» Certificate in Didactic Program in Dietetics (D.P.D.)

The Mission of the Simmons College Certificate in Didactic Program in Dietetics

The mission of the Simmons College Didactic Program in Dietetics is subsumed within that of the Department of Nutrition. The mission of the Simmons College Department of Nutrition is twofold. The first is to educate students and foster an appreciation of lifelong learning in preparation for their success in advanced nutrition or dietetics education or employment so that they can be effective in a profession that works to affect the eating behaviors and subsequent health and quality of life of a multicultural and diverse population, a profession that adds to the scientific investigation about food and health, and one that fosters an appreciation of food's relationship to other sciences; and second, to provide the College community with the intellectual basis and professional expertise for achieving and/or maintaining health through food habits.

Program Goals and Objectives

The Nutrition Department is dedicated to quality teaching and learning. The following are the goals of Simmons College Didactic Program in Dietetics. The DPD goals are consistent with the mission of the College and the corresponding college goals; this is illustrated below by showing the college-wide goal that correspond to each of the Simmons College DPD goals

1. The Simmons College DPD will prepare graduates capable of becoming competent entry level professionals.
2. The DPD will prepare graduates capable of succeeding in one or more of the following: a graduate program related to nutrition or dietetics, an accredited dietetic internship program (DIP), or employment.
3. The DPD will prepare graduates who are capable of serving a culturally diverse population with understanding and respect.
4. The DPD will prepare graduates who are technologically capable in their profession.

As part of our accreditation requirements set forth by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association we have set forth measurable outcome objectives which track our progress toward attaining the aforementioned goals. These include: 1) tracking of graduates to assess Dietetic Internship Program, graduate school or employment placement, 2) graduate assessment of their competence in specific areas of nutrition and dietetics, as well as their assessment of their technological capability as well as their capability to serve a culturally diverse population.

Below you will find a more detailed description of the Simmons College DPD including coursework requirements.

The Simmons College Certificate in Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD)^[1]

The Simmons College Certificate in the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is a post-baccalaureate program that fulfills one of the requirements for becoming a Registered Dietitian. The undergraduate courses required for this DPD (shown below) can be completed within the context of the Simmons College curriculum either as a part of a Bachelor's degree or in addition to an already completed Bachelor's degree. Students in possession of a bachelor's degree or not currently enrolled in the Simmons nutrition and dietetics bachelor's degree program must apply for this certificate through the Office of Admission of the School for Health Studies (graduate nutrition). While the courses are undergraduate, the credential awarded will be a graduate certificate and thus tuition and fee charges will be based on the existing SHS rates. See Nutrition Applications and Catalogs.

The DPD certificate is designed for those students who have already completed a Bachelor's degree and who would like to complete solely the Didactic Program requirements to become a Registered Dietitian. Even students who have already obtained a Bachelor's degree in a different discipline can complete the DPD certificate program to apply for a supervised practice program (e.g., dietetic internship). The American Dietetic Association didactic undergraduate course requirements for the Simmons College Certificate in the DPD are as follows: Any pre-requisite courses specified in the college catalog for each course must be completed prior to taking the course in question.

*with Laboratory

Nutrition Courses

In addition, there are two required social science courses; at least one of these should be in sociology or psychology.

It should be noted that fulfilling the aforementioned courses required for the Certificate in the Didactic Program in Dietetics is only one step in the credentialing process for dietetics practitioners. In addition to a minimum of a Bachelor's degree, the undergraduate DPD course completion must be followed by an accredited supervised practice program (e.g., a dietetic internship program (DIP)) to ensure eligibility to take the R.D. examination. The application to the DIP is a separate process and completion of the Certificate in the DPD in no way guarantees acceptance into a DIP. For more information on becoming a registered dietitian please see http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/SID-5303FFEA-66E62AB5/ada/hs.xsl/home_6658_ENU_HTML.htm

Students must pass a minimum of 5 courses at Simmons College to be eligible to obtain a Certificate in the DPD and a verification statement (the latter is required by the ADA) from Simmons College even if coursework equivalent to the aforementioned requirements has been completed elsewhere. Students who complete the Certificate in the DPD at Simmons College will receive this certificate and also a verification statement which documents completion of ADA required courses, once they have submitted the following to the DPD director:

• All official transcripts from all colleges attended for credit toward their degree and all colleges attended at which students took courses which fulfilled the Certificate in the DPD requirements (approval of all courses proposed to be taken for the DPD at a college other than Simmons College is required by the Nutrition Department). These official transcripts are in addition to and separate from those submitted as part of the admission process; photocopies are not acceptable.
• A request for the verification statement (either by e-mail or hard copy). This request should include the student's full name, social security number, and the address to which the verification statements should be sent.
• There is a 1-2 week turn-around time between the time of receipt of all aforementioned and the sending out of the verification statement.

^[1]The Simmons College Nutrition Program's Didactic Program in Dietetics is currently granted Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL, 60606-6995, tel: (312) 899-5400.

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