Explore our undergraduate certificates to enhance your expertise and career opportunities. We offer a Didactic Program in Dietetics and a Weight Inclusive Health certificate, each designed to provide specialized knowledge and skills in key areas of nutritional science.
Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Certificate
The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Verification Statement verifies completion of a minimum of 88 units of educational requirements and is required for application to accredited Dietetic Internship (DI) programs. All students who graduate from The University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences - Dietetics Emphasis and also meet the DPD requirements receive a Verification Statement. Our Undergraduate Certificate for Didactic Program in Dietetics will allow you to earn a DPD Verification Statement as a non-degree seeking student.
DPD Verification Statement
A DPD Verification Statement is a document that is awarded to a student who has successfully completed all the requirements established by an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). Possession of a DPD Verification Statement establishes eligibility to sit for the Nutrition and Dietetics Technician, Registered (NDTR) examination to earn the NDTR credential. Possession of a DPD Verification Statement also signifies eligibility to move forward in the process of earning the RDN credential. After completing this certificate program, you will be eligible to apply for ACEND-accredited supervised practice programs through a competitive admissions process.
All students who graduate from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences - Dietetics Emphasis and also meet the DPD requirements below receive a Verification Statement.
DPD Verification Statement Requirements:
Non-NSC Courses:
- CHEM 151 (4 units) or CHEM 141 (3 units) + CHEM 143 (1 unit): General Chemistry I
- CHEM 152 (4 units) or CHEM 142 (3 units) + CHEM 144 (1 unit): General Chemistry II
- CHEM 241 (3 units): Organic Chemistry I
- BIOC 384 (3 units): Foundations in Biochemistry
- BIOC 385 (3 units): Metabolic Biochemistry
- SOC 350 (3 units): Environment, Health & Society
- PSIO 201 (4 units): Anatomy & Physiology I
- PSIO 202 (4 units): Anatomy & Physiology II
- MIC 205A (3 units) + MIC 205L (1 unit): Microbiology
- MCB 181R (3 units) + MCB 181L (1 unit): Introductory Biology I
- Science elective (choose from a list of approved courses)
- Statistics (choose from a list of approved courses)
NSC Courses:
- NSC 101 (3 units): Introduction to Human Nutrition
- NSC 225 (3 units): Foundational Skills in Nutritional Sciences
- NSC 260 (3 units): Nutrition Communication and Scientific Literacy
- NSC 301 (3 units): Nutrition and the Lifecycle
- NSC 396A (3 units): Survey of Nutrition Careers
- NSC 308 (3 units): Nutrition and Metabolism
- NSC 325 (4 units): Foundations of Medical Nutrition Therapy
- NSC 325L (1 unit): Foundations of MNT Lab
- NSC 351 (3 units): Fundamentals of Food Science
- NSC 351L (1 unit): Fundamentals of Food Science Lab
- NSC 358R (2 units): Fundamentals of Food Management
- NSC 358L (1 unit): Institutional Food Management Lab
- NSC 395A (2 units): Experiential Learning in Nutritional Sciences
- NSC 408 (3 units): Nutritional Biology
- NSC 420 (2 units): Nutrition Education and Counseling
- NSC 425 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NSC 435 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NSC 444 (3 units): Community Nutrition
- NSC 458 (3 units): Food Service Organization
- NSC 495A (1 unit): Dietetic Internship Preparation
Read NSC course descriptions here.
