Thursday, January 5, 2023
Category: New programs
Messiah University launches new Master of Science in nutrition and dietetics
Messiah University School of Graduate and Professional Studies is pleased to announce the addition of a Master of Science in nutrition and dietetics degree with a dietetic internship (MS/DI). The program is 35 credits, has a minimum of 1,000 supervised practice hours and will start its first cohort in July 2023. Messiah’s MS/DI program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and will have one- and two-year completion tracks. Messiah also offers its undergraduate students in nutrition and dietetics a seamless 5-year pathway from the B.S. to the MS/DI program. This option allows Messiah undergraduates to preselect Messiah University’s program and skip the national match process.
The addition of the MS/DI reflects Messiah’s response to a significant change in the nutrition and dietetics profession. Starting January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).
Graduates of Messiah’s MS/DI program are prepared to take the RDN exam with a combination of coursework with a minimum of 1,000 supervised practice hours in inpatient medical nutrition therapy, community nutrition, food service management, and service to individuals with limited access to the foods needed for a healthy life. 
“In addition to coordinating our students’ supervised practice placements, one of the great things about Messiah’s program is the focus on people experiencing food insecurity,” says Michelle Sanford, MS/DI program director. “We offer students a faith-based program with meaningful rotation placements that will prepare them for lifelong service in the field of nutrition.”
For more information on the MS/DI program, visit messiah.edu/RDN.
About Messiah University
Founded in 1909 and located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Messiah University is a nationally ranked, private Christian university of the liberal and applied arts and sciences that enrolls nearly 3,300 undergraduate, adult degree program and graduate students.