VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Los Angeles Program Introduction Program Information Program Rotations Program Mission & Goals Financial Information Application Information Past Grad Comments Frequently Asked Questions Los Angeles VAMC Web Site About the Hospital

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the VA Greater Los Angeles Dietetic Internship Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) Dietetic Internship (DI) combined programs must meet requirements for both the internship program and the university of their choice. While the VAGLAHS DI does not have a GPA requirement, the university graduate programs may require a minimum GPA for admission.  

VAGLAHS DI Program Admission Requirements

The VAGLAHS DI Program is committed to providing equal opportunity to qualified persons for employment and for any educational programs. There is no discrimination with regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap or national origin. Applicants must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission into the VAGLAHS DI program:

• Complete a miniumimum of a bachelor's degree at a U.S. regionally accredited university or college.
• Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) Verification Statement issued by mid-June (internship start date) and within 4 years of application deadline.* Applicants to the non-degree track must also have a Master's degree by mid-June; extensions may be considered if intern will earn their Master's degree by June 2024.
• United States Citizenship by the application deadline. The program may consider non-US Citizens ad hoc, however may give preference to applicants who are citizens based on VHA requirements. If accepted into the program, non-US Citizens will not be eligible to receive the stipend and will be considered "without compensation" (WOC) interns. 
• Federal law requires that most people assigned a male gender at birth who lived in the US between the ages of 18 and 26 register with the Selective Service System. People required to register but who failed to do so by their 26th birthday, are barred from any position in any Executive Agency. Visit https://www.sss.gov to register, print proof of registration or apply for a Status Information Letter.
• Satisfactory background check (performed by VAGLAHS).**
• Satisfactor physical examination (at the applicants expense) prior to reporting for duty. This includes COVID-19 and other vaccinations or appropriate medical or religious exemptions.**

*If the DPD verification statement was issued more than 4 years before the application deadline, applicants must submit the recent work experience and education form with their DICAS application.
**Should the background check or physical examination be unsatisfactory, no part of the expense involved in reporting or returning home can be borne by the Federal Government.

The VAGLAHS DI program values diversity and uses a holistic approach for intern selection. The criteria considered for internship selection are summarized below, and instructions for how to fill out the DICAS application in order to meet VAGLAHS DI selection criteria can be found below.

University Admission Requirements

Information about graduate program admission requirements can be found on the univeristy websites:

• University California Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Public Health
• California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) Department of Nutrition and Food Science
• California State University Northridge (CSUN) Department of Familiy and Consumer Sciences

Internship Application Instructions

In order to assure the most thorough review of your application and that all components of the application are complete, it is strongly recommended that you submit your application 2 to 4 weeks before the application deadline. Applicants for the non-degree and combined tracks must be submitted through the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application System (DICAS).

Dietitic Internship Centralized Application System (DICAS)

Following are instructions for applying to both the non-degree and combined master's tracks. However, the combined master's tracks have additional application steps to the university, which are also outlined below. The VAGLA DI program uses the on-line centralized internship application, DICAS, which may be accessed at DICAS Website. The on-line application must be completed for our program by January 15, 2025. Instructions for DICAS application components specific to the VA Selection Criteria are listed below. 

Personal Data: If you are a Veteran, please select that option on the DICAS application Personal Information section. Veterans receive preferential application scoring.

Educational History: Completion of a DPD program prior to the beginning of internship start date is required. The VAGLAHS DI will also consider other degrees and certifications earned when scoring application packets. It is recommended that applicants explain how their additional degrees and certifications prepared them to be successful in as a dietetic intern.

Experiences and Honors: ALL work, volunteer, and academic experiences and honors will be considered by the VAGLA DI program and should be listed on the DICAS application. The VAGLA DI program considers transferable skills from non-dietetics-related experience. It is recommended that the applicant provides detailed information about the skills required for the work, volunteer and academic experience listed in the application, emphasizing skills have prepared the applicant to be a well-rounded intern and future RDN.

