The University of New Mexico’s Nutrition and Dietetics program received its national reaccreditation to continue serving communities across the state by preparing students to become registered dietitian nutritionists.
Housed within the College of Education and Human Sciences, UNM’s Nutrition and Dietetics program offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition & Dietetics, a Master of Science degree in Nutrition and an accredited nine-month Dietetic Internship.
“The nutrition program has critical importance to the health and well-being of our many diverse communities.” - Jean Cerami, UNM Nutrition and Dietetics Program coordinator
The program recently underwent a rigorous reaccreditation review by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). ACEND is the national accrediting agency for “education programs preparing students for careers as registered dietitian nutritionists or nutrition and dietetics technicians, registered.”
Accreditation allows the program to enroll up to eight students in the full-time dietetic internship with a clinical concentration. UNM’s Nutrition and Dietetics Program Coordinator, Jean Cerami said community partners around the state play a key role in helping advance student learning.
“We live in a rural state that suffers from health disparities and a high prevalence of nutrition-related chronic diseases. Some communities in the state also lack access to healthful foods” Cerami said. “The nutrition program has critical importance to the health and well-being of our many diverse communities.”
Cerami said the internship program partners with different organizations, hospitals and school districts – preparing students to take the National Registration Examination to become registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs). Once students become RDNs, they can work in several areas of dietetics including research, food service management, community nutrition and clinical dietetics.
UNM’s Nutrition and Dietetics program will apply for re-accreditation in eight years.
