MS/DI Degree Requirements

The MS/DI program is for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree and have received a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Verification Statement or a Foreign Dietitian Education (FDE) from an ACEND accredited program.

Requirements for the BU MS/DI Program include:

  • Master of Science Degree, including practicum course
  • Dietetic Internship

Master of Science Degree Portion of the Program

Students are eligible to receive a Master of Science degree upon completing a minimum of 32 credits of coursework at the 700–level and above. Please note the following degree requirements.

  • At least 25 credits must be taken as a degree candidate at Boston University.
  • A student may complete the academic program portion of the program on a full- or part-time basis; the DI must be completed on a full-time basis. The entire program must be completed within five years of matriculation. Applicants who are interested in completing the MS portion on a part-time basis should disclose this at the time of application to allow timing of the DI portion of the program to be scheduled accordingly.
  • The MS degree must be successfully completed before beginning the DI.

Grade Point Average

An overall grade point average of B (3.0) or higher must be attained in graduate courses.

  • In graduate courses, no grade below C is acceptable for credit.
  • No more than eight credits of C or C+ work will be counted toward the MS degree and the acceptability of such grades in required courses is subject to faculty approval.
  • If a student achieves a grade lower than a C on any graduate level course (700‐level or above or and SAR HS 540 if chosen as an elective), they must retake the course. A student may repeat a course only once to meet the above requirements. If a course is repeated to meet a course minimum grade, both the credits and grades from both courses are included in the calculation of the student’s GPA. The average of the two course grades must be at least a C.
  • HS 704 and HS 811 are tied to the Dietetic Internship. In order to proceed into the dietetic internship courses (B- or above). Failure to receive a passing grade (B- or above) in HS 704 or HS 811 will prohibit entry into the dietetics internship.  HS 704 and HS 811 may not be taken more than once.
  • SAR HS 811 and HS 703 are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Pass indicates B– or better work.
  • All other graduate courses must be taken for a letter grade.

    After satisfactory completion of the DI, which includes documentation of the completion of dietetic competencies and the MS (clinical concentration)+DI program evaluation, students will receive the ACEND DI Verification Statement and be awarded the MS degree.

    Required courses

    The program requires completion of five core courses plus 12 credits in the clinical concentration and at least 2 credits of a graduate level elective.

    Nutrition Practicum

    The Nutrition Practicum is a required three-credit course in which you will spend 150 hours working with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist or other health care professional in the area of your interest.

    The affiliations are designed to provide practical, hands-on experiences in the profession of nutrition—an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a variety of professional settings.

    Students in the past have spent their practicum in many different settings including clinical, education, private practice, media, public health, industry, and research.

    Dietetic Internship

    The ACEND-accredited DI (HS 703) is a critical component of the BU MS+DI program. The DI is a full-time, six-credit, 29-week experience designed to provide you with critical thinking skills and prepare you for the national registration exam and entry-level employment as an RDN. 

    Our training sites, throughout Massachusetts, provide excellent opportunities to observe and participate in a wide variety of specialty areas of practice such as community nutrition, medical and surgical care, nutrition support, oncology, nephrology, cardiology, diabetes, out-patient counseling, food service, and food service management and engage with people across the life span from children to aging adults. Each intern completes a staff relief rotation and an elective rotation in an area of their interest.  

    The MS degree must be completed successfully before entry into the DI. However, if your MS graduation is delayed for any reason (such as a medical leave of absence), the date of the placement in the DI will be based upon dietetic internship site availability. 

    A car may be necessary to get to the DI as some sites are as far as 60 miles from Sargent College. Each student should be prepared to provide their own transportation and all costs associated with it to sites that are not accessible by public transportation.  

    After successful completion of the DI, which includes documentation of the completion of ACEND competencies and the MS+DI program evaluation, the student will receive the DI Verification Statement.