Program Mission, Goals, and Objectives

The mission statement is as follows: The didactic program in dietetics at Sam Houston State University is an inclusive program whose mission is to provide quality, scholarship and community service opportunities to a diverse student body in order to complete the knowledge requirements set by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) so that graduates are prepared for supervised practice leading to eligibility for CDR credentialing exam in order to become a registered dietitian leading to a global marketplace meeting individual and family needs in the food or health-care industry

The first program goal is to prepare graduates to perform competently in a dietetic internship or supervised practice program for preparation as an entry level dietitian. The objectives for this goal include the following: (1) at least 50 percent of program graduates apply for admission to a supervised practice program prior to or within 12 months of graduation, (2) of program graduates who apply to a supervised practice program, at least 30 percent will be admitted within 12 months of graduation, (3) the program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialling exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%, and (4) of graduates completing supervised practice programs at least 70% will apply and be accepted to graduate programs within one year of completing the supervised practice program.

The second goal is to contribute to the number of graduates working in nutrition and food related careers. The objectives for the second goal include the following:(1) Of program graduates 50% will indicate with a satisfactory response or better that the DPD program prepared them for their supervised practice and career as an RD, other healthcare industry, food science, manufacturing or food distribution employee, (2) at least 80% of program graduates complete program/degree requirements within 3 years (150% of the program length), (3) 50% of Supervised Practice Program Directors will indicate on surveys “satisfactory” or better performance in the workplace, performance in the Dietetic Internship or in community service, and (4) all DPD program graduates who choose not to enter a dietetic internship and have a GPA of at least 3.0 will obtain a Verification Statement at the completion of the DPD coursework.