Steps to Become a Registered Dietitian                                             

• Step 1: Complete a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a U.S. regionally accredited university or college or foreign equivalent, and coursework through an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP).
• Step 2: Complete *1000 hours of supervised practice through an ACEND accredited Dietetic Internship, Coordinated Program in Dietetics or an Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (ISPP) offered through an ACEND accredited program.
• Step 3: Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
  • Some states require RDNs to be licensed/certified to practice in the state.  Depending on state of residence and/or practice, application for state licensure/certification may be required. Washington, where Garden to Table Nutrition resides, requires certification.

*The required number of supervised practice hours for programs accredited under the ACEND 2017 Accreditation Standards has been reduced from 1200 hours to 1000 hours for RDN programs, including dietetic internships, for the period starting January 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2022.

Garden to Table Nutrition (GTTN) is an ACEND-accredited dietetic internship that provides the supervised practice hours (Step 2) in the Steps to Becoming a Registered Dietitian or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. For GTTN interns who first attempted the RD exam in 2021, 89% passed.

NOTE: As of Jan 1, 2024, all persons who want to become RDNs must have a Masters Degree before sitting for the exam. The master’s degree does not have to be in Nutrition. It can be done as part of a DPD program, or part of an Internship Program, or independently of either.

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