Selection Process, Admissions, and Graduation

Interviews     

Top applicants will be interviewed during late-January through the middle of February. The interview will provide the applicant with further information about the program and allow the applicant to demonstrate their potential to the Dietetic Internship Selection Committee.

Following Acceptance to the Internship Program, the student will receive:

• A welcome letter with further information re: housing, etc;
• The letter of agreement and a copy of the Internship policies;
• A list of pre-program assignments;
• A list of requirements including medical tests, medical insurance, driver's license with automobile insurance, and professional liability insurance.

Admission Requirements and Application Procedure

To be eligible to apply, an applicant must:

• Earn a verification statement from an accredited Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) before the start of the program.
• Earn a GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 in DPD coursework.
• Earn a graduate degree or be able to demonstrate a plan to complete a graduate degree before the end of the internship (150% of the program length or 66 weeks).
• Have paid or unpaid work experience in a food and/or nutrition practice setting.
• Applicants must provide results of "Test of English as a Foreign Language" (TOEFL) that meet UMD required English Proficiency scores for any applicant “if English is not your native language, regardless of your citizenship” as described here.
  • While a passing TOEFL/IELTS score is the only absolute way a student can meet the English proficiency requirement, we may consider waiving the TOEFL/IELTS requirement if a student has completed one of the following – see site for full list. 

The University of Maryland does not generally award any exemption from internship rotations/ assignments for any prior credit-based courses; exceptions are at the discretion of the DI Director with input from the Department Chair and/or the Internship Advisory Committee.

Interns working or volunteering part-time on weekends in nutrition-related jobs (e.g. WIC, hospital nutrition department etc.) may be able to count these hours as additional supervised practice hours. The Internship Director will evaluate each case on an individual basis, upon request of the intern. The Internship Director will conduct an evaluation of these specific experiences in order to receive supervised practice hours utilizing comparison of job/ volunteer experience against specific CRDN competency requirements. All decisions are made solely at the discretion of the Internship Director.

Interns may also accrue additional supervised practice hours at optional community weekend events that occur throughout the internship’s 10.5 month program if approved by the Internship Director.

Steps for Applying:

1. Complete DICAS online application:

• This program uses the on-line centralized internship application, DICAS. The DICAS application opens on August 5, 2024 to allow applicants to begin their application for the program. The online application must be completed for our program by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 15, 2025. The DICAS application fee for the first designation is $50 and $25 for each additional designation.
• When completing the online application form, applicants must include the name and contact information (specifically an e-mail address) for each reference. This will trigger an e-mail message requesting completion of a reference form.  Students submitting more than one application will need to use the same individuals as references for each application.
• Your transcripts must clearly indicate that you have either earned a graduate degree or are in the process of earning your graduate degree. If you are in the process of earning your graduate degree, you should have completed most of your degree before entering the dietetic internship. You will need to be able to demonstrate a plan for completing the graduate degree by the end of the dietetic internship. The plan should indicate how many courses you have left to complete and your timeline for completion.
• Official Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended should be sent to: DICAS Transcript Department, P.O. Box 9118, Watertown, MA 02472
• Applicants who apply to internships using DICAS will be asked to complete a personal statement in 1,000 words or less. Questions to be addressed in the personal statement include:
  • Why do you want to enter the dietetics profession?
  • What are some experiences that have helped to prepare you for your career?
  • What are your short-term and long-term goals?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses or areas needing improvement?
• Answer two additional personal statement questions in the online DICAS supplemental section:  
  • How has your education and experience prepared you for THIS internship, i.e. Why are you applying to THIS program?
  • Provide a description of your existing information management/ computer technology skills?

2. Supplemental Application and Application Fee. Submit the Supplemental Application Form and application fee to the University of Maryland as described below. This form must be postmarked by January 15, 2025.

Additional form for International Students described in application forms section of this website.

A $40 check, made out to "University of Maryland," covering the application fee must be postmarked by January 15, 2025 for applicant consideration. Please consider mailing this information via registered mail to assure it is received. The application fee and a self-addressed stamped post card (to notify applicant fee has been received) should be mailed to:

                                         Anyea Lovette
                                         Internship Director
                                         Department of Nutrition and Food Science
                                         University of Maryland
                                         Suite 0112 Skinner Building
                                         College Park, MD 20742

 TAKE a picture of the check before posting to the mail. Email this picture to alovette@umd.edu with the subject line of "UMD applicant - [your last name, your first name]. It is recommended that you mail your application and check no later than January 2 since mail service may be delayed.
3. Applicant Interviews- Be available, if selected, for an online interview during late January and early to mid-February.

4. Decision Notification- The UMCP Dietetic Internship Admissions Committee will make decisions in late February and students will be notified of our decision on or before March 1, 2025.

5. Student Decision Required. Students will need to provide the program director with their decision to accept or decline the seat by March 15, 2025.

During the internship program, the interns meet all requirements outlined in the Memorandum of Agreement including:

• Payment of all program (including tuition) fees;

• Satisfactory completion of all planned experiences in each rotation as described in the curriculum during the time assigned to that rotation;

• Satisfactory evaluations on all rotations.

• Completion of major projects: major clinical case study, clinical homework/quizzes, food services weekly assignments, community rotation report, Personal Branding Project Milestones, and rotation/class day/CRDN assignments/projects.

• If the graduate degree is not completed prior to the start of the internship, student must provide proof of completion of the graduate degree before the verification statement will be issued.

Interns receive developmental and performance feedback via:

• Self-performance evaluation for each rotation. Written evaluation for each rotation by the preceptor. Mid-year and final evaluations by the Program Director. Written evaluation of homework, projects and assignments.

• Written evaluation of achievement of all competencies required by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).