Board of Dietetics and Nutrition

The New Jersey Board of Dietetics and Nutrition is a regulatory body established to oversee the practice of dietetics and nutrition in the State. The Board was created to ensure that dietitian nutritionists and nutritionists meet established standards of competency and integrity and to protect public health and safety by ensuring that professionals in the field provide safe and effective medical nutrition therapy.

No, licenses are not currently available. Licenses will be issued once the Board's regulations are adopted. Please check our website regularly for updates.

The Board will issue two types of licenses:

1. Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN)
2. Licensed Nutritionist (LN)

To become an LDN, an applicant must:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Be of good moral character; and
• Either:
  1. Provide evidence of current, valid registration as a registered dietitian nutritionist with the Commission on Dietetic Registration; or
  2. Submit proof that the applicant:
     1. Holds a baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degree with a major in a relevant field, such as human nutrition, dietetics, nutrition science, etc., from an accredited college or university;
     2. Has completed at least 1,200 hours of supervised practice in an approved dietetics and nutrition program under the supervision of a licensed dietitian nutritionist or a registered dietitian nutritionist; and
     3. Passed the registration examination for dietitian nutritionists administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

To become an LN, an applicant must:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Be of good moral character;
• Obtain a master’s or doctoral degree with a major in a relevant field, such as human nutrition, public health nutrition, clinical nutrition, etc., from an accredited college or university;
• Complete coursework in clinical or life sciences, including human anatomy and physiology, and biochemistry, either as part of or in addition to the degree required above;
• Complete and present documentation of at least 1,000 hours of supervised practice in nutrition care services, including 200 hours each in nutrition assessment, intervention, and monitoring, under the supervision of a certified or licensed nutrition professional; and
• Either:
  1. Pass the examination administered by the Board for Certification of Nutrition Specialists or the American Clinical Board of Nutrition; or
  2. Hold a current certification as a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) or Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition (DACBN).
  
  

Yes, the Board may grant licensure to individuals licensed, registered, or certified in another state with standards substantially equivalent to those of New Jersey.

For the latest updates on the Board's activities and licensing availability, please visit our website regularly or contact the Board by email at TurnerC@dca.njoag.gov.