Master of Dietetics Administration - MDA
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Total Credits Required In Program Coursework
Total Credits Required To Earn This Credential
The Pre-RD track is for students who have completed undergraduate dietetics education but do not yet hold the Registered Dietitian credential. The pre-RD track provides a combination of coursework and supervised experiential learning to qualify to take the Registration Examination for dietitians (RD Exam). For complete program information, refer to www.mda.usu.edu.
This option of the pre-RD MDA program combines graduate coursework with 1000 hours of supervised experiential learning to prepare and qualify candidates to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians (RD Exam). All graduate courses and experiential learning are completed through Utah State University. Students complete 37 MDA core credits in this program.
This option of the Pre-RD MDA is available to students completing an affiliated dietetic internship outside Utah State University. Students in this program are concurrently enrolled in an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship while completing the MDA program online through USU. Students who successfully complete the internship and the MDA will be awarded a verification statement from their internship, making them eligible to sit for the Registered Dietitian (RD) Exam. For students not completing supervised practice through USU, 31 graduate-level credits are required. This includes 16 MDA core credits, 6 elective credits, and 9 credits from supervised practice experiences. Up to 9 credits of Prior Assessed learning (PLA) may be awarded for the 1,000 hours of supervised practice completed during the dietetic internship. PLA credit determinations are made on a case-by-case basis, require an application, and require approval by the Program Director. Tuition is not charged for PLA credits; however, a per-credit evaluation fee will apply.
The Post-RD MDA track is for students who already hold the Registered Dietitian credential and are interested in pursuing a graduate degree. The Post-RD MDA is designed for dietitians that are working full- or part-time.
For students that have graduated from the USU Dietetic Internship, these 25 graduate credits earned in the USU Dietetic Internship are applied to the MDA: course (5 credits), course (9 credits), course (11 credits). The MDA must be completed prior to these credits expiring in 8 years. In addition, 18 credits are required (15 MDA core credits and 3 elective credits) after admission to the MDA, for a total requirement of 43 credits.
3 elective credits from the following departments: NDFS, ITLS, ASTE. Courses from NDFS, ITLS and ASTE must be at the 6000-level or above.
The MDA is also available to credentialed dietitians that did not complete the USU Dietetic Internship or for those whose USU Dietetic Internship credits have expired. For students not using credits from the USU Dietetic Internship, 33 credits are required. These include 15 MDA core credits and 18 elective credits.
18 elective credits from the following departments: NDFS, ITLS, ASTE. Courses from NDFS, ITLS and ASTE must be at the 6000-level or above.
