The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Student Handbook provides information about the program and helps students determine where to apply for supervised practice and how to best prepare applications.

The DPD Student Handbook and DPD Policy and Procedures are updated annually and posted on the DPD Canvas site that each DPD student in enrolled in upon completion of the DPD intent form.

Contact information

General inquiries and questions
dpd [at] cornell.edu (dpd[at]cornell[dot]edu)

DPD director 
Dr. Erin Green, director
214 Savage Hall
emg232 [at] cornell.edu (emg232[at]cornell[dot]edu)
607-255-3922

DPD administrator 
Lillian Wright, student services assistant and DPD administration
B36 Kinzelberg Hall
dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (dnsstudentservices[at]cornell[dot]edu)

Resources for Cornell DPD students who will be applying to programs after completing the Cornell DPD Program can be found below.

Searching for dietetics internship programs

ACEND program directory

Search for accredited programs with the most up-to-date information.

Tips for using the ACEND program directory

  • Use the edit function to narrow your search for programs with a particular feature. To use this function:
    • Always start your word search at the beginning of the directory list.
    • Use the edit function by pressing the Control key and the key for the letter F simultaneously.
    • In the box that appears, type the word or phrase you want to find. You do not need to match the word case.
    • Click on Find Next to find the next occurrence of the word or phrase.
    • Continue to Click Find Next to find additional occurrences.
  • Searches you can use to find specific programs in the Dietetic Internship list:
    • State or City: Search for the State or City by name. Use the 2-letter abbreviation for the state and check the box to select whole word only.
    • Enrollment date: These are generally shown as a month. Enter the full name of the month.
    • Length of the Program: The length of the program is generally shown as a range of two months. For example, try finding programs that are 9 to 10 months or 10 to 11 months.
    • Computer Match Date: Enter April or November or exempt.
    • Stipend: Entering the word stipend will find programs with monetary as well as non-monetary stipends.

Materials needed for DPD students applying to programs

  • DPD Communication Form: must be completed by the end of September and submitted to the Director of the Didactic Program in in Dietetics at dpd [at] cornell.edu.
  • Self Evaluation Form: complete this and save in your personal DPD Box Folder so you can use it when requesting help with recommendations and/or personal statements.
  • Transcript Evaluation Request: to request the Didactic Program in Dietetics Transcript Evaluation Form please contact Lillian Wright, Dietetics Program Support at dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (dnsstudentservices[at]cornell[dot]edu)
  • The Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice: this is the most up-to-date reference available detailing Dietetic Internships, Coordinated Programs in Dietetics, Individualized Supervised Practice Pathways (ISPPs), and Graduate Programs. The guide will be purchased by the DPD program and uploaded to a shared file on Cornell Box for all DPD students in the fall semester.
  • DICAS is the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Services website used for most, but not all supervised practice programs. Please note that in addition to this application, if you are simultaneously applying to a graduate program there may be a separate application website in addition to DICAS.
  • DPD Course List Form for DICAS Application: the current DICAS DPD Course List can be found on Cornell Box for DPD Students and in the current Cornell DPD Student Handbook.    

Policies and procedures

Additional policies and procedures for DPD students can be found on the Canvas website for current students.

Credit for prior learning

Transfer of coursework credit from other universities to fulfill degree requirements follows the policy of Cornell University. See the Courses of Study catalog for more information. To individualize didactic experiences for current students who come with prior coursework and/or experiential learning, it is the policy of the Cornell University Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) to acknowledge appropriate substitutions where indicated. Substitutions are assessed by the DPD director who will consider each case on an individual basis. Requests must be submitted with ample lead time to fully assess the adequacy of the proposed substitution. Substitutions are reserved for students in unique and/or unusual situations (e.g. returning students, students completing studies off-campus, students seeking a Verification Statement post-graduation) and are not intended as a typical replacement of the DPD minimum academic requirements. In most instances substitutions will not be granted academic credit and substitutions will not show up on transcripts; students must fulfill requirements for their major.

