Dietetics Graduate Program

Interested students must meet the requirements for acceptance into the UT Martin Graduate Studies Program before being accepted into the dietetic internship. Students should follow the dietetics application calendar to ensure they can be ranked with the appropriate internship cohort. Applicants must also have:

• A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university completed prior to the start of the internship program;
• An official transcript verifying the degree was conferred;
• A minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale or equivalent;
• A verification statement showing completion of or intent to complete an approved didactic program in dietetics from a regionally accredited college or university;
• Recent education in courses related to practice; if the degree is more than five years old, six credit hours of college coursework must be taken. If the degree is more than 10 years old, 12 credit hours of coursework is required;
• Student membership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics;
• Access to a computer, including Microsoft Word, email and the Internet;
• Completion of an in-person, phone or Skype interview, scheduled by the dietetics internship director after your application is received.

Preference will be given to applicants whose combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores equal or exceed 300.

Ten interns are selected to complete a program that typically runs from August to May. The UT Martin program uses the DICAS internship application, which can be found at https://portal.dicas.org/. Applications are reviewed by a selection committee, which includes the internship director, other department faculty, internship instructors and current interns. Special accommodations can be discussed with the program director, but will not be considered in the selection process. Appointments are awarded without regard to race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, genetic information, marital status or geographic area.

All selected placement facilities are Joint Commission accredited and employ registered dietitians capable of training and teaching interns. Every attempt is made to place interns in a geographic location convenient to them, however this is not guaranteed and some relocation may be necessary. Prospective interns are told prior to match day if relocation may be needed. Once interns have been placed with a teaching facility, the director will gain feedback to determine if each placement is compatible, and will move interns as needed for the benefit of the intern or the teaching facility.

• Dietetic internship fee – $600 (covers cost of Tennessee regional, state and professional meetings, supplies, licensure preparatory course and miscellaneous items)
• Graduate school application fee – $30
• D&D digital computer matching fee – $50
• DICAS – $20-40
• Health insurance – $300-$500 per month (varies)
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics student membership – $50
• Books and supplies – $200-$300 (varies)
• TB skin test – approx. $7
• Hepatitis B three shot series – approx. $115
• Background check – approx. $58
• Drug screen – $25 (varies by lab used)
• Living expenses (housing/food/transportation) – $1,000-$1,100 per month (varies with location and housing type)
• Total Program Costs = $1,455 - 1,775 + Tuition + Living Expenses

In order to graduate from the UT Martin Dietetics Internship Program, a student must:

• Successfully complete a minimum of 1,200 hours of supervised practice and 200 hours of didactic instruction or research;
• Successfully complete all courses with an 80% or better on evaluations, examinations and the graduate research presentation project;
• Successful presentation of material at one of the WTAND meetings or the UT Martin Nutrition Symposium;
• Average or better score on non-thesis graduate research poster session and abstract, national nutrition month display and other assignments in syllabi;
• Comply with the code of ethics and standards of practice adopted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Upon successful completion of the UT Martin Dietetic Internship, the intern will receive a verification statement from the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), which will enable them to establish eligibility to take the national registration examination for dietitians. Once the student has passed this examination, he/she will be considered a registered dietitian and will be eligible for licensure by the Department of Professional Regulation in any state where a license is required to practice.

The UT Martin Dietetics Internship Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The council can be contacted at

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
312-899-0040, ext. 5400
www.eatright.org/acend

The UT Martin internship program reserves the right to revise its curriculum, policies or fees in response to changing conditions.

Brian Carroll, MS, RD, LDN
Dietetic Internship Director
University of Tennessee at Martin
330F Gooch Hall
Martin, TN 38238
731-881-7102
bcarro18@utm.edu

Brian Carroll has been a registered dietitian for several years. He has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food and nutrition from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. His professional history includes end stage renal disease/dialysis, weight loss clinic, clinical, long-term care, assisted living, homes of developmentally disabled adults, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Submit an application now at https://portal.dicas.org/.