The mission of the Didactic Program in Dietetics is to provide opportunities for students to achieve academic excellence, utilize critical thinking skills, and pursue personal interests in the area of dietetics. The primary purpose of the program is the academic preparation of students for entry into a dietetic internship or a graduate program. A secondary purpose of the program is to contribute to the pool of Registered Dietitians in the Southwest Louisiana community.  The program strives to provide students with a broad, general education in the areas of advanced nutrition, clinical nutrition, community nutrition, food science, and foodservice systems management. The program provides students with the knowledge required as a foundation for supervised practice for entry-level dietitians. It also strives to promote life-long professional development through self-directed learning and innovative thinking skills.

The program’s goals and associated outcome measures are as follows:

1. Graduating students will assess preparation to meet foundation knowledge and skills for entry-level dietitian education programs as set out by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) with an average rating that meets or exceeds a score of 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 on the Program Graduate Evaluation.
2. Within one year of completing the program, at least 75% of graduates will obtain one or more of the following: acceptance into a graduate program, appointment to a dietetic internship, or employment.

1. At least 75% of employers will rate program graduates as ‘excellent’ or ‘above average’ in the areas of “professional and technical skills” and “management skills.”
2. At least 75% of employers will indicate ‘excellent’ or ‘above average’ that program graduates have an effective body of knowledge.

1. The program will maintain a 75% or higher completion rate for students who have been enrolled in the program for two or more consecutive semesters.
2. At least 90% of program graduates who apply for a dietetic internship will complete it.
3. The pass rate for first-time test takers of the registration exam will be 80% or higher.
4. At least 50% of dietitians practicing in Southwest Louisiana will be graduates of the program.

Upon completion of the program:

1. Students will exhibit the ability to utilize appropriate and effective communication skills and tools in a variety of settings.

2. Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate a broad understanding of all aspects of food and nutrition, food science, food production, eating behaviors, public policy, and disease prevention to provide evidence-based nutrition recommendations for promoting health and wellness to individuals and communities.

3. Students will demonstrate the ability to decipher credible sources of information; examine, integrate and assess that information, and be able to solve problems and make appropriate decisions and inferences.

4. Students will demonstrate the skills necessary to carry out the nutrition care process in varied settings involving individuals and communities.

5. Students will acquire the skills necessary to manage a variety of resources in diverse settings.

6. Students will be familiar with health care systems and the variety of settings in which dietetics is practiced, including the policies, issues and agencies that affect the operation of various health care systems.