Dietetic Internship

The Central Michigan University (CMU) Dietetic Internship (CMUDI) is currently on hiatus. 

The CMUDI is a 28-week program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).  It is a supervised practice program, which provides you with the supervised practice experience needed to fulfill the competencies for Dietitians established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.  Graduates of the program with a master's degree will be issued a verification statement and are eligible to sit for the registration examination for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN). A verification statement will be provided to you and a copy will be submitted to Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

Our program outcomes data is available upon request. Nearly 87% of CMUDI students pass the RD exam within the first year of graduation.

Our internship does not adhere to the CMU campus academic calendar.  All rotations, including basic clinical, food service administration, community and clinical specialties, are full-time, five days per week. Our internship offers two start dates annually. Fall start interns begin in late September and continue until April. Spring interns begin in early January and continue until early August. As an intern, you will learn to practice with entry-level competency in the field of dietetics. Graduates with a master's degree qualify to take the Registration Examination for dietitians upon completion of the internship. Graduates earn twelve hours of graduate credits through our Office of Graduate Studies. These credits may be applied to the CMU master’s in nutrition and dietetics program.

Our consortium structure allows us to offer some unique educational opportunities that the more traditional single-institution-sponsored internship cannot provide. For example, you can compare several approaches to dietetic practice rather than one approach. We are also able to offer each intern 10 full weeks of basic clinical experience before moving on to clinical specialties.

We continue a long tradition of excellence in dietetic education that started as the Tri-City Dietetic Internship. Since 1993, the program has been sponsored by Central Michigan University. In July 2019, the internship became sponsored by The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions at CMU. Our internship is a unique partnership between a public university and several medical centers located in Alma, Bay City, Flint, Midland, Mt Pleasant, and Saginaw. These outstanding facilities provide program direction and learning experiences for interns.

Mission

To provide focused, hands-on educational experiences and a variety of supervised practice settings for future dietetics practitioners.

Program goals

  1. Prepare graduates to become competent, diverse, dietetics practitioners who will meet the employment needs in Michigan and the community. 
  2. Prepare graduates who maintain professional involvement and strive for continued professional growth.

Objectives

Goal #1 objectives:

  1. At least 80% of program interns complete program/degree requirements within 10.5 months (150% of the program length).
  2. Of graduates who seek employment, 80% percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
  3. 85% of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion.
  4. The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%.
  5. 80% of employers will rank program graduates with a mean rating of 3 or better (1-5 scale) in graduate preparation for entry-level practice.
  6. 50% of program graduates employed in dietetics will be employed in Michigan.

Goal #2 objectives:

  1. 80% of program graduates will plan to continue with AND membership.
  2. 80% of program graduates will plan to be active with their state or local dietetic association.

Related internship links

Educational and professional requirements

"Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master's degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor's degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. For more information about this requirement, visit CDR's website. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited dietetics program at Central Michigan University are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program/apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN."