How to Become a Registered Dietitian in Michigan 2026: License Guide

How to Become a Registered Dietitian in Michigan

Michigan licenses dietitians through the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), specifically under the Bureau of Professional Licensing. Before practicing dietetics or using the protected title "Licensed Dietitian" (LD) in Michigan, you must hold both an active CDR registration and a Michigan state license. Michigan's healthcare market is anchored by Henry Ford Health, Spectrum Health (now Corewell Health), Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan, Beaumont Health, and a robust network of dialysis facilities — collectively creating one of the Midwest's strongest employment environments for registered dietitians.

Step 1: Complete an ACEND-Accredited Nutrition Program

CDR's master's-degree requirement effective January 1, 2024 applies to all new RD/RDN candidates, including those entering Michigan practice. Educational pathways:

• DPD + Dietetic Internship: ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics followed by a supervised practice internship of at least 1,200 hours with graduate credit or a concurrent master's degree. Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Eastern Michigan University offer relevant programs.
• Coordinated Program (CP): Single ACEND-accredited master's program integrating coursework and supervised practice. MSU's Dietetics and Human Nutrition program offers one of Michigan's most well-regarded CP tracks.
• MS/DI Combined Programs: Graduate degree and internship combined; typically two years for post-baccalaureate candidates; well-suited for career changers with science backgrounds.

Core curriculum covers medical nutrition therapy, food science, biochemistry, community nutrition, foodservice management, and research methods. Verify ACEND accreditation status at eatright.org/acend before enrolling.

Step 2: Pass the CDR Registration Examination

Michigan requires active CDR registration before issuing a state license. Exam details:

• Format: 145 questions (125 scored + 20 unscored), computer-adaptive
• Delivery: Pearson VUE centers (Detroit metro, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Flint) or remote proctoring
• Fee: ~$200 (verify at eatrightpro.org)
• Domains: Principles of Dietetics, Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups, Management of Food and Nutrition Programs, Population and Community Nutrition
• Maintenance: 75 PDUs per 5-year CDR recertification cycle; 1 PDU in ethics required per cycle

Michigan State University and the University of Michigan nutrition programs both provide exam prep support. Michigan has multiple Pearson VUE testing locations, making in-person test options accessible across the lower peninsula.

Step 3: Apply for Your Michigan Dietitian License

After passing the CDR exam, submit your Michigan LD application to LARA:

• Application portal: Michigan LARA Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (michigan.gov/lara)
• Required documents: CDR registration certificate, official transcripts, supervised practice verification, and application fee payment
• License fee: Approximately $75–$100 (verify current fee on the LARA website)
• Endorsement: Out-of-state dietitians with active equivalent licensure may apply by endorsement through LARA
• Processing time: Typically 4–8 weeks for complete applications; LARA processes a high volume of healthcare professional licenses
• Renewal: Biennial (every two years); CE verification required at renewal

Michigan does not currently participate in a multistate dietitian licensure compact as of 2026. Practitioners providing telehealth to patients in bordering states (Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin) must verify those states' licensure requirements.

Continuing Education Requirements

Michigan CE requirements for LARA license renewal align with CDR's national standard:

• CDR requirement: 75 PDUs per 5-year recertification cycle
• Michigan state requirement: CE hours required at biennial LARA renewal — verify the current hour requirement on the LARA website, as Michigan's legislature periodically adjusts CE mandates for licensed health professions
• Approved CE: AND-sponsored programs, CPEU-approved webinars, professional conferences (Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting), university courses, and preceptorship
• Retain CE completion certificates for at least 5 years for potential LARA audit

Michigan's significant auto industry workforce and manufacturing sector create robust corporate wellness nutrition opportunities, and CE in workplace wellness programming and metabolic syndrome management is highly marketable in the Detroit metro market.

RD vs. RDN: What's the Difference?

"Registered Dietitian" (RD) and "Registered Dietitian Nutritionist" (RDN) are two names for one CDR credential. CDR added the "Nutritionist" designation in 2013 to better reflect the breadth of dietetic practice. In Michigan:

• Both RD and RDN holders are licensed as "Licensed Dietitian" (LD) under Michigan state law
• Identical CDR exam, education requirements, and 75-PDU maintenance obligations for both
• Henry Ford, Corewell Health (Spectrum/Beaumont), and Michigan Medicine credentialing bodies recognize both titles equally

Clinical dietitians at Michigan's academic medical centers predominantly use "RD"; outpatient wellness, community nutrition, and corporate wellness roles increasingly use "RDN."

Michigan RD Salary Ranges

Michigan salaries for registered dietitians reflect the state's strong healthcare sector anchored by large health systems in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor:

• Entry-level clinical RD (Detroit metro/Grand Rapids): $53,000–$65,000
• Experienced clinical RD: $65,000–$80,000
• Renal/dialysis RD (DaVita/Fresenius): $65,000–$85,000
• Academic/research RD (Michigan Medicine, MSU): $65,000–$85,000
• Travel RD: $35–$50/hr (housing stipend and M&IE separate)
• Outstate Michigan (UP, northern lower peninsula): $46,000–$62,000; travel assignments common
• Corporate wellness (automotive/manufacturing sector): $58,000–$78,000

Henry Ford Health and Michigan Medicine at University of Michigan are among the highest-compensating employers; Corewell Health's merger of Spectrum and Beaumont created the state's largest health system with expansive clinical nutrition staffing.

Top Employers for Registered Dietitians in Michigan

• Henry Ford Health — Major Detroit-area health system; Henry Ford Hospital and multiple satellite campuses; broad clinical nutrition across specialties
• Corewell Health — Michigan's largest health system (merger of Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health); hospitals statewide from Grand Rapids to southeast Michigan
• Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan Health) — Academic medical center in Ann Arbor; research and clinical nutrition, strong subspecialty programs in oncology, transplant, and pediatric nutrition
• Ascension Michigan — Multi-hospital Catholic health system in southeast Michigan and Saginaw
• DaVita Kidney Care / Fresenius Medical Care — Extensive dialysis networks statewide; renal RD demand high given Michigan's large ESRD population
• US Renal Care — Expanding dialysis presence in Michigan markets
• Michigan WIC Program — MDHHS-administered; local health department positions across all 83 counties
• Automotive/corporate wellness programs (Ford, GM, Stellantis employee health) — Corporate nutrition and wellness roles unique to Michigan's manufacturing economy