MPH Program Director Amir Alakaam gives remarks at the accreditation ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Master of Public Health (MPH) in Nutrition and Dietetics program has reached a significant milestone.
The program was granted full accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) in May 2024. The achievement was recognized with an accreditation ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 4, in the University Center Chickamauga Room.
ACEND is the accrediting agency responsible for certifying education programs that prepare students for careers as registered dietitian nutritionists. Accreditation ensures that graduates of the program are fully qualified to enter the field of dietetics.
The UTC MPH program began in 2018.
MPH Program Director Amir Alakaam said that UTC previously offered an accredited undergraduate dietetics program but had transitioned to a graduate-level program to meet the new requirements.
The MPH program now allows graduates to sit for the national exam and become registered dietitians.
“Registered dietetics is a growing field and there is a lot of need,” Alakaam said. “I think a program like this will really help the community to have more nutritional and public health professionals in the long term. We did it in a place where there’s no other program like this one.
“We are the only program in Tennessee that offers a MPH degree and graduate program in nutrition and dietetics. I think this is very significant for the community.”
The accreditation status, which extends until June 2031, came at the perfect time according to Emma Sampson, the MPH program manager.
“We were very excited because we found out that we were accredited when we were graduating the first cohort of students,” Sampson said. “It was really cool that while they were about to graduate, they found out that their program was accredited.”
Sampson emphasized the importance of celebrating this achievement, not only for the faculty but also for the students and community partners.
“Everybody puts in so much hard work and effort,” she said. “It’s really important to be able to gather and celebrate all of the hard work and accomplishments that everybody did together to make this happen.”
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