Frequently Asked Questions

What are some benefits to completing the Virginia Tech Internship (a certificate program with an optional graduate degree) in comparison to a program that includes a required, built-in graduate degree?

Our program provides flexibility for candidates with a variety of backgrounds and interests. If you complete a graduate degree before beginning our program, you can finish our internship in 9 months or less. You can also complete our internship while you are finishing a graduate degree. For those who want to pursue a graduate degree from Virginia Tech, we offer a pathway to complete the flexible Online Master of Science in Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) simultaneously with the internship in as few as 15 months. Half of your graduate credits will be affiliated with internship work. 

The decision to apply to our program after completing or while pursuing a graduate degree is individual and may be based on a variety of factors including professional interests, geographical location, and financial considerations. Our program has opportunities for individualization to meet your unique needs.

Which graduate programs offered through Virginia Tech will prepare me for this internship program?

To pursue a graduate degree simultaneously with the internship, we recommend the Online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) which offers a concentration in Applied Nutrition and Physical Activity and a special sub-concentration for dietetic interns (Applied Nutrition and Physical Activity-Dietetic Internship). Half of your 30 credits in the OMALS degree will be affiliated with internship work and you can complete the internship and OMALS program together in as few as 15 months. The OMALS program is individualized to prepare graduates for careers in counseling, public health, sports nutrition, wellness, and other areas of dietetics practice. Virginia Tech nutrition and dietetics DPD students can dually enroll in the OMALS program during their final undergraduate year to save time and reduce expenses. There is a special application process for those applying to both the internship and OMALS degree, so be sure to ask about that process at an information session or read these instructions. 

If you want to pursue a graduate degree through Virginia Tech before you begin the internship program, you can do the OMALS program from anywhere because all classes are online!

Additional Virginia Tech graduate programs to consider in Blacksburg: 

• Master of Science in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise (MS): Students pursuing this thesis-based graduate degree often receive funding through a graduate assistantship and may seek internship credit for experiences gained through their thesis research.
  

• Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise (PhD): HNFE faculty specialize in many areas of research including community food systems, dietary assessment methods, exercise physiology, nutrient metabolism, nutrition policy,  and beyond. Funding is often available for PhD students. Students may choose to complete the internship’s flexible Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) option during the final year of their PhD degree.

• Master of Public Health (MPH): Students who want to pursue a dietetics career in public health, policy, or community nutrition may want to consider this degree option. MPH candidates may seek internship credit for experiences gained through their public health practicum.

Students completing the Virginia Tech Internship in Nutrition and Dietetics must earn a graduate degree to receive an internship verification statement and be eligible to sit for the RDN exam, however this degree does not need to be through Virginia Tech. Graduate degrees from other universities are also welcome as long as the applicant demonstrates a plan to earn that degree within one semester of finishing the internship. 

Virginia Tech also offers a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics (MSND), which is a different pathway to earning the RDN credential. Students who pursue the MSND do not need a separate internship because supervised practice is integrated into that program; MSND graduates will receive a verification statement imparting eligibility to take the RDN exam. Virginia Tech’s internship and MSND programs are both highly regarded programs with strong employment and exam outcomes. If you are unsure whether you are eligible to apply to the internship, the MSND, or to both programs, please reach out! You may reach the internship director at alafalce@vt.edu and the MSND leadership team at msnd@vt.edu. 

Do you award internship credit for prior learning?

Yes! Our assessment of prior learning policy is described in our policies and procedures manual. Interns with substantial work experience may be eligible for a waiver towards a portion of their supervised practice hours if those experiences demonstrate they have met specific internship competencies (CRDNs). Interns are invited to discuss with the program director the potential for earning credit for prior learning if they meet one or both of the following criteria:

• At least one year (or 2,000 hours) of employment in a food, nutrition, or public health setting.

• Graduate level academic research, practicum, or field experience related to food, nutrition, or public health.

What kind of jobs do your graduates obtain after graduation?

Virginia Tech internship graduates have found jobs in all areas of dietetics including inpatient and outpatient clinical practice, long term care, health promotion, school nutrition, private practice, policy, communications, research, sports nutrition, and community nutrition.

Are interns permitted to work during the internship?

The program is full-time. Some interns are able to manage part-time, flexible employment alongside the internship. The directors are also willing to explore a part-time internship schedule in certain circumstances. If you wish to consider a part-time schedule, please reach out to a director before submitting an application.

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