Dietetic Internship

Dietetic Internship

QUEENS COLLEGE DIETETIC INTERNSHIP &

COMBINED MASTER’S DEGREE AND DIETETIC INTERNSHIP

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS

The Dietetic Internship (DI) at 춹Ƶ provides theopportunity to acquire the essential competencies for employmentas an entry-level dietitian. Interns are placed in a variety of local facilities to developtheirskills in the practice of dietetics. The curriculum is based on the 2022 Standards of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You may visit the ACEND website atfor more information on accreditation of dietetics programs.The 춹Ƶ Dietetic Internshipis fully accredited by ACEND through 2028. The address for ACEND is 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995. The telephone number is 800/877-1600, ext.5400.

The 춹Ƶ Dietetic Internship admits individuals who have completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by ACEND and a Master’s degree, completed at any college. A Verification ​Statement of DPD completion and transcript stating Master’s degree has been awarded, or Statement of Intent to Complete these before starting the DI is necessary to be eligible to apply to the Dietetic Internship. Note: 춹Ƶ students enrolled in the MS in Nutrition Specialization may apply to the DI for the last 6-12 credits of their MS to be applied to the degree.

Upon completion of the ACEND accredited Dietetic Internship, graduates receive aVerification Statement of dieteticinternship completion which is required for eligibility to take the registration exam for dietitian-nutritionists of the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). The exam must be passed to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) which also fulfills requirements in New York state to become a certified dietitian-nutritionist (CDN).For more information about educational pathways to become an RDN please visit. For more information on New York State certification requirements as a Dietitian-Nutritionist please visit

The Dietetic Internship is part of the Nutrition Specialty in the Master of Science Program in Nutrition and Exercise, within the Family, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences (FNES) Department. All who apply for the Dietetic Internship, even though theirMaster’s is completed,must apply to the graduate program by the deadline for the year they expect to enter the DI, as the DIiswithin thegraduate program.Application to the graduate program occursafter acceptance to the internship. If accepted to the QC DI you will be acceptedto the graduate program to complete the DI.

All applicants to the QC DI must now have a Master’s degree completed by the start of the DI or, if completing the Master’s degree in Nutrition Specialization at 춹Ƶ, a minimum of 21-27 graduate credits completed by the start of the DI and completion of the remaining 6-12 graduate credits during the DI year. Alternately, applicants who have completed a DPD and Bachelors degree may apply to the combined MS/DI program, See below.

 

 

Mission, Goals and Outcomes

Mission
The mission of the 춹Ƶ DI and MS/DI is to prepare interns as entry-levelregistered dietitian-nutritionists in a manner that promotes flexibility and innovation inan increasingly global society.

Goals and Objectives

Goal 1.The program will develop competent entry level dietitian-nutritionists utilizing the resources of 춹Ƶ, City University of New York.

Objectives:

  • 80% of program graduatestake the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian-nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
  • The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the exam within 1 year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian-nutritionists is at least 80%.
  • 80% of employers’ survey responses,collected within 12 months of program completion,willindicate satisfaction with graduates’ preparationfor entry-level practice.
  • 90% of graduates’ survey responses, collected within 12 months of program completion, indicate satisfaction with theirpreparationfor entry-level practice.

Goal 2.The program will contribute to meeting the employment demand for registered dietitian-nutritionists (RDNs) who are able to innovate and serve diverse populations in various settings.

Objectives:

  • At least 80% of program students complete program requirements within 14.25months (150% of program length).
  • Of graduates who seek employment, 80% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
  • 70% of graduates’ survey responses, collected within 12 months of program completion, indicate theycontributeto innovation andserve diverse populationsat their place of employment.

The program meets or exceeds ACEND outcomes for accreditation stated above. Specific outcomes are available upon request.

