Admission to Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is open to U.S. workers in the four categories below. Therefore, visa sponsorship is not available.

1. U.S. citizens
2. U.S. nationals
3. Lawful permanent residents
4. Asylees and refugees

Applicants whose primary language is not English must submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based test (TOEFL iBT). Scores from the speaking portion of the exam are given particular consideration in admission decisions. Learn more about the exam and register online at the Educational Testing Service.

The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences code for the TOEFL iBT is 5784.

Educational transcripts from schools outside the U.S. must be translated (if they are not already in English) and evaluated for U.S. equivalence by an accredited credential evaluation service company prior to submission. Please refer to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of qualified companies. The applicant pays for the examination and credential-evaluation services.

Estimated first-year student expenses (11 months) for the 2024-2025 academic year of the Dietetic Internship program:

*Note: Tuition, the only budget item directly billed to you, is paid automatically by Mayo Clinic Scholarship. Adjust remaining budget items accordingly to align with your individual household budget needs. Exact tuition bill amounts are subject to change and are dependent on program curriculum.

Outside work

Although outside employment is discouraged, you may be employed on a supplemental basis as long as it doesn't interfere with the training program and your academic and clinical performance is satisfactory.

The Dietetic Internship prepares you for professional practice in hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, and food service management.

Learning experiences

During this program, learning experiences allow you to:

• Assess the nutritional status of patients with complex medical conditions; diagnose nutrition problems; plan and implement nutrition interventions; and monitor and evaluate problems, etiologies, signs and symptoms, and the impact of nutrition interventions
• Establish collaborative relationships with patients, caregivers, and health professionals
• Use effective education and counseling skills to facilitate behavior change
• Develop time management and critical thinking skills
• Function as the clinical staff dietitian in various areas to assess nutritional status and to develop and implement an appropriate care plan for each client
• Provide nutritional care for individuals and groups in community-based settings
• Develop and provide food and nutrition services in a healthcare setting
• Perform management functions related to safety, security, and sanitation that affect employees, customers, patients, and food
• Demonstrate and promote responsible use of resources, including employees, money, time, food, and disposable goods
• Select and design a learning experience in a special interest area of dietetics
• Complete a research project with Mayo Clinic staff

Rotations

Each week, you'll spend 32 hours in supervised practice rotations (the exception is during orientation and staffing, when you will report for 40 hours per week).

Didactic classes are held the week prior to module one clinical rotations and the week prior to module 2 clinical rotations.

The rotation schedule includes:

2023-2024 MS DI curriculum schedule

Rotations to other sites

Through the community service rotations, you have the opportunity to work with people of different ages and socioeconomic conditions. There are placements in public schools; skilled nursing facilities; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and area community hospitals and clinics.

Schedule

For the majority of the internship, your learning schedule includes eight-hour days, four days a week. While the regular schedule is usually 32 hours per week, additional projects and homework are assigned. The program is a full-time commitment for class and supervised experience. You report primarily weekdays. However, you may be required to report for three to four weekends and one to two holidays throughout the year as established for learning experiences. Hours vary depending on the work experience. No credit is given for previous work experience.

Classes cover current nutrition and dietetics-related knowledge and principles to supplement the supervised practice learning experiences. Lectures, workshops, in-service training, case studies, field trips, and informal discussions will help you pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) Registration Examination.

As a learner, you also present nutrition programs to community audiences, which increases your skills in public speaking and working with community groups.

During your internship, you are granted two weeks of vacation around the Christmas and New Year holidays as well as two weeks of vacation in the spring. You may report for up to two holidays a year.

Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, includes an extensive outpatient complex, Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, and substantial research and education facilities. This Mayo Clinic site is among the largest, most advanced medical centers in the world.

Primarily, education for this internship is conducted at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus, a 1,265-bed facility that was founded in 1889. Within the Saint Marys Campus is the 148-bed Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital. Learners also have rotations at Mayo Clinic outpatient facilities and Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus.

The Dietetic Internship is coordinated and taught by the medical and dietetic staff of Mayo Clinic with assistance from community-based dietitians. Faculty members are chosen for their commitment to teaching, as well as their clinical practice and research. Many have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields. You have direct access to these individuals throughout your training, giving you the opportunity to learn from some of today's best dietetics practitioners.

Brenda Sanderson, M.S., RDN, LD
Program Director

Brenda graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and completed her dietetic internship at Virginia Tech, Roanoke campus. She received her master's degree in Human Nutrition in 2006 from the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Connecticut. She has been the program director for the Dietetic Internship in Rochester since December 2020.

In addition to overseeing the Dietetic Internship, Brenda provides medical nutrition therapy to adult patients at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus. She also enjoys precepting and holds the academic rank of assistant professor of nutrition.

Visiting professors and lecturers

A hallmark of higher education excellence is the breadth and depth of information and experience provided to you by faculty and visiting experts. Each year, many prominent professors visit Mayo Clinic to lecture in their areas of medical and scientific expertise.

As a student at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, you are encouraged to learn from these valuable resources by attending all relevant conferences, lectures, and seminars prepared for students, interns, residents, fellows, and consulting staff.

The Dietetic Internship Program is committed to diversity and educating learners who will make the population of healthcare professionals a true representation of our diverse community.

The following technical standards are not intended to deter any candidate for whom reasonable accommodation will allow the fulfillment of the curriculum. Program applicants and admitted learners with disabilities are confidentially reviewed to determine whether there are any reasonable accommodations that would permit the individual to satisfy the program standards. The following technical standards are required of all learners enrolled in the Dietetic Internship Program.

Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190
Chicago, IL 60606-6995
Phone: 800-877-1600, ext. 5400 (toll-free) or 312-899-0040, ext. 5400

See accreditation information for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Mission of the Dietetic Internship program

Provide a high-quality training program which prepares graduates to enter the field as competent entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists who participate in professional activities and have expertise in medical nutrition therapy.

Program goals

Goal 1: Prepare graduates to be competent entry-level dietitian nutritionists who can practice in a variety of settings.

• At least 80% of program students complete the program requirements within 16.5 months if completing the internship; 22.5 months if completing the M.S./DI
• 85% of program graduates take the CDR exam for dietitian nutritionists within 12 months of program completion
• The program's one year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%
• Of graduates who seek employment, 70% are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related field within 12 months of graduation
• 80% of graduates rate themselves as prepared for entry-level practice on one-year post-graduate surveys

Goal 2: Prepare dietitian nutritionists with knowledge and skills in medical nutrition therapy.

• 80% of graduates in entry-level clinical dietitian nutrition positions rate themselves as competent on one-year post-graduate surveys

Goal 3: Prepare graduates who recognize the need for lifelong learning and participate in professional and community organizations. 

• 80% of graduates will continue their education (CEU's and/or plan for specialty certification in the future) and be involved in nutrition-related professional or community organizations within 1 years of graduation (assessed on post-graduate surveys)

Annual program evaluation and outcome data are available on request by contacting the internship director.