This program is for students who have a bachelor's degree and wish to complete the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) coursework to earn their DPD Verification Statement.
Students interested in completing post-baccalaureate Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) coursework in order to obtain a Verification Statement must hold a bachelor's degree from a U.S. regionally accredited institution or foreign equivalent. The DPD Verification Statement is required to enter many supervised practice programs, including dietetic internships. Completing an accredited supervised practice program is a required step to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). For more information about pathways to becoming an RDN visit:
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/careers-in-dietetics.
How To Obtain a DPD Verification Statement at UGA
The majority of the dietetics courses are seated, in-person courses offered during daytime hours on the Athens, GA campus.
There are several pathways to obtain the DPD Verification Statement:
A. Double Dawg DPD: If you need to complete 16 or more credit hours of DPD coursework, apply to our Double Dawg DPD to complete your DPD course requirements, earn a BSFCS in Dietetics, and start your MS degree. Students requiring over 15 credits of DPD coursework must enroll in the BSFCS in Dietetics to earn a DPD Verification Statement from UGA. Students receive a second bachelor’s degree in Dietetics by finishing DPD courses (and typically only 4 additional credits). With a GPA of 3.0 or higher, the Double Dawg pathway can be added, allowing students to earn up to 12 credits toward the 30-credit online MS in Nutritional Sciences. This program helps students earn their DPD Verification Statement quickly and complete the final 18 MS credits online while enrolled in supervised practice.
Once admitted to UGA, past coursework will be reviewed, and you'll receive guidance on the courses you need and how to enter the Double Dawgs DPD program. UGA graduates do not need to re-apply. Graduates of other institutions must apply to UGA as transfer students: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/admissions/transfer/
B. Non-Degree Post-Baccalaureate DPD: If you have fewer than 16 credit hours of DPD courses to complete, you can apply as a post-baccalaureate, non-degree student to finish the required coursework. Once completed, you’ll receive a DPD Verification Statement only. To apply, visit this page: https://www.admissions.uga.edu/admissions/other-students/post-baccalaureate/
C. MS + DPD: If you meet admission requirements for our MS Non-Thesis degree, you can combine DPD coursework with this degree (MS+DPD). You must first be accepted into the MS program for this option. To apply, visit this page: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/graduate-m.s-non-thesis-dpd
D. Current graduate students in the Nutritional Sciences department may also add DPD coursework with the approval of their research advisor. See the Graduate Handbook for details.
For students holding bachelor’s degrees from outside the United States: You must have your foreign degree validated as equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree before your program can be planned. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides a list of approved agencies for this: Foreign Degree Evaluation Agencies. The evaluation report should be sent to you, and you’ll need to email it to the DPD director.
For more details about becoming a Registered Dietitian with a foreign degree, visit: International Students Info
UGA Admissions also has helpful information for international applicants: UGA International Admissions
How To Apply
For any of our post-baccalaureate DPD options, you must first complete the Post-Baccalaureate DPD Application for preliminary consideration.
Once your Post-Baccalaureate DPD Application has been reviewed, you will be advised if you meet the admission criteria for the option you have selected. You must then apply for admission to the appropriate program at the University of Georgia.
Application information and deadline dates for the programs are below:
Double Dawg DPD (Required if you have 16 or more credit-hours of NUTR coursework to complete. Coursework from previous institutions may be transferred to UGA. Program may be combined with online MS):
https://www.admissions.uga.edu/admissions/
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/double-dawgs
Non-Degree Post-Baccalaureate DPD (Available if you have fewer than 16 credit-hours of NUTR coursework to complete. This is a non-degree program resulting in a DPD Verification Statement only):
https://www.admissions.uga.edu/admissions/other-students/post-baccalaureate/
MS + DPD (Available if you wish to obtain a DPD Verification Statement while earning your MS Non-Thesis degree):
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fdn/graduate-m.s-non-thesis-dpd
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Course Requirements for DPD Verification Statement
You will need to complete the following courses with a minimum of a “C” grade in addition to meeting a set of specific knowledge requirements in order to receive a DPD Verification Statement from the University of Georgia:
BIOL 1107-1107L, Biology I
CHEM 1211-1211L, Freshman Chemistry I
CHEM 1212-1212L, Freshman Chemistry II
Course in statistics
Course in psychology
COMM 1110 or 1500
CHEM 2211-2211L, Modern Organic Chemistry I (requires General Chemistry as prerequisite)
CBIO 2200-2200L, Anatomy and Physiology I
CBIO 2210-2210L, Anatomy and Physiology II
MIBO 2500, Microbiology & Health Care or 3500, Introductory Applied Microbiology
BCMB 3100, Introductory Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
NUTR 2100, Fundamentals of Human Nutrition
NUTR 3100, Macronutrients and Energy Balance
NUTR 3600-3600L, Food Principles
NUTR 3610-3610L, Quantity Food Production
NUTR 4070, Research Methodology in Human Foods and Nutrition
NUTR 4100, Micronutrient Nutrition
NUTR 4500, Medical Nutrition Therapy I
NUTR 4510, Nutrition Related to the Human Life Cycle
NUTR 4520, Clinical Nutrition Interventions
NUTR 4530, Medical Nutrition Therapy II
NUTR 4540, Public Health Nutrition
NUTR 4600, Food and Nutrition Policy
NUTR 4610, Foodservice Procurement and Financial Management
NUTR 4620, Management of Foodservice Organizations
NUTR 4660, Nutrition Education Methods
NUTR 4645, Functional and Nutritional Properties of Foods
NUTR 5900, Professional Development in Nutritional SciencesTo use a course from another university to meet DPD requirements, you must provide the DPD director with a course description and syllabus to evaluate. If the course matches a UGA DPD course and you earned a grade of “C” or higher, it may be accepted. If the course is missing any required learning objectives (KRDNs), you’ll need to complete those through independent study. Work or volunteer experience cannot count for credit. To receive a DPD Verification Statement from UGA, you must complete at least 15 credits in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.