Of note, VAGLAHS does not award supervised practice credit for prior learning experiences; interns complete all supervised practice hours regardless of past experience.

Personal Statement: A personal statement is no longer required. If it is submitted, it will not be considered for application scoring.

Pre-Interview Questions: Applicants will be asked to answer 8 pre-interview questions in DICAS.

Letters of Recommendation: The VAGLA DI requires only 3 letters of recommendation. It is recommended that at least one letter is written by a supervisor, and at least one letter is written by a professor from the applicant's DPD program.

return to top

University Application Instructions

Applicants applying to a combined track must also apply to an approved university graduate program. Information regarding how to apply to approved graduate programs at UCLA, CSULA, and CSUN can be found below. 

Combined MPH Track

Information about the UCLA MPH program can be found here. When applying to the combined MPH DI program track, application materials must be sent through DICAS as outlined above AND to the university separately. Please note the deadline for submitting application materials to the university below and apply as follows: 

• Applicants must complete the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission with School of Public Health supplement, and also complete an application through the Schools of Public Health Application Service (SOPHAS) at www.sophas.org.
• See http://ph.ucla.edu/prospective-students/application-checklist-and-submission-instructions for a summary of all documents required. 
• Applicants must apply to the Department of Community and Health Sciences, and must put "Combined Internship - MPH Track Applicant" in the header of their statement of purpose.
• Non-refundable University of California application fee of $120 and SOPHAS fee of $140.
• Official GRE scores must be sent to UCLA by December 1. Please use the Institution and Department codes listed on the online graduate application when requesting that test scores be forwarded.

You must apply to UCLA separate from applying to the VAGLA DI. The deadline for the UCLA application is December 1. The deadline for submitting your dietetic internship application for the Combined MPH Program Track through DICAS is February 15. Notification of admission to the MPH program does not guarantee a match to the VA Greater Los Angeles Combined Internship - MPH Track. Any questions about the application process to UCLA can be directed to the Student Affairs Office at 310-825-5524.

Combined Internship - MS Optional Track

When applying to the Combined - MS Optional program track, application materials must be sent through DICAS as outlined above AND to the university separately. Please note the deadlines for submitting application materials to the university below.  Please indicate which university you are applying to in your DICAS personal statement when applying to the Combined Internship - MS Optional Track.

California State University, Los Angeles

• You must submit a Graduate/Post-Baccalaureate Admissions Application, accompanied by the $70 nonrefundable application fee.
• You must also submit official transcripts of all college coursework to Admissions Office within 3 weeks of applying. https://www.calstatela.edu/admissions/submitting-documents
• Check with the specific program for additional documents and requirements.  You can apply online by visiting https://www2.calstate.edu/apply
• The deadline for applications to the Combined program and CSULA Graduate MS Program is January 15, 2025.

California State University, Northridge

• Applicants for graduate study must submit a graduate application along with all necessary official documents along with the $70 nonrefundable application fee.
• The following website has application instructions: http://www.csun.edu/health-human-development/family-consumer-sciences/graduate-admission-human-nutrition. Complete the university application online by visiting https://www2.calstate.edu/apply
• In order to be considered for the MS in Human Nutrition, students must apply to both the department and the university. Apply directly to the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences through http://www.applyweb.com/cgi-bin/app?s=csun. Applicants must meet university requirements and department requirements to be considered for acceptance. 
• Applications must be received by the university and Deptartment of Family and Consumer Sciences by January 15, 2025. Of note, the CSUN website may show a different application deadline.
• After being admitted by the university, your application is forwarded to the FCS Department where the Department Chair or area representative will determine if you meet the admission requirements. If you have been rejected by the university, the FCS Department will never receive your application.

return to top

Important Dates

All dates are subject to change. Please refer to UCLA, CSUN, CSULA, and DICAS websites to confirm dates. 

return to top