DPD Admissions / Application

Nondiscrimination Policy

“In compliance with national, state and university requirements, the SDSU Didactic Program in Dietetics does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity or expression or sexual orientation.”

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate students who have been advanced to major status in the BS Foods and Nutrition degree program and meet the overall GPA criteria of at least 3.0 are eligible to apply to the DPD. Graduate students who have been admitted to the MS Nutritional Sciences program or the Concurrent MS Nutritional Sciences and Exercise Physiology program and meet the DPD course GPA criteria of at least 3.0 are eligible to apply to the DPD. Students who have completed the SDSU BS Foods and Nutrition program or who have completed a master’s degree may apply to the SDSU DPD and complete the required DPD coursework through SDSU Open University, provided they maintain a DPD course GPA of at least 3.0.

Students with degrees from institutions not located in the United States of America must have their transcripts reviewed by one of the Independent Foreign Degree Evaluation Agencies listed here. An Official Review Document must be obtained before verification review will commence.

Application Procedure

Students are encouraged to apply to the DPD as soon as eligible. If you plan to graduate at the end of Spring semester, the latest deadline for applying to the DPD is June 1 of the prior year. If you plan to graduate at the end of Fall semester, the latest deadline to apply to the DPD is January 1 of that year. This allows the faculty to plan for an adequate number of sections of DPD-only classes.

In order to apply to the SDSU DPD, please complete the application form (pdf) and submit the completed form along with your unofficial transcripts from SDSU and any other colleges/universities attended to [email protected].

The review process may take up to two weeks during the academic year and up to one month over breaks. When the initial evaluation is complete, you will receive a letter stating what additional course work you need to complete for verification. If you wish to discuss the verification evaluation, contact the DPD Director at [email protected].

Policy for Prior Learning Assessment

Students who wish to request assessment of prior learning for exemption from SDSU DPD courses are required to contact the DPD Director for evaluation. Documentation may include academic transcripts, course descriptions, course syllabi, certificates, position descriptions, projects, and other such materials to sufficiently establish that DPD competencies for a specific course or specific courses have been fully met.

If it is determined that such competencies have been met, a course waiver will be completed as needed in accordance with university policy. Copies of documentation will be retained to substantiate eligibility for issuance of DPD Verification Statement at program completion.