Admission to the Lamar Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) and assessment of prior learning are outlined in the DPD student handbook.
A student who is admitted to Lamar University and has not yet met DPD course requirements may enter the DPD program, at any time, regardless of student classification, by declaring a major in the Department of Nutrition, Hospitality and Human Services as a degree seeking student on the dietetics degree concentration. See admission requirements to Lamar University.
Students who transfer into Lamar University and have not yet completed DPD course requirements may enter the DPD program at any time, regardless of student classification, by declaring a major in the Department of Nutrition, Hospitality and Human Services as a degree seeking student on the dietetics degree concentration.
Students who transfer to Lamar University from another Texas public institution of higher education shall be governed by the provisions of Texas Senate Bill 148 (75th Legislature). Lamar will accept, en bloc, an approved core curriculum successfully completed at another Texas public institution of higher education in lieu of Lamar's core curriculum.
Any student who transfers to Lamar University before completing the core curriculum of another Texas public institution of higher education shall receive academic credit at Lamar for each of the courses that the student has successfully completed in the core curriculum of the other institution; however, the student shall be required to complete Lamar's core curriculum.
Students transferring to Lamar from institutions of higher education outside of Texas or from private institutions within Texas shall be subject to the requirements of Lamar University's core curriculum. Regarding all transfer courses, a Lamar University Student Records Specialist in the Office of the Registrar evaluates the student’s transfer work and matches the transfer courses to the equivalent Lamar University courses. The transcript evaluation becomes part of the student's electronic record at Lamar University.
Some transfer courses may be labeled as "accepted" by Lamar University, but not equivalent to a specific course offered at Lamar. Such courses may be used as free electives; however, the DPD Program Director/or department chair are free to make decisions whether to accept the courses as meeting degree requirements (unless the courses are used to meet the Lamar Core Curriculum).
The student may be asked to provide course descriptions and syllabi to determine whether transfer credits meet requirements for the DPD nutrition/dietetics courses or supporting courses. Students interested in transferring to Lamar University can visit the Transfer Students Admission Page, for additional information regarding admission.
Students who pursue DPD requirements after being awarded at least a baccalaureate degree in a discipline other than dietetics can meet DPD requirements by satisfactory completion of Lamar University’s DPD graduate certificate program.
Upon admission to Lamar University, official transcripts will be reviewed to determine degree(s) conferred and whether previous coursework meets the requirements for the DPD nutrition/dietetics courses or supporting courses. The student may be asked to provide course descriptions and syllabi to determine whether previous coursework meets requirements for the DPD nutrition/dietetics courses or supporting courses. Pre-requisite courses are required for the DPD graduate certificate program.
The Lamar University DPD program follows the university's admission policy for international students. Foreign degree transcripts must be evaluated by a foreign degree evaluation agency, approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) and the evaluation report must be provided to Lamar University as part of the admission process.
Upon admission to Lamar University, official transcripts will be reviewed to determine degree(s) conferred and whether previous coursework meets the requirements for the DPD nutrition/dietetics courses or supporting courses.
The student may be asked to provide course descriptions and syllabi to determine whether previous coursework meets requirements for the DPD nutrition/dietetics courses or supporting courses. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides an International Student Checklist as a guide to assist students with foreign degrees who are interested in completing DPD requirements.
Experiential learning is not accepted by the Lamar University DPD program or graduate DPD certificate program as DPD coursework substitution.