Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Certificate

How to Apply

The application for Fall 2019 is now closed. Check back here at the start of the fall semester for more information about Spring 2020. Please contact the Office of Admission with any questions at snhs@simmons.edu.

Application Requirements

An applicant must hold an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. post-secondary institution or university abroad which is recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country. No prerequisite courses or GREs are required. Applicants to all Simmons programs represent a varied range of academic and experiential backgrounds.

*TOEFL is required of all non-native speakers of English who did not graduate from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university at the bachelor's or master's level or from a post-secondary institution abroad which is recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country in English-speaking countries only. This requirement is based on native language not citizenship.

The application deadline depends on the application cycle you are applying to. An applicant will be considered for review if the following requirements are submitted and completed by the deadline:

1. Complete application
   *If you are also applying to the MS and/or CSN, you will still use just one application. There will be an option for you to select which programs you are applying to.
2. Personal statement
3. Current resume
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Official college transcripts from all institutions attended, whether or not a degree was earned
6. If applicable, additional requirements for international students

Academic Records: Transcripts

Official transcripts are required for all courses completed (undergraduate and graduate) at regionally accredited U.S. post-secondary institutions, whether or not a degree was awarded or regardless of when the courses were taken or if the courses are specific to the program to which you are applying. This requirement includes courses which appear on another transcript as transfer or study abroad credit. If you attended a study abroad program and the grades appear on the transcript of your home institution, you do not need to submit a separate transcript. Check with the Registrar's Office of your undergraduate institution to confirm this. If there are no grades listed on your home institution's transcript, and a separate transcript exists, we require an official copy. 

If you have earned a degree abroad, academic records must include end of year marks sheets for each year of attendance, not just final exam results or a copy of the degree. Educational documents should clearly indicate the degree and date awarded. Overseas post-secondary institutions must be recognized by the Ministry of Education in the home country. Academic records in the native language and an official English translation (if needed) are required.

The Office of Admission also accepts electronic transcripts from certain vendors including eSCRIP-SAFE, Parchment and National Student Clearinghouse.

Standardized Tests

GRE scores are not required to apply to the DPD. Applicants whose first language is not English must submit official TOEFL scores taken within two years prior to the application deadline. The TOEFL requirement is based on native language, not citizenship. No other English proficiency exam will be accepted. For more information on the TOEFL requirement, see the tab for international students.

Recommendations

Three recommendations, written within six months of the deadline, are required. For the DPD, two letters must be from current or recent instructors and one from a recent professional reference. Instructions for the recommendation process can be found within the application. 

Required courses in the DPD program

As indicated above, no prerequisites are required to apply to the DPD program. However, the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) which is the accrediting body of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics requires the completion of specific courses to fulfill the didactic requirements to apply for a Dietetic Internship program. The Simmons DPD is accredited by ACEND and meets this requirement.

You may have already completed some of these courses that comprise the DPD program in previous programs or at other institutions. To determine if previous courses taken meet the criteria for the Simmons DPD program, please request approval in writing via email to snhs@simmons.edu and provide the name and number of the course, where it was offered and when. All course approval decisions are made by the academic department based on course content, program curriculum requirements and applicable professional certification requirements. The approval decision will be communicated to the student via email. If additional information is needed before a decision can be made, you may be asked to complete the Prerequisite/Syllabus Review Process.

If applicants are/were enrolled in institutions which used quarter or trimester systems, two or three quarters/trimesters may be required to equal one semester. This will be determined on such aspects, but not only, course content, frequency of class meetings per week and length of the course.

Carefully review the Course Syllabus Data and the Prerequisite Review Process forms below about this process and submit the required information if needed. It is likely you that you will not need to submit syllabi for all courses.

• Prerequisite/Syllabus Review Process
• Course Syllabus Data Form

All science courses, with the exception of Biochemistry, must include labs and must have been completed at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, see below for recency requirements. These courses must be graded and may not be completed on a pass/fail basis or audited. CLEP or IB scores are not accepted for such required courses. The labs must be hands on labs (not online).

• General Biology *
• Microbiology *
• Anatomy and Physiology I *
• Anatomy and Physiology II *
• Inorganic Chemistry *
• Organic Chemistry *
• Biochemistry
• Introductory Statistics

* With Lab

All of the nutrition courses must be taken at Simmons:

• Introduction to Nutrition Science
• Advanced Food Science
• The Practice of Clinical Dietetics
• The Practice of Community Nutrition
• Food Production and Service Systems
• Leadership in Nutrition Management
• Nutrient Metabolism
• Medical Nutrition Therapy
• Advanced Practice in Community Nutrition
• Seminar-Selected Topics in Nutrition

Other required courses:

• Two courses in social sciences. One of these must be in either sociology or psychology.

For the DPD program, (BS or DPD Certificate) there is a recency requirement for courses. If the student has been working in a field that uses the skills and knowledge taught in a specific course that was taken more than the recency limit prior to beginning the program, the DPD director may waive this recency requirement for that specific course.

Recency limits for courses:

• 5 years: All nutrition courses, Anatomy and Physiology I & II, and Biochemistry.  However, if a student took Anatomy and Physiology I & II, Biochemistry, or NUTR 111/112 greater than 5 years but less than 10 years prior to beginning the DPD program, the student may choose to take a competency examination to place out of those courses.
• 10 years: All other courses

Enrollment Deposit

Accepted applicants to the DPD program are required to submit a non-refundable $750 enrollment deposit. This deposit is applied to the first term bill. 

Deferred Entrance for Nutrition Programs

An accepted student may request, in writing, to the Director of Admission of the Office of Admission a deferral of the entrance date for a maximum of one year. The student must indicate what they will do in the interim. Deferrals cannot be granted if an accepted student to Simmons wants to take classes at another institution in the interim. If granted a deferral, a non-refundable enrollment deposit is required by the date stated in the letter of admission to ensure enrollment. 

Re-application Procedure

An individual who wishes to re-apply must submit a new electronic application, transcripts for courses completed since the original application, an updated resume, recent recommendations and another application processing fee. Contact the Office of Admission at 617-521-2605 for further information.