Isabelle Jones conducts a mock nutrition counseling session with Sally Heppner in
Jill Keith’s Therapeutic Nutrition Counseling class. This class is part of the dietetics
pathway of the undergraduate human nutrition and food major. (UW Photo)
The University of Wyoming recently received accreditation for a new graduate program
in nutrition and dietetics, housed in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
The Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics will prepare students to become registered
dietitian nutritionists (RDNs).
RDNs can provide a variety of services, from assisting with medical conditions to
creating personalized nutrition plans to improving food access for those who face
food insecurity.
“The leading causes of death in the U.S. are related to diet and nutrition,” says
Jill Keith, RDN and head of UW’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. “Our
Wyoming communities need these practicing nutrition professionals to help prevent
and address those health outcomes.”
UW has offered an undergraduate program in dietetics since 1923. As of January 2024,
the RDN credential now requires a graduate degree.
The new graduate program gives UW students an opportunity to become RDNs without leaving
the state for additional training. The program also prepares students to take the
registration exam for dietitians and enter the workforce on an accelerated timeline.
Students can complete their bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and required supervised
experiential learning hours in just five years.
The program trains graduates for careers anywhere in the U.S. or even around the globe.
However, the program’s director, RDN Jeff Gilis, emphasizes that students will become
familiar with the unique challenges of working in Wyoming and other rural areas.
“Our future RDNs are going to be better positioned to work right here in Wyoming communities
in a variety of fields, including hospitals, health clinics, long-term care facilities,
food service operations, private practice and much more,” he says.
The Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics begins in spring 2026 and admits students
each spring using a cohort model. Students will go through the 18-month master’s program
as a group. The program does not admit students during the fall semester.
Undergraduate UW students who are interested in the master’s program are encouraged
to major in human nutrition and food. This major offers a dietetics pathway, which
will allow them to complete coursework and training to be competitive and successful
in the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics.
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition
and Dietetics (ACEND) board. ACEND is an autonomous accrediting agency for education
programs preparing students to begin careers as RDNs or as registered dietetic technicians.
For more information about the new program, email Gilis at [email protected] or go here.
About the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources
The University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources
serves students and communities through innovative scholarship, research and outreach.
Guided by the land-grant principles of discovery and experiential learning, the college
facilitates meaningful educational opportunities in the classroom, laboratory and
community. It offers degrees in the departments of agricultural and applied economics,
animal science, botany, ecosystem science and management, family and consumer sciences,
molecular biology, plant sciences, veterinary sciences, and zoology and physiology.
The college also offers degree programs in agricultural communications, microbiology,
and ranch management and agricultural leadership. To learn more, visit www.uwyo.edu/uwag or call (307) 766-4133
link
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