The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is no longer accepting students and will be voluntarily closing effective May 31, 2020. The DPD will maintain its ACEND accreditation status through May 31, 2020. Students who do not complete all DPD course requirements by May 31, 2020 will not be considered graduates of an ACEND-accredited DPD. For more information about the closure of the DPD, please contact Lori Cherok at lcherok@pitt.edu.
The Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition is offering two other programs:
The mission of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition (SMN) is to provide students a strong academic foundation of knowledge and skills in nutrition and dietetics to meet the required coursework and experiences to apply to a Dietetic Internship or a Coordinated Master's Program as required to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), pursue an advanced degree in science/healthcare-related discipline, or to function in society as professional and upon which practitioner competence can be built. The program provides the academic preparation to support continued professional growth to meet personal, professional, community, and worldwide evolving health care needs.
Goals and Objectives of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (2017-2020)
Program Goal 1:
To recruit highly qualified graduates who demonstrate the ability to successfully enter dietetic internships and/or graduate programs enhanced by nutrition or food expertise.
Program Objectives Related to Program Goal 1:
1. At least 80% of program students complete program/degree requirements within three years (150% of the program length).
2. 70% of program graduates apply for admission to a supervised practice program prior to or within 12 months of graduation.
3. 70% of program graduates who apply are admitted to a supervised practice program within 12 months of graduation.
Program Goal 2:
To educate and prepare graduates who can utilize analytical and problem-solving skills in the application of attained requisite knowledge, and who can demonstrate these skills by the successful completion of required supervised practice and by successful performance in taking the National Registration Examination for Dietitians.
Program Objectives Related to Program Goal 2:
1. Over the course of five years, 100% of graduates from supervised practice programs will rate their educational preparation for supervised practice at or above average.
2. The program's one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of the first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%.
3. At least 80% of supervised practice program directors, who respond to a survey, will rate the problem-solving skills of graduates as being at or above that of other didactic program graduates participating in the supervised practice program.
The 5-year average pass rate is 92% for first-time test-takers and 98% for testers within one year of the first attempt. The 3-year average pass rate is 94% for first-time test-takers and 100% for testers within one year attempt.
Additional outcome data measuring achievement of program objectives are available upon request to students, prospective students, prospective students, and the public.