Division of Nutritional Sciences, Didactic Program in Dietetics, Academic Preparation

Translating the science of nutrition into healthy food choices for individuals and groups or appropriate nutrition therapy for those with illness requires the integration of many different disciplines. The DPD curriculum at Cornell provides a broad and integrated academic program that is strongly grounded in the physical, biological, and social sciences. The program emphasizes critical thinking, communication skills, quantitative literacy, and the application of theory to practice. Students begin with basic courses in biology, chemistry, social sciences and introduction to food, nutrition, and health issues and nutrition and the life cycle. In the second year students' progress to organic chemistry, physiology and courses that examine the social science aspects of food and nutrition, and the nutritional and physicochemical properties of foods. Advanced courses taken in the junior and senior years apply biochemistry, physiology, and social sciences to problems in clinical nutrition, counseling, communications, public health, and food and nutrition management. Throughout the program students develop skills that will foster personal and professional growth as life-long learners and as leaders and team members in the dietetics profession.

Minimum Academic Requirements

Students must complete the following courses listed below to complete the Cornell DPD Program and be issued a DPD Verification Statement. All courses should be taken for a letter grade, and course substitutions must be approved by the DPD Director and a formal course substitution form must be completed.

CLASS	CREDITS	CONCENTRATION
Inorganic Chemistry Chem 2070-2080 (8)	8	Physical and Biological Science
Organic Chemistry Chem 1570 (3) or Chem 3530 (3) or Chem 3570-3580 (6) and Chem 2510 (2) or Chem 3010 (4)	5-10
Microbiology BioMi 2900 General Microbiology (3)	3
Biology (8-9) and Physiology (6) Biology: BioG 1500 plus two from following 3 courses: BioMG 1350, BioG 1440/1445, or BioEE 1610/1780 Physiology: NS 3410 (4, Spring, lecture) AND NS 3420 (2, Spring, Lab, concurrent registration with NS 3410)	14-15
Psychology HD 1130 Introduction to Human Development (3, Fall), OR 2150 Human Development: Infancy and Childhood (3, Fall or Summer) OR HD 2170 Human Development: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood (3, Spring) OR Psych 1101 Introduction to Psychology (3, Fall and Spring)	3	Behavioral Science
Communication First year Seminars (6)	6	Communications
Statistics PAM 2100 Introduction to Statistics [4] (F/S) or AEM 2100 Introductory Statistics [4] (Fall) or STSCI 2150 Introductory Statistics for Biology [4] (Fall) or STSCI/ILRST 2100 [4] (F/S) or BTRY 3010 Statistical Methods I [4] (Fall) or PSYCH 3500 Statistics and Research Design [4] (Fall) or MATH 1710 Statistical Theory and Application in the Real World [4] (F/S) or SOC 3010 Evaluating Statistical Evidence [3] (Spring)	3-4	Computational Sciences
Nutrition Core NS 1150 Nutrition, Health and Society (3, Fall) NS 2450 Social Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition (3, Fall) NS 3450 Nutritional and Physicochemical Aspects of Food (3, Fall) NS 3310 Nutrient Metabolism (4, Spring) NS 3320 Methods in Nutritional Sciences (3, Fall)	16	Professional Sciences
Dietetics Courses NS 1220 Nutrition and the Life Cycle (3, Spring) NS 2470 Food for Contemporary Living (2, Fall & Spring) HADM 1361 Principles of Food and Beverage Operations Management (4, Fall & Spring) OR HADM 3365 Foodservice Management Essentials (3, Spring & Summer) NS 4250 Nutrition Communications and Counseling (3, Spring) NS 4410 Nutrition and Disease (4, Fall) NS 4420 Implementation of Nutrition Care (3, Fall) NS 1600 Introduction to Public Health (3, Fall) OR NS 4500 Public Health Nutrition (3, Fall) NS 4880 Applied Dietetics in Food Service Management (4, Spring)	25

For information regarding undergraduate Dietetics advising, please contact us at dpd@cornell.edu.

Staying on Track to Complete DPD Requirements

The following chart depicts typical progress for students completing the DPD Program at Cornell University. Use this as a guide to check your progress at the end of each semester and plan necessary steps for upcoming semesters. This is only a guide and you should meet with the DPD Director regularly to assess your progress.

End of First year	Attend DPD informational meeting. Register as a pre-Dietetics student. Join CUDA. Membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommended. Meet with DPD director. Update faculty advisor on plans to pursue dietetics. successfully complete first year academic requirements. Seek exploratory dietetics related experiences (shadowing, externships) and/or volunteer or work experiences for winter break.
End of Second Year	All steps noted above. Successfully complete second year academic requirements. Seek substantive dietetics related experiences during semesters or winter/summer break. Plan to apply to DPD in August of Junior year. Work on application over the summer.
End of Third Year	Gain acceptance into DPD. Successfully complete third year academic requirements. Seek substantive dietetics related employment, internships or supervised practices to complement prior experience. Remain in contact with faculty advisor and/or others from whom you will request a letter of recommendation. Review supervised practice programs and plan to visit over summer break and senior year winter break. Take GREs.
End of Fourth Year	Attend all scheduled DPD meetings. Meet individually with DPD Director in the fall semester. Request DPD transcript evaluation and pay DPD fee. Complete DICAS standardization application. Register with the D&D Digital for computer match. Complete DPD and degree course requirements. Request that your final Cornell transcript with degree posted be sent to the Dietetics office after graduation. Provide Dietetics office with forwarding address for Verification Statements, including supervised practice director's name and address. After graduation: begin supervised practice program.

Academic Calendar at Cornell University

The academic calendar varies from one year to the next. In Fall semester, classes begin the last week in August and end the first week in December. For Spring semester, classes begin the third week in January and end in the first week in May. For the specific dates, please visit the Cornell academic calendar.

Contact us at dpd@cornell.edu