General Information

The University of Houston Dietetic Internship program is a CADE (Commission on Accreditation of Dietetic Education, 120 South Riverside Plaza Ste 2000, Chicago IL 60606-6995, Ph: 1-800-877-1600) accredited, post-baccalaureate supervised practice program that qualifies graduates to take the examination to become Registered Dietitians. Interns enter the full-time program (average 45 hours/week for 29 weeks) in January or July of each year. The program goals reflect the major points of our philosophy: quality instruction and broad-based site training which enables graduates to land meaningful professional employment in a variety of areas upon completion. The internship is administratively housed within the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Health and Human Performance.

The program has a Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) emphasis and is made up of 1200+ hours of supervised practice plus orientation.  Orientation consists of on-line modules completed prior to arrival and a review of program paperwork and expectations.  Rotations consist of two weeks of on-campus rotation followed by two five week MNT rotations—one basic and one advanced; plus four week rotations in each of the following areas:  community, food service management, sports/wellness, and research. Interns are encouraged to rank their preferences of sites in each category—placements will depend on availability. Interns are also required to complete 40 hours of volunteer activities with approved preceptors.  These hours may be accomplished during the regular rotations (nights/weekends) or at the completion of regular rotations.  These rotations, along with the assignments, projects, and weekly conferences with the internship director, allow interns to develop advanced knowledge and skills in the areas of nutrition assessment and hospital dietetics; food service management; dietary counseling in inpatient, outpatient, and public health environments; individual and group nutrition education; nutrition research and numerous other skills related to nutrition and dietetics. Graduates of the program must meet the competencies and learning outcomes as required by CADE (120 South Riverside Plaza Ste 2000, Chicago IL 60606-6995).

The program looks for candidates that are able to perform independently in a fast-paced environment. Work experience, or its equivalent, is required. Work experience does not need to be in the nutrition field and can be paid or volunteer. Academic work must be recent and of high quality. The program gives preference to candidates with DPD GPA of 3.4 and higher, science GPA of 2.8 and higher, and overall GPA of 3.0 and higher.

It is suggested that you read and print the section under checklist early in your application process to determine all the components of the application that you will need to consider prior to submission.

UHDI may waive internship hours for students who can provide documentation of significant work experiences that comprise the same types of learning experiences as required by the CADE competency statements in particular emphasis areas. Please see the Assessment of Prior Learning page for more information.

The University of Houston Dietetic Internship Program currently accepts at least 30 interns per year, 15 in January and 15 in July. Up to six hours of optional graduate credit is available through several graduate programs in the Department of Health and Human Performance as well as through an affiliation agreement with Texas Woman’s University. Full time enrollment will provide eligibility for student health insurance and other benefits. Student loan deferments may be obtained for the duration of the internship.

Please see the rest of our website, and if questions remain, please contact the Director of the Dietetic Internship, Dr. Sharon Bode at sbode@uh.edu.