Upcoming Education Changes for Registered Dietitians, Getting Ahead with Online Master’s
Texas Tech University offers the Online Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, an excellent option for future Registered Dietitians. With upcoming changes in education requirements, the online master's in dietetics is a flexible option for dietetic professionals to continue their education.
Beginning Jan. 2024, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) is raising the minimum required education level for prospective Registered Dietitians from a bachelor's degree to a graduate degree. New dietitians will be required to hold a master's or doctoral degree in order to sit for the registration exam.
The 33-hour non-thesis degree plan is designed for students who will receive a DPD verification statement, be completing a dietetic internship, or those who hold RD/RDN credentials. The online coursework provides flexibility for students to earn their graduate degree while completing an internship, working full time, and maintaining a healthy home life.
Students can choose to specialize through one of three offered concentrations: Nutrition and Healthy Weight, Nutrition in the Lifecycle, or Nutrition and Sports. Texas Tech is one of the only online dietetics degree programs to offer the sports nutrition concentration.
Director of the online master's program, Allison Childress, Ph.D., RDN, CSSD, LD, explains that all courses are asynchronous with no campus visits required. Students who choose this path will dive into current issues in sports nutrition, including ergogenic aids, special athlete populations, and sports nutrition in the media.
"Sports nutrition is a very competitive field for dietitians and students are looking for a way to differentiate themselves from others," Childress said. "This concentration provides that."
As a sports dietetics specialist, continuing education will play a key role in advancing one's career. This career requires keeping up to date on the latest sports and exercise science research and related publications. With access to Texas Tech's athletics department, students in the online program will have ample opportunity to succeed.