Fall Submission Timeline
| Initiate DICAS Application | August 5th |
| Complete application in DICAS | September 10th |
| Interviews for finalists | 3rd - 4th week of September |
| Final decisions | Mid-October |
MS-VA track — Fall deadline
The ASU Veterans Affairs Dietetic Internship with Master of Science degree is a 16-month (3 semesters and 1 summer) program for individuals who have completed the minimum bachelor’s degree, as well as the accredited didactic program in dietetics coursework requirements. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. The ASU VA Dietetic Internship provides the supervised practice experience required for eligibility to take the examination to become a Registered Dietitian. The combined program offers interns the opportunity to complete a Master of Science degree in nutritional science in addition to the required supervised practice component. This program has a concentration in research and meets the competencies for entry-level practice as a registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN). The program requires completion of a 30-credit master’s degree, applied project and approximately 1,100 hours of supervised practice experience.
How it works
The dietetic internship supervised practice provides a well-rounded experience through the continued exposure to multiple fields of care: VA health care, acute care, long-term care, food service systems, community nutrition and specialty care nutrition services. Interns will experience providing care to veterans through the Nutrition Care Process, evidence-based guidelines and nutrition-focused physical exams, developed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).
Each intern must successfully complete the objectives for the supervised practice experience and meet all requirements for the master’s degree, including completion of an applied project. Upon satisfactory completion of the MS degree and the dietetic internship, students will receive an AND verification statement indicating eligibility to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians.
COVID vaccination required
The VA is a federal agency and requires participants to have U.S. citizenship when applying for this track of the ASU Dietetic Internship program. As of October 2021, interns must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to complete rotations at all U.S. VA medical centers and affiliated sites.
Steps to apply
Step 1:
Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application Service (DICAS)
Complete the application which will include the following:
- Verification statement from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), within the last 5 years
- Resume – should demonstrate paid or volunteer experience in dietetics or nutrition-related fields
- Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
- Three letters of recommendation
- Personal statement – must demonstrate ability to communicate clearly and concisely, and must adequately address the following in under two pages:
- Significant professional responsibilities held.
- Professional goals and reasons for enrolling in the MS and DI program.
- Strengths that will help you succeed in the program and in reaching your professional goals.
- Personal research interests, including any previous research experience.
- Why do you want to work with the Veteran population?
- Preference of internship location:
- Phoenix VA location only.
- Prescott VA location only.
- Either location.
- $50 application fee.
| Ranking of importance for acceptance into the MS and DI program |
|---|
| 1. Personal statement |
| 2. Interview (via Zoom) |
| 3. Dietetics-related work experience |
| 4. GPA (DPD-Professional) |
| 5. Volunteer and research experience |
| 6. Letters of recommendation |
| 7. Non-dietetics-related work experience |
Step 2:
After acceptance into a dietetic internship apply to the ASU Graduate College
Application will include the following:
- Official transcripts showing completion of the minimum bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university must be sent to ASU — bachelor's degree must be completed before beginning the program in August.
- Letters of recommendation do not need to be submitted again, these were provided in the DICAS application. In the three spaces of the letter of recommendation area, please enter: Robin DeWeese, robin.deweese@asu.edu
- Same personal statement used for the DICAS application.
- Same resume used for the DICAS application.
- If you are interested in one of the specialized tracks — Sports Nutrition or Maternal and Child Health — specify this in the application. If neither track aligns with your goals, your application will be considered for the General Nutrition track.
- Do not list your degree prerequisite courses, these have already been met.
- $70 application fee.