Verification Statement Transfer Policy
Any student wishing to obtain a Verification Statement from the University of Arizona will be required to complete the following core courses regardless of whether the equivalents have been taken elsewhere:
- NSC 308 (3 units): Nutrition and Metabolism -OR- NSC 408 (3 units): Nutritional Biology (this will be determined by your NSC advisor)
- NSC 325 (4 units): Foundations of Medical Nutrition Therapy
- NSC 325L (1 unit): Foundations of Medical Nutrition Therapy Lab
- NSC 425 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NSC 435 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NSC 444 (3 units): Community Nutrition
- NSC 458 (3 units): Food Service Organization and Management
- NSC 495A (1 unit): Dietetic Internship Preparation
Verification Statement Recency Policy:
Courses that you intend to transfer to our DPD program may no longer be applicable, depending on time of attendance. Our recency policy is as follows:
- 8 years for Science and Math courses
- 6 years for Nutrition courses
Students pursuing the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) program through the University of Arizona Online will be required to identify experiential learning sites to meet assignment and activity requirements in a number of courses. Fair warning will be given at the beginning of the semester so that a site which meets the necessary specifications can be identified by the student. In some cases, when the site requires, the UA DPD will establish contracts known as “Affiliation Agreements” with experiential learning sites prior to the student beginning their experiential learning activities.
Sites will need to be identified for the following courses:
- NSC 395A: Experiential Learning
- NSC 358L: Institutional Food Service Lab
- NSC 444: Community Nutrition
Students who have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university have the opportunity to pursue our Undergraduate Certificate for Didactic Program in Dietetics. This certificate will allow you to earn a DPD Verification Statement as a non-degree seeking student. By enrolling in our Undergraduate Certificate for Didactic Program in Dietetics, which is nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), you are taking an important step towards becoming a credentialed dietetics professional.
Upon completion of the certificate, you will receive a DPD Verification Statement from the DPD Program Director, verifying completion of the DPD program at the University of Arizona. Possession of a DPD Verification Statement establishes eligibility to sit for the Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered (NDTR) examination to earn the NDTR credential. Possession of a DPD Verification Statement also signifies eligibility to move forward in the process of earning the RDN credential. After completing this certificate program, you will be eligible to apply for ACEND-accredited supervised practice programs through a competitive admissions process.
Required Courses for the Certificate:
Non-NSC Courses:
- CHEM 151 (4 units) or CHEM 141 (3 units) + CHEM 143 (1 unit): General Chemistry I
- CHEM 152 (4 units) or CHEM 142 (3 units) + CHEM 144 (1 unit): General Chemistry II
- CHEM 241 (3 units): Organic Chemistry I
- BIOC 384 (3 units): Foundations in Biochemistry
- BIOC 385 (3 units): Metabolic Biochemistry
- SOC 350 (3 units): Environment, Health & Society
- PSIO 201 (4 units): Anatomy & Physiology I
- PSIO 202 (4 units): Anatomy & Physiology II
- MIC 205A (3 units) + MIC 205L (1 unit): Microbiology
- MCB 181R (3 units) + MCB 181L (1 unit): Introductory Biology I
- Science elective (choose from a list of approved courses)
- Statistics (choose from a list of approved courses)
NSC Courses:
- NSC 101 (3 units): Introduction to Human Nutrition
- NSC 225 (3 units): Foundational Skills in Nutritional Sciences
- NSC 260 (3 units): Nutrition Communication and Scientific Literacy
- NSC 301 (3 units): Nutrition and the Lifecycle
- NSC 396A (3 units): Survey of Nutrition Careers
- NSC 308 (3 units): Nutrition and Metabolism
- NSC 325 (4 units): Foundations of Medical Nutrition Therapy
- NSC 325L (1 unit): Foundations of MNT Lab
- NSC 351 (3 units): Fundamentals of Food Science
- NSC 351L (1 unit): Fundamentals of Food Science Lab
- NSC 358R (2 units): Fundamentals of Food Management
- NSC 358L (1 unit): Institutional Food Management Lab
- NSC 395A (2 units): Experiential Learning in Nutritional Sciences
- NSC 408 (3 units): Nutritional Biology
- NSC 420 (2 units): Nutrition Education and Counseling
- NSC 425 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NSC 435 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NSC 444 (3 units): Community Nutrition
- NSC 458 (3 units): Food Service Organization
- NSC 495A (1 unit): Dietetic Internship Preparation
Read NSC course descriptions here.
