Application and Selection

Application Requirements

You must submit your internship application through the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application System (DICAS) online portal. All applications must include the following criteria:

• A verification statement, or "intent to complete" form from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) issued within five years of the internship start date. Applicants who completed a DPD more than five years before the internship may be eligible if they meet our Recency of Education Policy.
  

• Official transcript(s) demonstrating a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in DPD coursework.
  

• Evidence of paid or unpaid work experience, including in a food and nutrition practice setting. Successful applicants typically have some experience in a healthcare environment in addition to other settings.
  

• Three letters of recommendation submitted by professional references through the DICAS portal. At least one letter must be from an academic reference and at least one letter must be from a work or volunteer supervisor. The third letter may be from a professional reference of your choice. (Example: one professor and two supervisors from two different jobs.) Ideally, references should represent three different areas of your professional/academic life.
  

• A personal statement addressing the following topics in 1,000 words or less:

  • What personal, academic, and/or professional experiences in your life have had the greatest impact on your decision to pursue a career in dietetics? 

  • Describe specific professional skills that you would like to improve during the internship. 

  • How will your personal and/or professional background and goals contribute to an inclusive classroom and workplace environment with diverse perspectives? 

  • Describe the position(s) you see yourself pursuing in your first 1-2 jobs as a dietitian. 

  • What are your main reasons for applying specifically to Virginia Tech and the location(s) you selected?
    

• Documentation of an earned graduate degree or a plan to earn one. Include one of the following with your application:
  • Final transcript indicating graduate degree conferral, OR
  • Graduate Degree Plan of Study Form plus official graduate transcript (or letter of acceptance if you have not yet enrolled in courses), OR
  • Intent to Complete OMALS Form confirming your plan to enroll in our partner Virginia Tech graduate degree, OR
  • Virginia Tech undergraduate nutrition and dietetics students only: OMALS Dual Enrollment Plan of Study Form with your advisor’s signature confirming your eligibility to begin OMALS classes in your final undergraduate semester.

(Application to OMALS through the VT Graduate School occurs through a specialized process after acceptance to the internship.)

Application Processes and Due Dates

Your application will be reviewed once you:

• Submit all required elements through the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application System (DICAS) online portal. 

• Pay the Virginia Tech Internship Program application fee of $50. This is separate from the fee to register with DICAS. Create an account here to pay the Virginia Tech application fee. 

Note: Do not apply to OMALS through the Virginia Tech Graduate School at the same time. OMALS applications are submitted after acceptance to the internship. 

Application Timeline:

Review our detailed application infographic (link pending) to visualize our various application processes and deadlines. Key dates are listed below. 

Fall Selection: Early Enrollment - 20 positions available for the internship class beginning the following August

• October 8: Deadline to submit a Virginia Tech Internship in Nutrition and Dietetics application during the Fall DICAS cycle. (Do not submit an OMALS application to the VT Graduate School.)

• By November 1: Receive notification of internship admission decision.

• November 15: Deadline to accept admission offer received in Fall DICAS cycle. 

Winter/Spring Enrollment - We will participate in winter/spring selection to fill positions that remain open after our early enrollment option ends. We will list the number of available positions on November 16.

• January 15: Deadline to submit an application during the Spring DICAS cycle. (Do not submit an OMALS application to the VT Graduate School.)

• By March 1: Receive notification of internship admission decision.

• March 15: Deadline to accept admission offer received in Spring DICAS cycle.

• After March 15: Rolling admissions for any available positions.
  

Information for those who are interested in our optional partner graduate degree, the Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS):

• Candidates who want to pursue the OMALS degree (concentration: Applied Nutrition and Physical Activity-Dietetic Internship) should wait to apply to the VT Graduate School until after they accept their offer of admission to the internship. We will provide instructions for this specialized application process.
  

• Candidates who want to begin online classes in the OMALS program in January (7 months before the internship begins), and who meet the eligibility criteria to do so, must apply to the internship through our early enrollment process (application due date: October 8).
  

• Candidates who accept their offer of admission to the Virginia Tech internship, and who wish to pursue the OMALS degree simultaneously with the internship, will be guaranteed acceptance to the VT Graduate School through a special admissions process.

Information Sessions

Please attend a live, online information session to learn more about our program as well as our application and selection processes. Most information sessions will also include an opportunity to talk with current interns or recent alumni. We’d love to meet you to determine how we can help you achieve your professional goals! Visit our information sessions page for dates and times.

Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) Applicants

The application process for ISPP interns is different. You may find all ISPP-specific processes in the ISPP Policy.

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