Application and Selection

Deadlines

Application Deadline: January 15*

Program Start Date: August 15

*All applications are reviewed concurrently after the January 15 application deadline

Application Process

1. Application Submission

Apply through the Virginia Tech Graduate System by the specified deadline.

2. Admission to the Program

Complete the Graduate School Application and pay a $75 application fee. Information on application fee waivers is available here.
Submit two letters of reference: one from a work or volunteer supervisor and one from an instructor or professor familiar with your academic performance. These letters should discuss your academic and work-related strengths. It is recommended that you select people that know you well enough to discuss your academic and work-related strengths. No more than two references can be submitted. Please note that references can still be uploaded after your application is submitted to the graduate school, but all letters of reference need to be uploaded by January 15 for full consideration.
Prepare a resume (limited to two pages) listing relevant experiences related to the field of dietetics.
Write a Virginia Tech program-specific personal statement addressing seven key questions (below) in essay format. All aspects of the personal statement should be generated independently by the applicant. Any substantive portion completed by someone else, including AI-generated content, is not allowed.
1. Why do you want to enter the dietetics profession?
2. Why are you specifically interested in MSND program at Virginia Tech?
3. How have your prior work and/or volunteer experiences prepared you for a career in dietetics?
4. Describe any unique challenge(s) that required resiliency and fueled your professional and/or personal growth.
5. What are your short- and long-term career goals related to being a dietitian?
6. Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement and how those would impact your ability to be successful in the program, including fulfillment of graduate-level expectations?
7. Why do you believe that constructive feedback is important in the preparation of future healthcare professionals?

3. Additional Forms

Depending on the track you're applying for, submit the following additional forms:

Submit a Prerequisite Grade Sheet for applicable coursework, even if working towards a DPD-verification statement. This includes a plan to complete any additional necessary prerequisites before the program start date.

If you're coming from an ACEND-accredited DPD undergraduate program, a Declaration of Intent form (if still in the program) or Verification Statement form (if graduated) from your DPD director to demonstrate your status in, or completion of, the DPD, will be requested upon acceptance.

Track Two Applicants

Provide a degree audit reporting system (DARS) report showing the coursework required to finish your B.S. degree.

Submit a Proposed Plan of Study outlining the required courses to be completed in your senior year of the B.S. degree alongside MSND requirements. This plan must be signed by both you and your academic advisor.

4. Official Transcripts

Order official transcript(s) for all applicants, including Virginia Tech students.

5. Standardized tests

Note that GRE scores are not required and are not considered as part of the application process. However, TOEFL scores are required for international students only. International applicants whose first language is not English must submit TOEFL scores, except those applicants who have graduated from an accredited university where English is the language of instruction. A minimum TOEFL score of 80 (IBT) or IELTS score of 6.5 is required for admission.

6. Track-Specific Prerequisites

Ensure that you meet the track-specific prerequisites for your application.

Track One Applicants

Have (or will have) earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university before the program starts.

Maintain an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for the equivalent of the last two years of undergraduate study.

ServSafe Manager training and certification - can be taken after program admission. The leadership team will send out information on this process after program acceptance.

Successfully complete specified prerequisite courses (or Virginia Tech equivalent) or on track to attain a DPD verification statement:

Introduction to Nutrition
Introduction to Psychology
Statistics
General Chemistry (two semesters)
General Chemistry Lab (two semesters)
Organic Chemistry+
Biochemistry+
Microbiology
Microbiology Lab (1-2 credits)
Anatomy and Physiology (two semesters)*
Nutrition Across the Lifespan* (2-3 credits)
Health Counseling**
Food Selection and Preparation Lab***
Metabolic Nutrition (Advanced Nutrition, Nutritional Biochemistry or equivalent; two semesters; 4-6 credits)**

Key:

+ Combined Organic Chemistry - Biochemistry classes will be evaluated.
* Should be taken prior to Metabolic Nutrition I. The program will also accept one semester each of Anatomy, then Physiology, if taught separately, for a total of 6-8 credits.
** May be taken at Virginia Tech in the summer prior to August start date.
*** May be taken during the first semester of the program.

Recency of education: Basic science prerequisites should be taken within the past 10 years and dietetics specific courses within the past five years.

While there is no minimum grade required for prerequisites, competitive candidates should score a “B” or higher in these courses.

Track Two Applicants

Be a current Virginia Tech HNFE Nutrition and Dietetics major student with junior status and a minimum overall GPA of 3.4 at the time of application.

Submit a DARS report and a senior year Proposed Plan of Study signed by your academic advisor, outlined the required graduate-level coursework.

For more information about applying to Virginia Tech's MSND program, please visit the Graduate School’s application information page.

Contact

Please direct all program inquiries to msnd@vt.edu or 540-231-3877.

Bio Item

Enette Larson-Meyer, PhD, RD, CSSD, FACSM , bio
Professor, Director of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics (MSND) Program, and Director of the Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (NEM) Lab: How nutrition and exercise influence health and physical performance; special interest in energy, vitamin D and iodine metabolism
Bio Item

Kristen Chang, MS, RDN, CSSD , bio
Instructor and Assistant Director of the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics (MSND) Program: Nutrition counseling for behavior change; sports nutrition; management and leadership in nutrition and dietetics