Allied Health and Public Safety
Nutrition & Dietetics

The Merritt College Nutrition and Dietetics program is dedicated to fostering a learning environment, and provides the healthcare community with culturally diverse dietetic practitioners who have excellent training, ethics, and professionalism. Supports the lifelong academic and professional success of every student, regardless of race, national origin, or economic status.
Department Overview
The mission of the Dietetic Technician program is to prepare competent, entry-level Dietetic Technicians, Registered, who meet all professional standards, display superior customer service, and work collaboratively, with empathy in diverse communities.
The program is dedicated to fostering a learning environment that:
- Provides the healthcare community with culturally diverse dietetic practitioners with excellent training, ethics, and professionalism.
- Supports the lifelong academic and professional success of every student regardless of race, national origin, or economic status.
- Contributes to institutional success by preparing students to successfully complete their training, find employment, be responsive to community needs, and become active leaders and mentors in the field of dietetics..
Goals and Objectives
The mission of the Dietetic Technician program is to prepare competent, entry-level Dietetic Technicians, Registered, who meet all professional standards, display superior customer service, and work collaboratively, with empathy in diverse communities.
The program will:
- Prepare competent entry-level Dietetic Technicians, registered to participate ethically in diverse employment settings.
- Employers of graduates will report the level of satisfaction with program graduates’ ability to function as competent entry-level professionals of at least 4 on a Likert scale of 0-5
- Prepare graduates to be readily employed in nutrition and dietetics and display the skills of exemplary professionals.
- At least 80% of students complete program requirements within _3.5 years (full-time students) (150% of the planned program length).
- At least 80% of students complete program requirements within 7.5 years (part-time students) (150% of planned program length).
- Of graduates who seek employment, at least 70% percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation.
- At least 70% percent of program graduates take the CDR credentialing exam for nutrition and dietetics technicians within 12 months of program completion.
- The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass the registration exam within one year of the first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam for nutrition and dietetics technicians is at least 70%.
Program Costs: Please review the Peralta website for a breakdown of all tuition and fees for residential students and for international students. Program-specific costs are detailed in the Student Handbook.
Mission and Information
ARE YOU:
- Fascinated by food and nutrition?
- A person who enjoys interacting with a variety of people?
- Considering a career in health care?
- Planning to complete an Associate Degree?
EXPLORE a career in this exciting and rewarding field of the future. Choose from these programs:
Dietary Manager–Three semester (minimum) Certificate of Completion
Dietetic Technology AS–Two-year (minimum) Associate of Science Degree
Dietetic Technology CERT–Certificate of Achievement for those who have already completed a degree in Nutrition or Dietetics from an accredited DPD Program
- Dietary Manager
- Dietetic Technology
- Nutrition and Dietetics FAQ’s
To enable you to work as you pursue continuing education, courses are scheduled after 4:00 PM for our busy, working adults. The college is centrally located in the beautiful Oakland Hills, with plenty of convenient parking or easy access from the Fruitvale Bart Station.
Program Outcomes data are available on request.
Merritt College Nutrition & Dietetic Students, Staff and Alum
Student Handbook for Supervised Practice
Program Costs: Please review the Peralta website for a breakdown of all tuition and fees for residential studentshttps://www.peralta.edu/admissions/student-finance/fees-and-payment and for international students: https://www.peralta.edu/international/tuition-and-fees
Program specific costs detailed in the Student Handbook linked above.
Degrees & Certificates

The Dietetic Technology Associate in Science degree program provides training for Dietetic Technicians, who work cooperatively with Registered Dietitians.

The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program allows students to fulfill lower division major requirements at a community college and guarantees transfer with junior status to the California State University (CSU) system.

The Dietary Manager program is designed for those with food-service and cooking experience who seek advancement into management positions, especially in the healthcare field.
Faculty & Staff
Full-Time Faculty | |
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Heather Casale Building S-323 Email: hcasale@peralta.edu 510-436-3834 |
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Heather Cuellar, RD Building S-332 hcuellar@peralta.edu |
Contact Information

Program Director - Dietetic Technician
Heather Casale
Building S-323
hcasale@peralta.edu
(510) 434-3834
Program Director - Dietary Manager
Heather Cuellar, RD
Building S-332
hcuellar@peralta.edu
Staff Assistant
Waaduda Karim
Building S-343
wkarim@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2422

Interim Dean of Math, Science, Technology & Allied Health
Diane Chang
Bldg. S-441
dtchang@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2426