North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University is the shortened name given to the North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences. It serves as the main public university in the state and offers more opportunities for students than any other school in the state does. Founded as the North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890, it was originally so small that it had no need for its own campus. The college used a building owned by Fargo College and operated classes out of it. The first buildings on its own campus opened a few years later. As North Dakota is small in terms of population size, the university was always small. Enrollment grew in more recent years to include more than 10,000 students, but the university still employs hundreds of professors to keep class sizes low.

The main campus in Fargo is just one of the campuses that the university operates. It also operates a campus called NDSU Downtown in downtown Fargo that is home to more than 4,000 students and faculty members. NDSU took over one building downtown and renovated to meet the needs of new students. It later expanded this campus with the purchase of other nearby buildings. The university also owns research centers in rural areas near nine larger cities. These research centers allow professors and students to work on agricultural projects. Across all campus, enrollment at NDSU now tops 14,000.

North Dakota State University Accreditation Details

Before enrolling in any dietetics program or a similar graduate program, you must ensure that it has the right type of accreditation. North Dakota State University has accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools through the Higher Learning Commission. Whether you want to transfer credits from another campus to or from NDSU, this type of accreditation lets you bring or take those credits with you. The American Dietetic Association Council of Accreditation also accredited NDSU. This accreditation applies to both the dietetics master's program the university offers and its dietetics internship program. Other accrediting agencies associated with NDSU include the following.

• National Association of Schools of Music
• National Accreditation for Clinical Lab Science
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• American College of Sports Medicine
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
• Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board
• Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education

North Dakota State University Application Requirements

When you apply to North Dakota State University and one of its graduate programs, you need to complete five different steps. The first is the submission of the university's online application. This application asks standard questions to determine your identity. You'll need to input your full legal name, birth date, social security number and current address. It will also ask about the colleges that you attended prior to applying and where you earned your bachelor's degree. You'll need to list the date that you earned or will earn that degree and its exact name, NDSU charges a $35 processing fee too.

Other requirements include three letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose. The letters of recommendation help the university determine if you are a good fit for the program. NDSU will not accept any letters that are more than a year old. Your statement of purpose lets you explain any discrepancies on your transcript and your reasons for studying dietetics. The university asks for an official transcript as well as a test score from the GRE or any other graduate test. If you want to apply to more than one graduate program, you will need to submit an application for each one and pay the associated application fee.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Though some programs charge more, basic tuition at NDSU starts at $3,862 per semester. This amount includes fees and allows you to take a minimum of 12 credits each semester. The cost for nonresidents is around $10,300 a semester, but the university offers programs with discounted rates for some students. These programs allow the children of alumni and students from Minnesota to enroll and pay less for their classes. NDSU also takes part in a western exchange program that allows students from any western state to save. Those students pay a tuition rate of around $4,900 a semester.

Whether you live in North Dakota or another state, you can still bring down the cost of your tuition with some financial aid. You will only get a package and an award letter after using the FAFSA. The FAFSA will usually ask for your parents' tax records, but married students and those with dependents can use their own tax records. Financial aid often includes unsubsidized loans and some federal or state grants from the government. NDSU will take all the aid that you receive and apply it to the balance on your account. The university will then give you a check for any money left on that account.

Master in Dietetics

North Dakota State University is just one school that makes up the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance. This alliance gives students the chance to take classes on any of the 11 schools that partnered together. You can also take internships through those schools or sign up for fieldwork experiences offered by the campuses. One benefit to this alliance is that it gives students access to more classes. You can take classes not offered by NDSU, but still get your degree from the university when you graduate. This is an online program that gives you multiple options for gaining practical and research experience.

You must take three required core classes: applied statistics, current issues in dietetics and recent literature and research. The program then asks that you take seven courses of electives that add up to 21 credits. These electives vary from university to university but can include community health and nutrition education, fundamentals of leadership, food writing for professionals, food production management, understanding food culture and nutrition and immunology.

Related Resource: Top 30 Affordable Online Master's in Dietetics

Students will also need to decide whether to follow the thesis or non-thesis track in the first year. The thesis and any work students do on that thesis is worth six credits. Those who sign up for the non-thesis track must take an extra elective and write a shorter paper. North Dakota State University offers a third option for students who do not want to do any additional research that requires they take two extra electives.