The profession of dietetics is transitioning to the master's degree (MS) as the entry-level requirement for registered dietitians' (RDs) to practice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the attitudes and perceptions of registered dietitians with bachelor's degrees (BS, RD's) regarding a transition to the MS degree as the requirement for the RD certification. This study also examined these RD's attitudes and perceptions regarding impacting factors such as their years of work experience including salary levels and increments, professional stature including promotions and positions, and scope and type of practice. A cross-sectional survey was utilized to collect data and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 22.0 was used to conduct data analysis. The participant pool was comprised of 107 BS, RDs and included 99 (92.5%) females and 8 (7.5%) males. Fifty-six percent of participants (n=60) were predominantly between the ages of 30-39 years and 88.0% (n=94) reported working in California. Participants expressed greater support for a one-year transitional master's degree (tMS) rather than the MS degree, and findings indicated lack of support for the universal degree requirement of the MS degree for practice. Participants felt that the MS degree improved the RD's ability to apply research in clinical practice and improved clinical reasoning skills, however, the degree would not alter the role of the RD, lead to a more defined type and scope of practice, improve the quality of health care for the patients, improve leadership skills or enhance xi LIST OF FIGURES 1. Conceptual framework representing the major factors affecting professional education .
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