Human Nutrition

Dietetic Internship

Early Acceptance/Preselect Option

Applications for this option are due to the Internship Director, Ms. Stephanie Nielsen, the second Monday of November.

1. Completion of (or verified intention to complete) all DPD coursework by May graduation following submission of the application in the fall and Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) verification (or intent to complete) statement issued through Winthrop University. Request a signed paper copy of the statement from the Winthrop DPD director, Dr. Wanda Koszewski, to include in your early acceptance application.
2. Minimum score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) of 295 total on the verbal and quantitative sections (combined highest scores) and a GPA of 3.4 or higher in DPD coursework, with an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher. Note no more than 15 hours of DPD coursework is to remain for completion in the spring semester. Graduate students taking DPD coursework must also have completed at least 15 credit hours of graduate work with a minimum of 3.5 GPA of such work.
3. Printed copy of the completed WU Dietetic Internship Early Acceptance/Preselect Application.
4. Three references completed by professionals according to the instructions on Early Acceptance Application Form. The referees should be professionals who have directly supervised the applicant's work/volunteer experience. Winthrop's Department of Human Nutrition faculty will not provide references for applicants to the WU Internship Program. The reference forms must be in a sealed envelope with signature over seal and submitted with the application packet.
5. Evidence of self-directed learning by completion of a minimum of 40 hours of dietetics-related experience, either paid or volunteer, with preference on experience in a healthcare setting and/or direct patient care. The purpose of dietetics-related experience prior to the internship is to develop professional attributes and gain exposure to health-related processes, nutrition education, and management procedures. Hands-on work experience in dietetics-related settings requiring professional communication helps to ease the transition of students from the academic setting to rotations in the professional workplace.
   • Examples of venues where experience may be obtained include hospital, long-term or rehabilitation facility, public health, or community-based program preferably under the direct supervision of a registered dietitian. The following will not be considered as hours toward the early acceptance option: shadowing a health professional (i.e., observational experiences of an RD at work), completion of dietetics-related experience for which academic credit was received as a component of the DPD program (such as NUTR 490 or NUTR 428), volunteering or employment in a fitness center as an educator or personal trainer, employment as a waitress, cook, hostess in a restaurant or clerk in a nutrient supplement store. Preference is given for experience in a healthcare setting and/or direct patient care.
   • To qualify for the Early Acceptance option, experience must have been completed within the last five years and preferably has been supervised by a registered dietitian or other qualified professional. The 40 hours of minimum experience may be accrued all in one venue or in up to three different venues. Although the experience may be completed in as many as three settings, there are some limits on the amount of experience that may be obtained. The maximum hours considered for these settings are as follows: WU Graduate Assistant position, maximum of 15 hours; health-related camps, maximum of 10 hours; feeding program or food bank, maximum of 10 hours. Readiness of each applicant for Early Acceptance will be considered based on the student's capability for self-directed learning, willingness to work as a team-player, and effectiveness of communication skills as well as on the depth and quality of dietetics-related experience.
6. The Internship Director will review the application packets and coordinate review by Internship faculty members in the Department. Candidates will be notified of their selection for a formal interview with faculty in late November or early December. Upon recommendation, candidates for selection into early admission/preselect will receive notification by e-mail in January after all fall semester grades are available for review. Early accepted/preselected interns must notify the Dietetic Internship Director in writing (e-mail acceptable) within 24 hours if they wish to accept a position in the program. This commitment on the part of the candidate is binding. Acceptance into the Early Acceptance Option is contingent on maintaining satisfactory academic performance and professional standards of behavior throughout the remaining time before beginning the program. Once an applicant has agreed to Early Acceptance, the name of the preselected applicant is submitted by the Internship Director to D & D Digital and the preselected applicant's name is withdrawn from the spring D & D computer matching process. The Internship Director will notify all the applicants for the Early Acceptance/Preselect Option in ample time to apply to other internship programs if needed. Applicants who are not selected for Early Acceptance are encouraged to apply for Winthrop's additional internship positions through DICAS for the spring D & D Digital matching process.

Applicants should feel free to contact the Winthrop University Dietetic Internship Director, Mrs. Nielsen (nielsens@winthrop.edu) , between August 15 and May 15 with questions or to meet and review eligibility criteria.