Graduate Dietetics Future Education Model

Overview

Future Graduate Program Temporary Pause in Admissions

The Department of Nutrition is planning to restructure the Future Graduate Program to better meet the needs of today’s students and the future of the profession. To support this work, we will pause admissions for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Over the past several years, we have heard valuable feedback from current students, applicants, and families. Many prospective students are seeking more streamlined pathways that combine graduate education with supervised experiential learning, allowing them to complete requirements more efficiently and earn advanced degrees.

We are therefore using this pause to:

  • Redesign and strengthen our program options, including exploring integrated and accelerated pathways
  • Align with updated ACEND accreditation standards that will take effect in 2027
  • Enhance the overall student experience, including curriculum structure, experiential components, and career preparation
  • Develop new recruitment and advising resources to better support future applicants

This is a proactive step to ensure our program continues to provide high-quality, forward-looking education that reflects both student needs and evolving professional expectations.

What this means:

  • The pause applies only to new admissions for the 2026-2027 academic year. This means that new students will not be admitted for entry in Fall 2027 or Spring 2028.
  • Current students will not be affected and will be able to complete the program as planned.

We hope to begin recruiting again in the 2027-2028 academic year, for entry in Fall 2028.

The Dietetics Future Education Model Graduate Program (FG) is a master’s degree program in the Department of Nutrition (NUT), College of Health Sciences. Our program provides an outstanding didactic curriculum including coursework in sustainability, research, epidemiology, international nutrition, nutrition metabolism, and community as well as over 1,100 hours of supervised practice in professional work settings.

Program Director

Geoffrey Greene, PHD, MPH, RD, LDN
Professor, Dietetic Internship Director

Contact Geoffrey

About the Program

This two-year intensive program is designed for students who want to become Registered Dietitians/Nutritionists through an accredited Dietetics Future Education Model Graduate Program including experiential and didactic learning leading to a M.S. degree. It is a competency-based education (CBE) program that integrates classroom learning with supervised experiential learning. 

The facilities where you’ll gain supervised learning experiences are found throughout Rhode Island and represent some of the best healthcare institutions in Southern New England. The variety of facilities provides an opportunity for you to experience different management styles and organizational climates. Classes associated
with the program are held at URI’s Kingston campus.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning covers 35 weeks with a minimum of 1,100 hours of supervised practice in health care and community facilities. The program generally follows the URI 36-week academic calendar. The program is organized as follows:

  • Semester 1: focusing primarily on didactic coursework
  • Semester 2 & 3: focusing on experiential learning with supportive didactic coursework
  • Semester 4: focusing primarily on didactic coursework.

 Highlights of the experiential learning include:

  • 15 weeks of inpatient Medical Nutrition Therapy, including 7 weeks in a large tertiary care facility
  • 7 weeks of foodservice management with options for university or hospital foodservice operations
  • 7 weeks of community rotations including SNAP-Ed, long-term care, and private practice outpatient counseling
  • 5 weeks of a specialty rotation with options for critical care, pediatrics, outpatient counseling, or community
  • 1-week student-initiated learning self-management rotation

Accreditation

The Dietetic Internship is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606, 312.899.0040, ext. 5400.

Program goals and objectives as well as program outcome data are available upon request.

Becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

In order to become a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN), you must successfully complete:

  1. Educational requirements such as a Didactic Program in Dietetics,
  2. A graduate degree,
  3. An accredited experiential program providing at least 1,000 hours of supervised practice, such as the FG, and
  4. The RDN credentialing examination.

2025 Open House

Professional Licensure Disclosure

In accordance with the 2019 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, URI hereby discloses that the curriculum for this program meets the educational requirements for licensure as a Registered Dietitian in all U.S. States and Territories. The applicable licensing board in these states may impose additional requirements* on candidates prior to granting a license (e.g., passing of an exam; completing a post-baccalaureate internship; etc.), and we encourage you to investigate those requirements with your licensing board. For information about state licensure in your state see https://www.cdrnet.org/LicensureMap.

*Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) requires the completion of a 1,000-hour, post-baccalaureate supervised experiential learning hours to meet eligibility requirements to sit for the Registered Dietitian credentialing exam.