Each student must approve one hundred, thirty-four (134) credit hours in accordance with the approved curricular sequence to obtain the degree.
Minimum GPA:
- General Overall Grade Point Average (to graduate): 3.0 (beginning 2019)
- Major (concentration) Grade Point Average (to graduate): 3.0 (beginning 2019)
At present the minimum GPAs for graduation is 2.50, students compete for Dietetic Internships, many of which have standards of a GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, students aspiring to graduate school should have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Program Duration and Time to Degree Completion: The program is designed so that a full-time student may be able to complete the curriculum sequence for a bachelor’s degree in four years, particularly if they enter with Pre-Calculus approved; this may be accomplished through advanced placement testing or summer immersion program prior to the first semester. The goal is for students to complete the Program in a maximum of 150% of the time, or six (6) years; this also corresponds to accreditation benchmarks, as well as the time allotted for financial aid from the U.S. Dept. of Education and the UPR-RP. Although not recommended, the maximum time allowed for a student to complete the degree is ten years. The time to completion for the Nutrition and Dietetics Major Course Components within the bachelor’s degree is approximately 2.5 years or five semesters.
A Verification Statement document that an individual has completed all academic requirements established by an accredited Nutrition and Dietetics Program. This document is required in order for the student to apply for an ACEND-accredited dietetic internship. After completion of a Dietetic Internship, the individual receives another Verification Statement granting eligibility to write the Registered Dietitian Exam (RDN). In 2024, eligibility to take the RDN will also include a master degree. To receive a Verification Statement from the DPD Director, the student must complete the following requirements.
For students admitted prior to Fall 2019 the student must:
- Complete all DPD requirements set forth in the curricular sequence.
- Earn a grade of C or better in all major (concentration; courses with code NUTR) courses. In the curricular sequence, pre-requisite courses must be passed with a minimum grade of “C” in order to continue to the next level; this was approved by the Board of Trustees in 1995. Also, the student will not be allowed to repeat a course with “C” more than once, according to the policies of the College of Natural Sciences.
The Verification Statement is generated as soon as the Registrar’s Office corroborates that all requirements to grant the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics have been met.
For students admitted to the Program in Fall 2019 forward, the requirements to receive a Verification Statement are:
- Complete all DPD requirements set forth in the curricular sequence.
- Earn a general grade point average of 3.0
- Earn a concentration grade point average of 3.0
- The Verification Statement is generated as soon as the Registrar’s Office corroborates that all requirements to grant the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics have been met.
Students must complete a form used internally to document students that will request graduation within a given semester. The DPD assistant begins compiling the list of students that are candidates for graduation from each semester to ensure the following documents are in place: academic evaluation, student plans for applying to internships or graduate studies, need for Declaration of Intent document, unofficial transcript and ultimately certification of the date when the degree is conferred by the Registrar’s Office. Upon confirmation that the student was granted the degree, the Verification Statement is prepared. Students are given the Verification Statement personally and complete an exit interview survey that is used for Program evaluation. A scanned digital copy of the Verification Statements is kept on file.