Steps to Become a Registered Dietitian in New Hampshire

Created by NutritionED.org Contributor

New Hampshire

Follow the step by step process or choose what situation that best describes you:

  1. Complete an Educational Program in Dietetics in New Hampshire
  2. Complete a Dietetic Internship (DI) Program in New Hampshire
  3. Take the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) Exam
  4. Get your Dietitian License in New Hampshire
  5. Maintain your Dietitian License in New Hampshire

New Hampshire Dietitian Career Information

As of April 2022, the Commission on Dietetic Registration reported a total of 621 Registered Dietitians (RDs) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) in New Hampshire. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dietitians and nutritionists in New Hampshire earned an average salary of $66,420 as of May 2021. Early career professionals earned about $59,320, while those with extensive experience earned about $89,150 during this time.*

The New Hampshire Office of Professional License and Certification’s Board of Licensed Dietitians requires practicing dietitians in New Hampshire to be licensed. They must meet educational, experience and examination requirements before such a license will be issues.

Licensed, registered dietitians in New Hampshire may work in a variety of areas, such as include medical centers and hospitals, health care systems, schools, state government, and long-term care facilities.

If you want to join the ranks of the almost 600-plus Registered Dietitians in New Hampshire, you must first carry out a number of steps.

Step 1

Programs in Dietetics in New Hampshire

According to New Hampshire law, you must possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, which includes a major course of study in one of the following areas:

  • Human nutrition
  • Nutrition education
  • Food and nutrition
  • Dietetics
  • Public health nutrition
  • Food systems management

To become a registered dietitian (RD) through the CDR, you must complete a dietetic program that is accredited through the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The following ACEND-accredited programs meet both CDR and New Hampshire requirements:


ACEND-Accredited Education Programs in New Hampshire:

  • Coordinated Programs in Dietetics (CP): These programsoffers undergraduate coursework combined with a supervised internship that fulfills both New Hampshire’s and the ACEND requirements to become a licensed, registered dietitian in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, as of July 2019, there are no CPs to be found in New Hampshire.
  • Didactic Programs in Dietetics (DPD): These programs offer only undergraduate coursework leading to an undergraduate degree. The Dietetic Internship (DI) must be taken after the DPD is completed. In New Hampshire, DPDs include:

Want to Be a New Hampshire Nutritionist?

If you want to become certified as a nutritionist in New Hampshire, you may seek professional certification as a Certified Nutritionist Specialist (CNS) through the Board of Certification of Nutrition Specialists (BCNS). To qualify to take the CNS exam and achieve CNS certification, you must:

  • Possess a masters of science or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the nutrition field; OR
  • Possess a doctoral degree in the clinical healthcare field; AND
  • Complete the following coursework requirements:
    • 9 semester credit hours in nutrition
    • 12 semester credit hours in clinical or life sciences
    • 3 semester credit hours in physiology or anatomy/physiology
    • 6 semester hours in biochemistry

AND:

  • Complete at least 1000 hours of documented supervised practice experience in nutrition, with at minimum:
    • 200 hours in nutrition assessment
    • 200 hours in nutrition monitoring or evaluation
    • 200 hours in nutrition intervention, education, counseling, or management

Once you have passed the CNS exam and achieved certification, you must renew your certification every five years and document at least 75 continuing nutrition education credits during every renewal period.

The following bachelors and Master’s programs offer career-focused instruction delivered by trained nutritionists with experience in the field. Find out more what each individual course of study offers through the locations below.

Featured Nutritionist Programs

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Step 2

Dietetic Internship (DI) in New Hampshire

Upon completion of an ACEND-accredited DPD education program, you must then complete an ACEND-accredited dietetic internship (DI), which, under New Hampshire law, includes at least 900 hours of supervised practice.
The following 2 ACEND-accredited DI programs are located in New Hampshire:

    • Full-time degree program of 21 months’ duration
    • Culminates in a Master of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences
    • Emphasis on health promotion/disease prevention and sustainable food services
    • Full (11 months) or part-time (18 months) non degree program
    • Emphasis on community nutrition education and wellness

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Step 3

Take the (CDR) Exam in New Hampshire

Once you have successfully completed your DI program, your program administrator will contact CDR and inform them of your eligibility to write for the CDR exam. You can expect an email from the company that handles the CDR examinations, which details the registration process, including an online registration and payment of the $200 application fee. Upon receipt of the registration information, you have 365 days to register for and pass the CDR exam.

After you have registered for the exam and paid the application fee, you will receive another email from Pearson VUE Exams, detailing the scheduling process. There are more than 250 Testing Centers located across the United States where you can take the exam. Within New Hampshire, they include:

  • Concord:
  • 2 Capital Plaza, 3rd floor

You may begin preparing to take the CDR exam by reading the Comprehensive Study Outline and Study Guide and the Registration Examination for Dietitians Handbook for Candidates.
The CDR examination is a computer-based examination that consists of between 125 and 145 multiple-choice questions, which are divided up as follows:

  • Principles of Dietetics (25 percent)
  • Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups (40 percent)
  • Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services (21 percent)
  • Foodservice Systems (14 percent)

You will have 2 ½ hours to complete the CDR examination and another 30 minutes to familiarize yourself with the computer and test structure and answer 25 non-scored pre-test questions.
Upon completion of the exam, you may check your exam score by clicking on the “report” button in your online account. You must score at least 25 points on a scale of 0 to 50 to pass the exam.

If you fail the exam, you may take it again, but must reauthorize to test again by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (312) 899-4859. In addition to receiving authorization from CDR, you must pay the application fee and wait at least 45 days before retaking the examination. There is no limit to the number of times you can take the exam, provided you wait at least 45 days between exams.

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Step 4

Get your Dietitian License in New Hampshire

To apply for a dietitian license in New Hampshire, you must submit an Initial Application for Licensure, pay the application fee of $110 (made payable to: Treasurer, State of New Hampshire) and include the following documents with your completed application:

  • Passport-style photograph
  • A letter of verification showing your RD status sent directly from CDR to the Board
  • Transcripts from the college or university where you completed your education sent directly from the institution to the Board
  • A verification letter from the supervisor of your DI program sent directly to the Board

Mail the application and supporting documents to:
State of New Hampshire
Board of Licensed Dietitians
Office of Professional Licensing and Certification
121 South Fruit Street, Suite 303
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

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Step 5

Maintain your Dietitian License in New Hampshire

Maintaining New Hampshire Registered Dietitian Licensure

All dietitian licenses in New Hampshire must be renewed every two years. To qualify for renewal, you must:

  • Complete the renewal application form
  • Provide the Board with a list of approved continuing education work totaling at least 20 hours during the last 2 years
  • Pay the renewal fee of $110 (made payable to: Treasurer: State of New Hampshire)

Mail all required documents and the completed application to:
Office of Professional Licensing and Certification
121 South Fruit Street, Suite 303
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

Maintaining CDR Registration as a Registered Dietitian in New Hampshire

Every five years, you must renew your registration as a Registered Dietitian with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). The CDR’s PDP Guide will help you to choose continuing professional education that is necessary to keep your registration current. You must take 75 continuing professional education units (CPEUs) every five years. CDR’s online CPE database can help you to find approved CPE activities in New Hampshire.

View how to become a nutritionist in New Hampshire here.

*2021 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures and job growth projections for dietitians and nutritionists reflect state data not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Salary statistics representing entry-level/early career = 25th percentile; senior-level/highly experienced = 90th percentile. Data accessed April 2022.

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