Schedule and Locations

Schedule Highlights

Full-time program with flexible scheduling options:

• Complete the internship in 8-9 months (August-April).
• Add an optional 2-week elective rotation.
• Incorporate an optional master’s degree (15 months total for internship and master’s degree).

Directors schedule rotations based on interests and needs of each intern. 

Class meetings support positive relationships and work-life balance by combining in-person and remote learning.

Four weeks of vacation breaks scheduled throughout the program.

Schedule Overview

Begin the program in late August with a two week orientation.

Following orientation, there are weekly class meetings on Mondays and rotations Tuesday - Friday.

Late August - December: clinical (medical nutrition therapy) rotations.

January - April: community nutrition and management rotations.

View our 2024-25 schedule here.

Program Locations

Interns complete rotations in the region to which they have applied and been accepted. Rotation opportunities exist in many locations, mostly in Virginia. Opportunities exist in Abingdon, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Leesburg, Martinsburg (WV), Richmond, Roanoke, Washington DC metro area, Williamsburg, Winchester, and others. 

Interns who do not have a location preference will be assigned rotations in one of the geographic areas listed above based on their professional learning needs, interests, and site availability. 

Class meetings are held once per week throughout most of the program. About half of these class sessions are held online. The in-person class sessions (approximately twice per month) are held on Virginia Tech campuses in Alexandria and Blacksburg. Interns in all of our program locations are expected to attend those twice monthly on-campus classes, deciding in advance if they prefer to attend in Alexandria or Blacksburg.

Rotations in the Washington, DC metro area, Winchester, and Martinsburg, WV

Interns completing rotations in these locations typically attend in-person class meetings on the Alexandria campus twice per month.  Their supervised practice rotations are scheduled within a one-hour drive from the internship location to which they applied and were accepted. Specific rotation placements are determined based on the intern’s learning needs and goals, geographic considerations, and site availability.

Rotations in Blacksburg, Roanoke, Abingdon, Charlottesville, Richmond, and Williamsburg

Interns completing rotations in these locations typically attend in-person class meetings on the Blacksburg campus twice per month.  Their supervised practice rotations are scheduled within a one-hour drive from the internship location to which they applied and were accepted. Specific rotation placements are determined based on the intern’s learning needs and goals, geographic considerations, and site availability. 

Elective Rotations

Interns have the option to design their own two-week elective rotation. Many interns choose to complete their elective at one of the sites established for MNT, Community, or Management experiences. Additional elective sites in recent years have included the following:

• Children’s National Medical Center
• Courage to Nourish
• George Washington University Weight Management and Human Performance Laboratory
• Inova Sports Performance Powered by EXOS
• Naval Special Warfare Group Human Performance Program
• Nutrition Counseling Roanoke
• Shady Grove Fertility
• Stacie Haaga, LLC
• VIDA Fitness
• Virginia Tech Athletics
• Winchester Medical Center Neonatal ICU

Interns may collaborate with program directors if they would like to pursue a new site/practice area for their elective rotation.