed within ten years prior to beginning the DPD
  • Completed Application Form
  • One completed Recommendation Form
  • A statement of professional goals

Application Forms and Process
Students must be accepted to Georgia State University before being accepted into the DPD. The application to Georgia State can be obtained and completed online, if desired.

Applications for admission are available beginning each February online or by calling the Office of Academic Assistance/College of Health and Human Sciences at (404) 413-1000 or writing to that office at the address below.

Required application materials must be returned by May 1 each year and mailed to:

Office of Academic Assistance
College of Health and Human Sciences
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3995
Atlanta GA 30302-3995

Packets should include the following:

Comments from Students

“I had a great experience at Georgia State… While a nutrition student at Georgia State, I interned with Georgia Tech’s Athletic Association, and at the end of my rotation, they asked me to stay. In a field where there are only five Division IA schools that have a full-time nutritionist, I would have never had the opportunity to prove myself without Georgia State’s connections in the field.”

Rob Skinner, MS, RD, LD, CSCS, Director of the Homer Rice Center for Sports Performance, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, B.S., 1997

“Georgia State University enhanced my ability to practice both clinical and public health nutrition. (It) prepared me for both the RD examination and graduate studies and enabled me to discover challenging and rewarding opportunities working with culturally diverse and underserved populations in Atlanta and, ultimately with the United States Public Health Service.”

LCDR. Graydon T.Yatabe, RD, LDN, MPH, Supervisory Public Health Nutritionist, Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, Chinle, AZ, B.S., 1992

“The education and guidance that I received at GSU gave me the knowledge and confidence that I have to be a nutrition expert in my chosen field of worksite health promotion. The relationships that I formed with professors and peers continue to be invaluable in my professional career.”

Cheryl Orlansky, RD, LD, Nutrition Coordinator for the Lifestyle Program at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, B.S., 1991