Dietetic Systems Leadership, MS (MSDI)

Start: August 2026     End: May 2028

dates TBD based on academic calendar

The first year of MSDI will follow the MSU-Bozeman Academic Calendar.

In early August of the second year, interns will start the internship portion of the program consists of 34 weeks of supervised practice. The MDI supervised practice does not follow the MSU-Bozeman academic calendar.

Holiday Breaks: As determined by the academic calendar for the first year of the program. During supervised practice, interns typically have a 1-week fall break at the end of November and a 2-week winter break at the end of December and first week of January. Additional holidays will be determined by preceptor schedule but are not guaranteed.

Graduate students can study from anywhere the first year of the program. Students travel to Bozeman in early August of the second year for 5-11 weeks for orientation, professional development, sustainable foods foundation and applied weeks, and other rotations in the Bozeman area. 

Students will be assigned to one of 7 geographic regions in Montana or Wyoming for the remaining two semesters of supervised practice hours. Locations include Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, Montana and Sheridan, Wyoming. Interns should indicate their top two location choices in the MDI application.

MSDI students are enrolled as full-time graduate students and complete 36 graduate-level credits. Students need to have their own laptop with wireless capacity in order to participate in online coursework. Students can access Montana State Online for more information on online learning.

During online coursework, students complete assignments,  group work, and attend classes online. 

Employment may be possible during the online portion of the program but is strongly discouraged during the internship.

For more details about the internship, see the Non-Degree Graduate DI Page.

Curriculum 

Year 1			Credits
	Fall	Spring	Summer
HHD 501 - Research Methods I	3
NUTR 527 - Critical Thinking, Research & Evidence-Informed Practice: Weight Science & Nutrition Care Investigation of weight inclusive nutrition care practices	3
HHD 512 - Research Methods II		3
NUTR 525 - Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy		3

Choose at least 1 policy elective in Year 1:	Fall	Spring	Summer
HDFS 465R - Family Law & Public Policy			3
SFBS 552 - State of the Food Environment		3
NUTR 520 - Public Health, Nutrition & Systems Change			3
Choose 1 other elective or a second policy elective in Year 1:
CHTH 548 - Program Planning and Evaluation (offered every-other fall)	3
NUTR 528 - Advanced Food Systems Management in Dietetics	3
NUTR 540 - Nutrition Education & Counseling	3
SFBS 551 - Global Food Perspectives	3
NUTR 530 - Food Innovation & Entrepreneurship		3
NRSG 608 - Design of Health Care Delivery Systems (offered every-other fall)	3
NRSG 610 - Health Care Informatics		3
NRSG 611 - Program Planning & Evaluation, Outcomes, & Quality Improvement		3
NASX 515 - Native Food Systems		3
Year 2 Credits Montana Dietetic Internship (MDI) - In Montana
NUTR 560 - Food Systems Leadership for Nutrition Professionals	3
NUTR 598 - Internship	3
NUTR 575 - Professional Project	3
NUTR 598 - Internship		6
NUTR 575 - Professional Project		3
Total		36

 

• Proof of a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and/or dietetics from an ACEND accredited program in nutrition and/or dietetics and/or related major from an accredited college or university is needed. Proof of earned degree will be provided by a final transcript. (Alternatively, prospective students may have earned a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field but completed post-baccalaureate didactic coursework in dietetics from an accredited college or university.)
• Verification Statement (or declaration of intent) from an accredited didactic program.
• Preferred 100 hours of volunteer or work experience in food, nutrition and/or dietetics.
• 3 references from dietetic professionals, faculty and/or employers.
• An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale). Applicants with post-baccalaureate experience must have a graduate GPA of at least 3.00.
• GRE is not required and is not given weight during the application process. However, GRE scores may strengthen an application if GPA is low. Preferred GRE score above the 40^th percentile in at least one of analytical, quantitative and/or verbal reasoning categories.
  • GRE scores: Montana State University, Campus Code 4488.
• Application will be evaluated based on a variety of factors including scholastic achievement, work/volunteer experience, professional references, leadership abilities and program fit.

Accepting applications in DICAS October 19th for Fall 2026 start.

1. Nonrefundable Application Fee: To be considered, send an application fee of $57 directly to MDI postmarked by the application deadline. (This is a separate fee from the DICAS fees.)
   • Please pay online (preferred) or
   • Make checks payable to Montana Dietetic Internship and mail to: Montana Dietetic Internship,Montana State University,PO Box 173370, Bozeman, MT 59717-3370

2. Submit application materials through the Dietetic Internship Computer Application Service (DICAS) Portal by the appropriate deadline. Resources including instructional videos for using DICAS are available from ACEND.

Selection Process	Application deadline through the DICAS Portal Application fee paid to MDI	Interviews	Notification of Program Decision	Confirm Acceptance with MDI Directors by phone or email	Non-refundable $1000 Deposit  paid or postmarked to MDI by
Early Selection for MSU grads	Sunday, October 12th, 2025, 11:59 pm MST	Oct 13-16	Friday, October 17th, 2025	Monday, October 20th, 2025, 5:00 PM MST	Monday, October 27th, 2025, 5 PM MST
National - Fall Priority Deadline	Priority Deadline Sunday, October 19th, 2025, 11:59 pm MST	October 21-29	Friday, October 31st, 2025	Saturday, November 15th, 2025	Friday, November 21st, 2025
National - Spring Priority Deadline	Priority Deadline Sunday, February 8th,  2026, 11:59 pm MDT	February 10 - 17	Friday, February 27th, 2026	Sunday, March 15th, 2026	Monday, March 23rd, 2026

• For DICAS Applications, see 4:56 min in this applicant video to submit your application to one program at a time  https://vimeo.com/752082325/0893b172b9 

• Do not apply to the MSU Graduate school unless directed by the MDI team.

MSDI early selection category applicants must be:

• Montana State University grads completed with, or near completion of, a degree from MSU with the Didactic Program in Dietetics Verification Statement from the Department of Food Systems, Nutrition & Kinesiology.
• Submit your application through the DICAS Portal indicating "Montana Dietetic Internship- Internal MSU Applicants Only" 

Notice – MDI students are required to complete a background check. Applicants shall include in the ‘Background Section’ of their DICAS application any information that could appear in a background check. Background checks are comprehensive and can include findings such as all arrests and criminal charges even if dismissed or deferred, as well as expunged records. Failure to disclose a discrepancy could have worse consequences than not disclosing on DICAS if discovered later upon review of a background check report and may be cause for termination from the program.