A dietitian in a white coat smiling at a client

Beginning in January 2024, becoming a credentialed registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) requires completion of: 

  1. The accredited academic coursework
  2. A minimum of 1,000 hours in an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program
  3. A master's degree  
  4. Passage of the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialing examination

In some states, graduates also must obtain licensure to practice. Licensure is not required in the state of California. Information about other states’ licensure requirements can be found on the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) website. University of California disclosures about professional licensure and certification can be found here.

The Master of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics (MNSD) provides the accredited dietetics coursework and supervised practice hours, and upon completion, graduates are eligible for the CDR credentialing examination. The program identifies experiential learning sites for the supervised practice hours to assure timely completion of the program. The MNSD requires students to earn a minimum of 1,172 hours of experiential learning hours, or the equivalent, as determined by the program director. 

For further questions, contact dietetics@berkeley.edu.