The Minnesota Board of Dietetics
and Nutrition Practice requires that all registered dietitians become licensed before they will be allowed to legally practice. Pursuing registered dietitian status in Minnesota is a two-step process: fulfilling the national requirements for registration with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), and completing the licensure requirements of the state in which you wish to practice (in this case, Minnesota). We will examine the procedures involved in becoming a registered, licensed dietitian in Minnesota here.
Education and Experience Needed for Registered Dietitians in Minnesota
Minnesota’s Administrative Rules state its requirements for becoming a licensed dietitian quite succinctly:
- You must provide an official transcript showing that you have completed a bachelor’s or graduate degree in one of the following major areas:
- Human nutrition
- Dietetics
- Nutrition education
- Food and nutrition
- Food services management
- AND
- You must show documented evidence that you have completed at least 900 hours of supervised dietetic practice, under the supervision of a licensed, registered dietitian
- AND
- You must pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) examination for dietitian licensure
Minnesota’s law mimics the requirements of the national organization, the CDR, for becoming a registered dietitian, except that the CDR requires that you complete 1000 hours of experience. Also, as of Jan. 1, 2024, the CDR will begin to mandate that all registered dietitians have a minimum of a master’s degree. Under the CDR’s rules, your dietetic program must be accredited by ACEND, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Dietetics. ACEND-accredited programs of dietetic education in Minnesota include:
- Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD): This type of dietetic education program will help students to fulfill just the coursework requirement, not the experience portion of the requirement. As of Aug. 2022, there are 5 DPDs in Minnesota.
- Dietetic Internship (DI): Once you complete a DPD, you must also take a DI. This is a supervised practice of at least 1000 hours. As of Aug. 2022, there are 5 DIs in Minnesota.
- Coordinated Program in Dietetics (CP): This type of dietetic education program integrates coursework with supervised dietetic practice experience. There is 1 CP in Minnesota circa Aug. 2022.
Examination Needed for Registered Dietitians in Minnesota
You must next take, and pass, the CDR’s Registration Examination for Dietitians. Someone at your school should provide you with the Registration Examination for Dietitians Handbook for Candidates, which provides timely information on the examination process, as well as what to expect on the examination itself. Pearson VUE, the exam center administering the exam, will direct you in registering online and paying the $200 testing fee. You may choose from any Pearson VUE testing center, in Minnesota, another state, or Canada. Test centers located in Minnesota include Duluth, Brooklyn Park, St. Paul, Bloomington, Rochester, and Eagan.
You will know before leaving the testing center if you have passed the CDR exam. Your CDR registration card, signifying that you are a registered dietitian, will arrive by mail a couple of weeks later.
Licensure Application Process for Registered Dietitians in Minnesota
Next, the Minnesota Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Practice mandates that you receive dietitian licensure before you will be allowed to lawfully work as a registered, licensed dietitian in their state. You must apply online and follow the instructions, uploading whatever documentation is required and mailing any that must be mailed to the Board. The total fee for applying for dietitian licensure is $283.25, which includes a $100 application fee, $150 initial license fee, and $33.25 criminal background check fee. You must renew your license on an annual basis, and pay a $75 renewal fee. Continuing education must be logged every three years.
Salaries of Registered Dietitians in Minnesota
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that as of May 2021, dietitians and nutritionists working in Minnesota make an annual mean wage of $66,760 and an annual median wage of $62,060. Just one metropolitan area in Minnesota, Rochester, pays its dietitians higher than the average state salary, paying a \$72,300 annual mean wage and a \$77,590 annual median wage.
Registered Dietitian Jobs in Minnesota
If you examine registered dietitian job openings in Minnesota, you will get a better sense of how much dietitians in Minnesota make each year. Some recent examples from August 2022 are:
- Nutrition and Food Services Director – Park Nicollet, Saint Louis Park
- Salary: $105,000 a year
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in food and nutrition needed
- RD needed
- Minnesota licensure needed
- Familiarity with law, regulations and internal workplace policies needed
- Nutrition and Dietetics Faculty and DPD Director – Concordia College, Moorhead
- Salary: not given
- Graduate nutrition or dietetics degree needed
- RD needed
- Minnesota licensure needed
- Teaching experience needed
- Regional Wellness Director, Midwest Region – Flik Independent School Dining, Saint Paul
- Salary: $75,000 to $80,000 a year
- Bachelor’s degree needed, prefer master’s degree
- RD needed
- Minnesota licensure needed
- Five years of RD work experience needed
- One year of wellness experience preferred
- Sports Dietitian- University of St. Thomas, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Eagan
- Salary: $71,500 to $90,500 a year
- Bachelor’s degree needed, master’s degree preferred
- RD needed
- Minnesota licensure needed
- Experience in sports nutrition in college or professional setting needed
- Eating disorder experience preferred
- Registered Dietitian Nutritionist – Plus One, an Optum Company, Minneapolis
- Salary: $54,700 to $69,300 a year
- Minimum of bachelor’s in food and nutrition needed
- RD needed
- Minnesota licensure needed
- Two years of RD work experience needed