36-10B-6. Qualifications for dietetics and nutrition licensure.

The board shall recognize two educational tracks as equivalent qualifications required to obtain licensure.

(1)    Dietetics. The board shall issue a license as a nutritionist to an applicant who files a completed application, pays all required fees, and provides satisfactory evidence to the board that the applicant meets the following qualifications:

(a)    Has a valid, current registration with the commission which gives the applicant the right to use the title registered dietitian or RD; or has received a baccalaureate or postgraduate degree from an accredited college or university with a major course of study in human nutrition, nutrition education, food and nutrition, dietetics, or food service management;

(b)    Has completed a documented, supervised pre-professional practice experience component in dietetic practice of not less than nine hundred hours under the supervision of a registered dietitian, nutrition or dietetic professional licensed by a state, or a person with a doctoral degree conferred by an accredited college or university with a major course of study in human nutrition, nutrition education, food and nutrition, dietetics, or food systems management. Supervised practice experience must be completed in the United States or its territories. Supervisors who obtain their doctoral degree outside the United States and its territories must have their degrees approved by the board as equivalent to the doctoral degree conferred by an accredited college or university; and

(c)    Has successfully completed the registration examination for dietitians administered by the commission;

(2)    Nutrition. The board shall issue a license as a nutritionist to an applicant who files a completed application, pays all required fees, and provides evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant meets the following qualifications:

(a)    Has received a master's or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university with a major course of study in human nutrition, public health nutrition, clinical nutrition, nutrition education, community nutrition, or foods and nutrition; and

(b)    Has successfully completed a comprehensive nutrition competence examination administered by the commission.

Source: SL 1996, ch 240, § 6.