On the 1st Monday following January 1st every year there is an Open House for Clinical Nutrition. Please contact Dr. Ruth Williams-Hooker.

The University of Memphis Clinical Nutrition Master’s Program /Dietetic Internship is an intensive curriculum lasting 16 months. The program begins in mid-August of one year and continues with classes and/or supervised practice through the end of the fall semester of the second year (see timeline below). The program is 42 semester hours. Our didactic curriculum focuses on preparing our interns for clinical rotations. Interns take 13 hours of coursework each of the first two semesters (fall and spring) and have a 20-hour per week graduate assistantship (GA) in a clinical site or management site. The GA pays $10.00 an hour and provides a tuition waiver in the fall and spring and an out-of-state fee waiver in the summer. In addition to class and GA’s, first year interns accumulate about 60 hours of supervised practice during the fall and spring semester. The supervised practice (internship/ rotations) aspect of the program focuses primarily on adult clinical nutrition with several pediatric rotations, community, and management rotations occurring in a variety of health care sites all over Memphis. Thesis work begins in the first fall semester and is required for completion of the program. Rotations start in early June and take place over two semesters –one semester in the summer and one in the fall. During these two semesters, interns are in rotations 40 hours per week and meet for classes no more than 4 hours a week. During this time students complete and defend their thesis. After completion of the 28 weeks of rotations the interns will have 1200+ hours of supervised practice including a culminating residency experience. The will have been prepared beyond entry level and will receive a verification statement. Interns are then eligible to finish the credentialing process to become an RD.

To view the University's Academic Calendar, visit the Registrar's webpage; for a timeline of our program click here.

Although the actual schedule for rotation dates and facilities change every year, we have several facilities offering the same rotation (e.g. we have 6 renal sites, 2 nutrition support sites). For a typical schedule for supervised practice please click here.

The Credentialing Process to Becoming a Registered Dietitian

1. Completion of a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a US regionally accredited university or college and DPD course work approved the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (A.N.D).

2. Completion of an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program at a healthcare facility, community agency, or a foodservice corporation, or combined with undergraduate or graduate students. The University of Memphis Clinical Nutrition Master’s Program /Dietetic Internship is an ACEND accredited supervised practice program.

3. Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration(CDR).

4. Complete 75 hours continuing professional educational requirements every 5 years to maintain registration.

In the state of Tennessee, once an individual obtains the Registered Dietitian credential they can apply for state licensure. All states except California have licensure. Check with your state board of health regarding licensure in any state other than Tennessee.

Program Costs

Information about current tuition rates is available in the University of Memphis graduate bulletin. In the past our interns with GAs have been granted tuition waivers – which means they attend school tuition-free during any semester they had GAs. The tuition-waiver has been true both for out-of-state and in-state residents, but is subject to approval every year. There may be an activity fee and there is a fee for on-line classes. There are two online courses during the didactic portion of the program.

Internship fees are set at $1,250 per semester for the first 3 semesters an intern is at the University of Memphis. This fee cannot be waived. The internship fee is due at the beginning of each semester and covers costs involved in administering the internship. Though expenses vary from year to year, approximate costs associated with the program can be seen here.