Applicants who were already in progress to complete BGSU’s Master of Food and Nutrition (MFN) program before applying to the dietetic internship programs can continue with the MFN degree requirements while separately completing the dietetic internship program. The verification statement will only be issued when both the dietetic internship requirements and the graduate degree requirements are completed. The timeline to earn the verification statement varies based on the number of courses a student had completed before starting the dietetic internship. The MFN must be completed no more than 6-months from completion of the dietetic internship.

This option also applies to current BGSU’s accelerated bachelor’s to master’s students. For more information about the accelerated program please click here. Full time accelerated students with 9 shared credits can complete the MFN degree in 12-months while concurrently completing the BGSU dietetic internship on a full-time internship schedule. 

Dietetic interns can concurrently complete BGSU’s Master of Food and Nutrition (MFN) degree program. The MFN program can be completed online or on-campus. Applicants who are interested in this pathway must be admitted to BGSU’s MFN program before starting the DI. Prospective applicants will separately apply for the MFN graduate program at the time of applying to the BGSU dietetic internship program. More information on the MFN admission procedures is available here.

• Prospective on campus dietetic internship applicants will apply for the on-campus MFN program; distance internship applicants will apply for the 100% online, asynchronous MFN program.
• Prospective internship applicants who are applying to both the on campus and distance internship options at BGSU and who are interested in both MFN programs at BGSU will separately apply to their preferred MFN program option (either on campus or online) rather than paying two MFN application fees. If matched to BGSU, a program change form can later be completed to reflect the MFN program option (on campus or online) the intern will be pursuing respective of the internship program they were matched to. 
• On campus MFN students may be eligible for a graduate assistantship position which typically includes a stipend and a partial tuition scholarship. On campus MFN applicants can indicate their interest in a graduate assistantship at the time of applying to the on-campus MFN program. 
• The 31 credit hour MFN program curriculum can be completed on a full time or part time basis. The dietetic internship director and MFN graduate coordinator collaborate on advising students and tracking academic progression so that the graduate degree requirement is completed in a reasonable timeframe from completing the supervised practice requirements. All MFN students must complete a culminating experience for the graduate degree. Dietetic interns are highly encouraged to consider the Professional Portfolio Culminating Experience, which includes dedicated exam prep activities and the development of a professional portfolio. Students who choose this culminating experience option will typically spend the final semester (fall 2) finishing core/elective courses, studying for the RDN exam, and finishing their professional portfolio. This final semester prepares students for taking the RDN exam and professional entry into the field.

The verification statement will only be issued after completing BOTH the dietetic internship requirements and the MFN graduate degree. The overall timeline typically will take 18 months for full time students on a full-time internship schedule.

Distance students who are on a part time internship and academic schedule can complete the MFN degree and internship requirements in a maximum of 24 months.

The distance dietetic internship program at BGSU is a great fit for those with a previous graduate degree. Evidence of the graduate degree must be included in the DICAS application. 

• Applicants will be required to provide official transcripts showing the date the graduate degree was conferred when applying to BGSU’s dietetic internship programs. 
• Individual graduate transcripts will be reviewed by graduate faculty and the internship director. Depending on the content of the previous graduate degree some applicants may be required to complete BGSU’s Graduate Certificate in Food and Nutrition. In some cases, students can complete the internship as a “guest” student. Prospective applicants with a prior graduate degree are encouraged to contact BGSU’s dietetic internship director and graduate coordinator before applying to determine what pathway may be most appropriate. More details are summarized below.
  • Applicants who have a prior graduate degree (not in dietetics, nutrition) will separately apply for BGSU’s Certificate in Food and Nutrition. The 15 credit hour certificate can be completed concurrently with the internship. Enrollment in the supervised practice courses for the internship can be applied towards the certificate. Students will be enrolled as a part time student, taking courses like Advanced Clinical Nutrition and Community and Public Health Nutrition while completing the dietetic internship. Courses are available online or on-campus. The certificate does not lead to a second graduate degree. The certificate will be noted on the student's graduate transcript as "Certificate in Food and Nutrition." BGSU’s graduate coordinator collaborates with the internship director to ensure timely progression of the certificate while completing the internship. Interns can concurrently complete the dietetic internship and the graduate certificate in 12-months; interns on a part time internship schedule can complete requirements in no more than 24-months. Certificate students enrolled in at least a part-time academic basis may be eligible for financial aid.
  • In cases where an applicant has previously completed graduate level courses which are comparable to some or all of our certificate requirements, interns can complete the internship requirements as a guest, non-degree seeking student. The number of courses waived is dependent on an internal review process conducted at BGSU by graduate faculty and the dietetic internship program director. Guest students are not eligible for financial aid and are charged as main campus students. Full time dietetic interns can complete the supervised practice requirements in 12-months. A part time distance internship option is available; this option must be completed in no more than 24-months.

Applicants may be pursuing a separate master’s degree at BGSU or another university. At the time of applying BGSU's dietetic internship, applicants will be required to submit evidence of enrollment, satisfactory academic progress, and ability to self manage the completion of the graduate degree in a reasonable timeframe (no more than 6-months from the completion of the dietetic internship). Prospective applicants who are completing a self-identified graduate degree are encouraged to contact the internship director and graduate coordinator before applying to the internship. In addition to submitting this initial evidence, interns will be required to show continued progress towards graduate degree completion while enrolled in the BGSU dietetic internship. This may include submission of updated transcripts or evidence of course enrollment over the BGSU dietetic internship period. 

At the time of applying to BGSU’s dietetic internship, applicants must provide the required evidence in their DICAS application: 

• Applicants must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the graduate level. Graduate transcripts must be included with the internship application. A minimum graduate level GPA of 3.5 or higher is required.
• Applicants will be considered if they have or will have completed most of the graduate degree (example, 1-2 courses left) or if they will complete most of the graduate degree at the same time of completing the internship (example, 50% through the program).
• Applicants must submit their graduate plan of study showing the breakdown of courses completed, remaining, and a timeline for completion of all graduate degree requirements. 

Applicants who fall into this category who are matched to BGSU’s dietetic internship may be required to separately apply for and complete BGSU’s Food and Nutrition Graduate Certificate. This is determined on an individual basis based on the course history of each student. The 15 credit hour certificate can be completed concurrently with the dietetic internship. Enrollment in the supervised practice courses for the internship can be applied towards the certificate. Interns who are also certificate seeking will be enrolled as a part time student, taking courses like Advanced Clinical Nutrition and Community and Public Health Nutrition. Courses are available online or on-campus. The certificate does not lead to a second graduate degree. The certificate will be noted on the student's graduate transcript as "Certificate in Food and Nutrition." BGSU’s graduate coordinator coordinates with the internship director to ensure timely progression. Interns can concurrently complete the internship on a full- time internship schedule and the graduate certificate on a part-time basis in 12-months; distance dietetic interns on a part time internship schedule must complete all requirements in no more than 24-months. Certificate students may be eligible for financial aid.

In cases where an applicant has or will complete graduate courses in another graduate program that are comparable to some or all of our certificate requirements, interns may complete the internship requirements as a guest, non-degree seeking student. The number of courses waived is dependent on an internal review process conducted at BGSU by graduate faculty and internship director. Guest students are not eligible for financial aid and are charged as main campus students. The supervised practice requirements of the BGSU dietetic internship can be completed in 12-months. Evidence of graduate degree completion (no more than 6-months from the internship completion) is required to earn the verification statement to be eligible for the RDN examination.