Mission, Goals, and Outcomes for the RDN track career specialty

The Didactic Program in Dietetics is under the umbrella of the Bachelor of Science in Human Nutritional Sciences – Option in Dietetics and Food Administration. The Option in Dietetics and Food Administration has two options, one option allows students receive a verification statement to pursue becoming a RDN – Certificate in Dietetics Option (only ACEND accredited program), and the other option is the non-RDN track which is called the Nutritoinal Sciencs Career option (non-ACEND accredited program).  The DPD program offers a wide range of learning experiences related to general nutrition, community, food systems management, and clinical nutrition and dietetics.

Vision
The faculty of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition are regionally focused food experts who are committed to student success, scholarly activity, and engagement.

 Department of Food Science and Nutrition Mission

The mission of the faculty of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition is to

• Impart food-related knowledge and skills to our students
• Apply food-related knowledge and skills to research and scholarly activity
• Integrate with industry and students to apply food-related knowledge and skills to advance the region.

DPD Mission Statement:

The mission of Fresno State’s DPD program is to provide high-quality, evidenced-based education that meets the standards outlined by ACEND through didactic and experiential learning to qualified undergraduate students.  The program is committed to preparing students to be successful in an accredited dietetic internship program, graduate program, or professional career within the culturally diverse communities in the central valley.

Program Goals and Outcomes

Program Goal 1:  Provide high quality, evidenced-based education for qualified undergraduate dietetic graduates to develop core knowledge, integrate scientific principles, and acquire professional values and behaviors to prepare them for entry into a dietetic internship.

Objectives:

1. 50% of program graduates apply for admission to a supervised practice program prior to or within 12 months of graduation.
2. 55% of program graduates are admitted to a supervised practice program 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 credentialing exam for registered dietitian nutritionist is at least 80%..
4. 80% or more of internship directors’ surveys will rate graduates with a minimum of 3 on a 5 point scale for knowledge and skills that meet the expectations of the internship directors.

Program Goal 2: Prepare culturally competent qualified undergraduate dietetic graduates for graduate school or employment in dietetics or related fields that positively impact the culturally diverse communities within the San Joaquin Central Valley.

 

Objectives:

1. >/= 90% of qualified undergraduate students will be accepted into the Certificate of Dietetics option in year 3 of the DPD curriculum.
2. At least 80% of program students complete program/degree requirements within 1.5 years (150% of the program length)
3. At least 60% of DPD alumni completing the exit survey will report at least satisfactory rating relating to core knowledge and cultural competency for the RDN.
4. At least 70% of alumni completing the exit survey will report at least satisfactory rating relating to their capacity to perform in a supervised practice, graduate program, pre-professional program or entry-level nutrition and dietetics position. 

Program Outcomes Data

The outcome data demonstrates the success of meeting the 5-year pass rate criteria for the RDN examination and the 5-year acceptance criteria for DPD graduates entering a dietetic internship program. This data is available upon request. Please forward all inquiries to the Food Science and Nutrition Department, or the DPD director: Lisa Herzig, Ph.D., RDN, CDCES (lherzig@csufresno.edu)