Aug. 19, 2020
Contact Maria Morgan-Bathke at 608-796-3660 or memorganbathke@viterbo.edu
VITERBO UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES NEW 4+1 MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMMUNITY MEDICAL DIETETICS PROGRAM
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Students will be able to earn both a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences and a Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics degree and become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) in just five years through the new accelerated 4+1 program at Viterbo University.
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics will begin requiring new registered dietitians to have a master’s degree beginning in 2024. Viterbo students interested in becoming registered dietitians will have the option to complete the university’s Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences degree with guaranteed early entry into the Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics program. This one-year master’s degree program also includes 1,200 ACEND-accredited supervised practice hours, also called a dietetic coordinated internship, which is required to be eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians.
“The Viterbo program allows students to complete all of the requirements to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist all in one place, so there is no worry about applying to separate masters or required internship programs that have less than a 50 percent acceptance rate,” said Viterbo faculty member Maria Morgan-Bathke. “Our program is streamlined so students graduate in five years. As an added benefit, all of the courses in the fifth year of the program are held online so students can complete their clinical internship anywhere in the country. We have sent students to Las Vegas, Florida, Connecticut, Oregon, and everywhere in-between.”
Students pursuing a dietetics degree at Viterbo will also benefit from state-of-the-art food science labs, nutrition assessment technology, personalized learning from faculty with a wealth of experience in the field, and hands-on field practicum hours for career preparation. Current Viterbo dietetics students and professionals with a bachelor’s degree are also eligible for the master’s program.
For more information about Viterbo University’s 4+1 Master of Science in Community Medical Dietetics program, visit https://www.viterbo.edu/programs/nutrition-and-dietetics.
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