Program

DIETETIC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Each student will be assigned site placementsby the Dietetic Internship Director and be required to work in one or more facilities to successfully complete a minimum of1000 hours of practiceexperience. Students must work full-time in the assigned facility. Students complete requirements of the Dietetic Internship Seminar course and one additional graduate courseeach semester, fall and spring, of the DI year to assist their preparation to practice.

Credit for Prior Experience

The 춹Ƶ Dietetic Internship does not award credit for prior experience. Rotation work and projects will be planned to build on prior experience. Required graduate courses provide preparation for rotations.

DI Program Schedule (Rotations – 9months; 36weeks; minimum 1000practice hours):

Program Orientation – 1 week
Community: Programs /Lifecycle & Chronic Disease / Counseling– 14weeks (420practice hours)
Clinical: General Medicine / Extended Care /Surgery / Critical Care– 14weeks (420practicehours)
Management of Food Systems: Production / Service / Financial – 7 weeks (210 hours)
Advanced MNT Graduate Course (fall) and one other of student’s choosing (spring)

The internship program provides practice and project work for interns to gain competency to enter the profession as a RDN qualified for a wide range of dietetics employment opportunities. Interns complete a comprehensive community needs assessment and intervention, case report researching chronic disease with counseling intervention, case report researching an acute care condition requiring nutrition support, lifecycle case briefs, ethics and innovations in practice reports, management projects and, potentially, an outcomes research project, all completed to strengthen the interns’ portfolio of experiences.

Please seeSample Rotation Schedule, .

 

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Dietetic Internship submit their application in the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Service (DICAS) system. All applicants must meet the following requirements before they begin the internship portion of the program, to promote students’ success and safety in the internship:

  1. Core program requirements (application):
    • ​A Master’s degree from an accredited school or foreign equivalent asdetermined by a recognized credentialing agency
    • Verification Statement from ACEND-accredited DPD received within the last 3 yearsor with graduate course completion in MNT and Assessment within 3 years
    • Cumulative GPA of 3.2 / DPD GPA of 3.2 / Science GPA of 3.0
    • Personal statement
    • Three letters of recommendation: 1 from work supervisor, 1 from professor and thirdfrom either supervisor or instructor
    • Relevant volunteer and or work experience within the dietetic profession; leadershipexperience preferred
    • Resume
    • Ability to work within the United States
    • Writing ability
    • Personal interview
  1. Health requirements (shown upon acceptance to the DIprogram, prior to starting practice experience):
    • Physical Examination
    • Proof of negative “2 Step PPD” or Quantiferon TB Test within 3 months of admission
    • Proof of titers (blood tests) showing immunity to Measles, Mumps, Varicella, and Rubella
    • Tetanus vaccination within the last 10 years
    • Evidence of Hepatitis B vaccination or signed waiver to decline. Hepatitis B titer may be required from hospital practice site.
    • Annual influenza vaccination
    • Covid vaccination
    • Drug urine screening
    • Health insurance
    • Background check and finger printing (as required by rotation site)
  1. Matriculationin the Family, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences graduate program (after acceptance to DI)
  2. References and resources required by the program (as noted below under Cost)​
  3. Signed Internship Agreement (​upon acceptance to the DIprogram, prior to starting practice experience)
  4. Tuition for each semestermust be paid in full prior to the start of each semester, fall and spring.
  5. Other needed materials:
    • Liability Insurance (students in the Dietetic Internship Program are covered by professional liability insurance through 춹Ƶas they are placedat sites with active affiliation agreements with the college)
    • Viable, professionally stated email address​
Application Information

Deadline

Applicants file their application for either the DI only, or for the combined MS/DI, in DICAS.

For the Fall Application Period (to enter the MS/DI in spring), the DI Director will notify the applicant of acceptance on or before November 1. Applicants then notify the DI Director of their decision to accept the Spring placement by November 15.

For the Spring Application Period (to enter the DI or MS/DI in the Fall, the DI Director will notify the applicant of acceptance on or before March 1. Applicants then notify the DI Director of their decision to accept the Fall placement by March 15

Application Fee

For the 2025-2026 application year, the fee is WAIVED (no need to submit)

A $100.00 fee is required. Be sure your name,the applicant’s name, on your DICAS application, is notedon your check.Mail checks, payable to the춹Ƶ FNESDepartment Fund,to be received by the submission date of your application. Send to:

춹Ƶ, CUNY
Family, Nutrition and Exercise SciencesDepartment
c/o George Giannopoulos
Remsen Hall 306
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Queens, NY 11367-1597.

Application Materials

The 춹Ƶ DI and MS/DI participates in electronic filing of applications, the Dietetic Internship (Inclusive) Centralized Application System (DICAS), to include:

  1. Accurate completion of application as perDICAS instructions
  2. Personal Statement
  3. Three letters of recommendation – 2 from work supervisors and 1 from professor OR 1 from work supervisor and 2 from professors (do not submit 3 recommendations only from supervisors or only from professors)
  4. DPD Verification Statement of completion / Intent to complete
  5. Official Transcripts from all colleges attended
  6. Resume

Please see DICAS section of ACEND Application Process for Students and the DICAS website

Enrollment

The DI spans the fall and spring academic semesters. Each semester all interns are required to take one graduate didactic course (fall: Medical Nutrition Therapy; spring: one other, 3 credits each) along with enrollment in the DI (6 credits), for a total of 9 graduate credits per semester. The DI Program places12 internsat sites for internship practice annually.

 

Cost

Tuition for the internship year for NY state resident is $8460 + $198.35 student fee.

Tuition information can be found on the 춹Ƶ Bursars Office website:
/br/tuition-costs/. The internship cost is for 6 creditsplus one 3-credit graduate course each semester for a total of 18 graduate credits.

If you need financial aid, please contact the 춹Ƶ Office of Financial Aid at718.997.5100 /faid/

Additional internship expenses include:

  • DICAS: DICAS fee is $50 for one internship program and $25 for each additional program.
  • Dietetic Internship ApplicationFee: $100.The fee would be made out to춹Ƶ FNESDepartment Fundand sentas indicated above underApplication Information. NOTE: This fee is currently waived for the 2025-2026 application year.
  • Tuition:
    • $470/credit- New York State residents
    • $855/credit-Non-residents
    • $198.35 consolidated fee, includes activity fee, consolidated fees and technology fees per semester
    • $150 DI fee paid only with fall DI Seminar course, FNES 773
  • Medical Insurance: Students must carry their own medical insurance and proof of coverage must be shown to the Internship Director before going to first facility.
  • Medical exam within 3 months before the start of the internship; interns must submit verification of completion indicating medical clearance to practice.
  • Proof of a TB test,tetanus, covid and fluvaccination, titers forMMR and varicella, Hepatitis B series or waiver, drug testing,vaccination or waiver for meningitis and othersas may be required by practice sites.
  • ServSafe Managercertification, up to $180
  • Finger-printing ifrequired by practice site
  • Books:A reading list is available upon request (~ $500 for books).
  • Professional conference up to $150
  • Transportation:All students are required to have their own transportation and assume expenses commutingto and from sites including tolls, parking and public transportation as needed.
  • Housing:A dormitory is available on campus. There are several types of spaces available and can be viewed atqc.cuny.edu/thesummit. Off-campus housing is also available.
  • Lab coat and/or uniform in some assigned facilities, comfortable, closed, slip-resistant shoes.
  • Background checks where required by assigned facilities (may include additional drug test and/or fingerprinting, and may be at the student’s expense).
  • Cell phone, laptop computer, web-cam,printer-scanner combination, dailyinternet access.
  • Financial aid may be available. Go to qc.cuny.edu/admissions/fa.
  • Additional costs include cost of living expenses forNew York City.
  • NOTE: The College/Program pays for each student’s liability insurance and RD Exam Review Course.

