With obesity and related complications on the rise and a constant stream of seemingly contradictory nutritional news cropping up all the time, it pays to be an expert. A West Virginia University program will introduce prospective students to its dietetic acumen and career potential.

The West Virginia University Graduate Dietetic Internship will host an open house from 1-3 p.m. Fri., Dec. 16, 2011, in G029 Agricultural Sciences Building.

Open to potential applicants and students currently in undergraduate human nutrition and foods programs, the event will give participants the chance to learn about the program’s curriculum and research, as well as meet the program director and course instructors.

To describe the program from the student perspective, first-year interns will be on-hand for building and campus tours. Second-year interns will present their Clinical Case Studies and will be available for a question-and-answer panel following their presentations.

“We want to set students up for success by providing them with the timeline and expectations of this highly competitive program up front,” said Melissa Olfert, director of the GDI program and assistant professor of human nutrition and foods in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. “We also want to make them feel at home and take ownership of their potential part in the program.”

The WVU Graduate Dietetic Internship is a two-year combined master’s degree and internship in dietetics for individuals who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree as well as the Didactic Program in Dietetics coursework requirements.

In addition to allowing students to complete a master of science degree, the program provides interns with the 1,200 hours of supervised practice experience in the working world required to be eligible for the national registration examination for dietitians. Six students are accepted into the program every year.

For students who don’t earn one of the six coveted spots but still want to pursue an advanced nutrition degree and attend WVU, two other options are available: a three-year, dual-degree program in public health and nutrition, and a two-year, stand-alone human nutrition program.

Students interested in attending the open house are asked to register by Monday, Dec. 12, and should contact Olfert at 304-293-1918 or Melissa.Olfert@mail.wvu.edu. For more information and to register, please visit http://dietetics.wvu.edu.

The West Virginia University Graduate Dietetic Internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association

-WVU-

law/11/16/11

CONTACT: Lindsay Willey; Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
304.293.2381; Lindsay.Willey@mail.wvu.edu

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