Students seeking a course substitution will contact the DPD director a minimum of two months in advance of the start of the required course. Students will be required to submit proof of prior coursework and/or proof of experiential learning as deemed appropriate by the DPD director.

The DPD director will review submitted information and assess it for evidence of fulfilled knowledge requirements and learning outcomes. If partial fulfillment is determined, additional activities to completely fulfill requirements and learning outcomes may be proposed by the DPD director and used in combination to completely fulfill requirements.

If the substitution is approved, the DPD director will complete and sign a "Courses Substituted to Meet Didactic Program in Dietetics" form. This form will be kept in the student's DPD file as proof of completion and referred to as needed during the transcript evaluation process for issuing a Verification Statement. The student will also be notified of the decision.

For students applying to supervised practice programs, the course being substituted for should be listed on the DPD Course List page of the supervised practice application. Under the grade column, list a "P" for "passed" and leave this course out of the GPA calculation for the DPD. If the course is substituted with a course from another institution, then that institution name, course name and number, number of credits and grade should be listed on the DPD Course List page. Details and approval of the substitution will be recorded on the "Courses Substituted to Meet Didactic Program in Dietetics" form and kept in the student's DPD file.

Issuance of verification statements

Upon successful completion of the program, each student will be issued eight Verification Statements signed by the DPD director. The Verification Statement is proof of completion of the Didactic Program in Dietetics. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that transcripts for all DPD and degree course work is submitted to the Dietetics Office. Verification Statements are kept on file indefinitely.

Cornell students seeking a Verification Statement must request an official transcript with date degree conferred from the university registrar. The transcript shall be sent to the Dietetics office.

The DPD director and dietetics staff will review the transcript to ensure successful completion of required DPD coursework. ACEND's Verification Statement form will then be completed, embossed with the DNS seal and signed in blue ink by the Didactic Program in Dietetics director.

An original, signed Verification Statement will be mailed to the Dietetic Internship accepting each student, as appropriate. An original, signed Verification Statement will also be kept on file for all students completing the dietetics program. Additionally, each student will be mailed six original statements for personal use (e.g. for licensure application, future internship applications, Academy membership, employers, etc.).

For a Verification Statement to be issued from Cornell University, a minimum of a baccalaureate degree and all DPD minimum academic requirements must be met. In addition, a minimum of 21 credits under the Professional Sciences requirement must be completed at Cornell. Alternatively, a Cornell University graduate student may be issued a Verification Statement by Cornell if dietetics requirements are completed while that student is a graduate student at Cornell University. In either case, transcripts and course syllabi for dietetics coursework taken outside of Cornell must be provided by the student in order to complete the transcript evaluation process (see policy on "Credit for Prior Learning").

In extraordinary situations, Cornell DNS graduate students may be granted course credit toward a Verification Statement for a course where they served as a teaching assistant. In this situation, the instructor for the course must complete a summary of the course description, content covered, credit equivalent and whether the course was successfully completed. The summary will then be sent to the DPD director to determine if the necessary foundation knowledge and skills were successfully addressed by the student.

Program complaints

Complaints or concerns about the program should be discussed with the DPD director. Grievances should be directed to the Division of Nutritional Sciences director. If a complaint is not resolved, a grievance shall be directed to the associate dean for academic affairs of the student's college (Human Ecology, Agriculture and Life Sciences or Arts and Sciences). If that complaint fails to be resolved, a formal program complaint may be issued to ACEND (120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995; ph. 312-899-0040 ext. 5400). The student will not suffer retaliation for issuing a complaint or grievance.

Use of distance education in the DPD

The DPD defers to the policies of Cornell University for issues related to tuition and fees and other student costs. There are no DPD-specific costs for any distance education learning activities that may take place.

Per the Cornell University Registrar, “Cornell may change the format or duration of courses based on factors including but not limited to health or safety concerns, the judgment of the instructor, instructor status, pedagogical needs, or student enrollment numbers.” In the case that distance education is necessary, students will be provided with instructions from the course instructor on how to complete the course using distance education.

If you require assistance to complete distance education at Cornell University, please refer to the following links to get additional help from available resources: 

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