 

 

 

COMBINED MASTER'S DEGREE AND DIETETIC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) now requires a minimum of a Master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). All students completing a DI after January 1, 2024 must also have a Master’s degree completed before taking the Registration Exam for RDNs.

To meet CDR’s requirement ​for both a Master’s degree and the Dietetic Internship to become a RDN, a MS/DI track is offered through which the Master’s degree in Nutrition Specialization OR Nutrition and Exercise Science and the Dietetic Internship Program are both completed within 2 years. Students complete graduate courses full time in the first MS/DI year and the Dietetic Internship in the second MS/DI year. Applicants must have earned their DPD Verification of Completion plus a Bachelor’s degree before starting the combined program.

Application to the 춹Ƶ MS/DI – follows all guidelines for application to the 춹Ƶ DI as described above, in addition to:

QC DPD students with a minimum 3.4 GPA upon entering their senior year of their DPD who would like to be Preselected to the MS/DI please email Allison Charny to request an interview.

Applicants for the combined MS/DI who are not 춹Ƶ DPD students or 춹Ƶ DPD students who do not apply to be Preselected submit their application fee (see above) and applicationinDICAS as stated in the Application Information, Deadline, section above.

Upon acceptance for placement in the MS/DI, applicants apply to the graduate program and will be accepted to the Master’s program, completing 24 full-time graduate credits in fall-spring of year 1, and 9 full-time graduate credits which includes internship practice in year 2. Students enrolled in the MS/DI program are guaranteed site placements for the dietetic internship practice experience in year 2, contingent upon successful completion of all required graduate courses in year 1. The Master’s degree and Dietetic Internship is completed in 2 years and must be completed in no more than 3 years with documentation of extenuating circumstance preventing consecutive completion of all courses and internship practice.QC DPD students in the Accelerated BS/MS Program may be eligible to start DI rotations in year 1 of the MS/DI, potentially completing the MS/DI program in 1.5 years.

QC MS/DI tuition rate is one of the most cost-effective available anywhere. Highly competitive tuition for the combined MS/DI for NY state resident is $18,330 + 198.35 + $150 student fees.

Additional support with scholarships are available to QC DPD students accepting placement in the MS/DI program, subject to continued funding.

Please contact Dr. Ashima Kant for more information on eligibility for scholarships.

MS/DI Program Schedule (Year 1 full-time MScoursework + Year 2DI Program, as in link to Sample Rotation Plan above)

Please seeMS/DI Course Plan, .

Information on MS in Nutrition Specialization

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & OPEN HOUSE

For additional information and detail on the dietetic internship programs and polices and procedures, please seeInternship Handbookhere.

OPEN HOUSE MEETINGS

Attend our virtual Open House meetings to meet the program director, current interns and/or past graduates:

WednesdaySeptember 24, 2025 at 12:15 – 1:15 PMonline.

WednesdayNovember 19, 2025 at 12:15 – 1:15 PMonline.

RSVP must be madevia emailto the Program Directorallison.charny@qc.cuny.eduto receive Zoom link shortly before the scheduled time of the Open House meeting.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Please contact the program director for more information:

Allison Charny,MS RDN CDCESCDN
Director,춹Ƶ Dietetic Internship
춹Ƶ, CUNY
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Remsen 306A
Queens, New York11367
718-997-4138
allison.charny@qc.cuny.edu

 

Please seeInternship Handbook,here, for additional information and detail on the dietetic internship program and policies and procedures.

 

Program Director

Allison Charny,MS RDN CDCESCDN

Director, 춹Ƶ Dietetic Internship
춹Ƶ, CUNY
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Remsen 306A
Queens, New York11367
718-997-4138
allison.charny@qc.cuny.edu​ċċċċċċċċċċċċċċċċċċċċ

Program Resources

 

 

Please seeInternship Handbook, here ,for additional information and detail on the dietetic internship program and polices and procedures.