Metropolitan State University of Denver Dietetic Internship

view of MSU of Denver's campus, home of the Metropolitan State University Dietetic Internship

Happy Tuesday! It’s been a bit, hasn’t it? Between my last post and now, I started my fall graduate classes at a different MSU (Montana State University). I took some time off to relearn how to manage online classes in addition to work, family, and life. But I’m back now! And I’m excited to share another dietetic internship overview with you. Today we’re going to look at the Metropolitan State University Dietetic Internship.

Metropolitan State University Dietetic Internship Overview

MSU is in the Denver, Colorado metro area with the fitting concentration in urban health and nutrition. Each spring match period, the dietetic internship (DI) program admits 12 interns. Some internships hold a few internship spots for their school’s students, a practice known as pre-selecting” spots. MSU, however, doesn’t do that, which means more positions are available for those coming from other schools!

The program includes an optional MS degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics. If you’ve already completed your DPD program before starting the internship, you’re eligible to complete the MS degree at the same time as the DI. The degree is flexible with full-time and part-time options, hybrid class settings (online and in-person), and no GRE scores needed!

Once students are accepted into the internship, they start the following summer, around late July, or early August. The exact start date varies by intern. After that, the program takes 10 months (42 weeks) to complete (not including the optional MS degree).

Rotations

Like all dietetic internships, the Metropolitan State University Dietetic Internship has rotations in three key areas of dietetics: clinical, community, and food service management. Because these are the basic rotations, they make up most of interns’ hours. But MSU also has some unique rotations that it brings to the program.

For example, to start off rotations, interns have a week of orientation that includes a Skills Development Seminar. The seminar also continues throughout the internship with meetings every other week. This allows interns to present findings from rotations, prepare for the RD exam, and connect with the internship director and each other.

As part of the concentration in Urban Nutrition, interns spend eight weeks focusing on community health and food insecurity. Interns can also create a personalized two-week rotation in an area of interest related to urban nutrition.

Based on the internships’ website, interns work with their preceptors at various sites around the city, including hospitals, long-term care settings, community health organizations, WIC centers, school food services, and farm-to-table programs.

What Stands Out About the Metropolitan State University Dietetic Internship?

The MSU Dietetic Internship is perfect for people in the Denver area interested in finding solutions to issues within nutrition in urban settings. This includes things like food deserts and unequal access to calories and/or diverse foods.Learning through rotations with the goal of solving these problems would make a huge impact on your future as a registered dietitian.

As far as practical things that help MSU’s program stand out, the DI offers decent out-of-state tuition, only $2,400 more than in-state tuition. Unlike many dietetic internships, the program also has a $5,000 stipend that you can apply for.

Why Choose the Metropolitan State University Dietetic Internship?

The mission of MSU’s dietetic internship is “to prepare culturally aware and competent entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists to serve diverse populations within urban settings through the promotion of optimal nutrition, health and well-being.” Based on that statement and the other descriptions of MSU, I would recommend the program to you if you…

  • Want to tackle the problems of urban nutrition
  • Would like to increase your cultural awareness through food and nutrition
  • Are interested in a master’s degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Would like to live in Colorado or in the Denver metropolitan area

Resources

Want to learn more about MSU and their dietetic internship? Here’s some websites that I found useful!

Until next time,
Emmalee

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