Verification Statement Transfer Policy
Any student wishing to obtain a Verification Statement from the University of Arizona will be required to complete the following core courses regardless of whether the equivalents have been taken elsewhere:
- NSC 308 (3 units): Nutrition and Metabolism -OR- NSC 408 (3 units): Nutritional Biology (this will be determined by your NSC advisor)
- NSC 325 (4 units): Foundations of Medical Nutrition Therapy
- NSC 325L (1 unit): Foundations of Medical Nutrition Therapy Lab
- NSC 425 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NSC 435 (4 units): Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NSC 444 (3 units): Community Nutrition
- NSC 458 (3 units): Food Service Organization and Management
- NSC 495A (1 unit): Dietetic Internship Preparation
Verification Statement Recency Policy:
Courses that you intend to transfer to our DPD program may no longer be applicable, depending on time of attendance. Our recency policy is as follows:
- 8 years for Science and Math courses
- 6 years for Nutrition courses
Upon successful completion of the required preliminary courses, Dietetics majors may continue to pursue the degree and obtain a Verification Statement. The University of Arizona’s DPD has established the following criteria to obtain a Verification Statement:
- Completion of all University of Arizona DPD courses or equivalent courses from accredited universities (See DPD Course List). Only courses with a grade of C or better will be accepted for transfer.
- An overall grade point average of 2.75 or better, including UAZ and any transfer courses, or at the discretion of the DPD director.
- Non-degree seeking students: The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Verification Statement verifies completion of a minimum of 88 units of educational requirements. Students must complete a minimum of 23 of the 88 units of education requirements at the University of Arizona.
Students will be permitted to graduate upon successful completion of the DPD program requirements listed in the University of Arizona Academic Catalog for the year in which they entered the program, or a later year if the student elects to adopt updated catalog requirements during their academic program.
The program typically takes about 4 years to complete, but completion time varies for each student. The expected timeline for graduation does not vary based on the campus in which the DPD is completed (UAZ Main, UAZ Yuma, University of Arizona Online), and rather, is dependent on successful completion of courses and number of units achieved each semester. Upon completing all course requirements, students must have both a cumulative GPA of 2.0, as well as a 2.0 in their major coursework.
The following required DPD courses will not be accepted from an institution outside of the United States because they include content that is specific to dietetics practice guidelines for practice in the United States:
- NSC 301: Nutrition and the Life Cycle
- NSC 325: Foundations in Medical Nutrition Therapy
- NSC 425: Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NSC 435: Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NSC 444: Community Nutrition
- NSC 458: Food Service Organization & Management
Read course descriptions here.
If you are transferring in an international degree, you will need to have your coursework evaluated by an approved foreign degree evaluation agency. The list of agencies can be viewed here.
Please contact a Nutrition Academic Advisor or call (520) 621-0898 for additional assistance.
Weight Inclusive Health Certificate
Interested in weight stigma and inclusive care? The Weight Inclusive Health Certificate is open to current University of Arizona undergraduate students and non-degree-seeking students. The certificate requires 12 units (9 units of core courses + 3 units of elective courses). This certificate teaches you how to spot and combat weight stigma and provides frameworks for weight-inclusive care, benefiting careers in healthcare and other helping professions.
The Undergraduate Certificate requires completion of 12 units of coursework (9 units of core courses + 3 units of electives).
Core courses:
- NSC 212 (3 units): Intuitive Eating Approach to Health and Wellbeing
- NSC 312 (3 units): Weight Stigma, Nutrition, and Health
- NSC 412 (3 units): Body Positive Concepts and You
Electives:
- NSC 422/522 (3 units): Weight Inclusive Approach to Counseling
- NSC 432/532 (3 units): Exploring Eating Disorders and Body Image
- NSC 442/542 (3 units): Health Communication from a Weight Inclusive Lens
- CHS 309 (3 units): Ethical Issues in the Helping Professions
- CHS 401 (3 units): Health Disparities and Society