Interns during rotations will focus their time on the issues of “hunger,” “health,” “housing,” and “hope.”

• Hunger – By partnering with the Tarrant Area Food Bank, students interested in pursuing the M.S. in Nutrition/Dietetic Internship program can participate in research, community feeding programs, and cultural needs assessments.

• Health – The internship schedule will include several clinical rotations including but not limited to cardiac, endocrinology, intensive care, oncology, pediatric, renal, surgical, and general medical. Along with the clinical experiences, an outpatient counseling rotation will address health of the clientele using knowledge gained in the clinical rotations.

• Hope – Hope is manifested in education and gaining skills for employment. Dietetic interns will be instrumental in helping teach basic culinary and food service skills to a wide variety of people.

• Housing – Indirectly, housing will be addressed through your involvement in teaching basic selection, procurement and preparation of healthy meals for home use.

Culinary Certification

Students enrolled in the M.S. in Nutrition/Dietetic Internship can receive a culinary nutrition certification provided by “To Taste”, a company that provides courses for practical cooking skills, as well as a deeper dive into a variety of culinary nutrition topics. Owned and operated by chefs and registered dietitians, this certificate will focus on the scientific aspects of dietetics and explain the importance of preparing foods appropriately for those with dietary restrictions and sensitivities and for those on a budget. This unique addition to the program is offered to students completing the second year.

Interested students can contact nutrition program director Jennifer Gillin.

Uganda Missional Dietetics

Students enrolled in the M.S. in Nutrition/Dietetic Internship will have the opportunity to integrate academics and missional work by traveling and serving in a three-week mission trip to Uganda as part of the ACU’s Wildcats on Academic Mission (WAM) program. The cost of the trip is significantly discounted and mostly paid by the WAM program. Working alongside faculty members, six dietetic interns will collaborate with Hope Speaks, a nonprofit that brings hope and raises awareness for children with disabilities through speech therapy, education, and advocacy. These students will work with Ugandans suffering from speech pathology issues related to swallowing, work alongside the caregivers with thickening foods appropriately, be involved in the education of caregivers, and conduct nutrition assessments for research purposes.

Interested students can contact nutrition program director Jennifer Gillin.

Optional Experience

Students are allowed can elect to experience a choice rotation for 1-2 weeks supported by the program director and dietetic internship program. These hours do not count towards total program required hours and would be optional for students who desire to explore an additional area of practice.

Assessment and Credit for Prior Learning

The academic liaison for the master of science courses and the program director will review any courses that are requested to be transferred into the program.  Nine hours of graduate work may be counted as electives.  For courses that are similar to required courses in the curriculum, the course syllabus from the institution where credit was received may be required for review to determine course equivalency. Samples of work completed may also be required.  Admissions staff will be contacted concerning any courses that are approved for transfer into the program.  ACEND Core Knowledge Requirements for Dietetic Internship Programs must be met for any internship experience that is accepted.  CRDNs that are met must be verified by the program director after receiving verification from the previous program director over the program in which any CRDNs were met by a transfer student/intern. Credit will not be given for prior work experience or rotations completed outside of the program.