Introduction

The purpose of this study was to determine if among the factors that most influence the quality of careers in Nutrition and Dietetics, represented by the time of accreditation, is the quality of the university.

Material and Methods

A transversal, descriptive and associative study was realized. Researchers worked with official sources obtained from the Ministry of Education, about Nutrition and Dietetics degrees available from Chilean universities that went through the accreditation process between 2004 and 2016. Purposeful sampling was used, taking into account 20 accredited programs. Multivariate statistical analysis were carried out, such as multiple regression and cluster analysis; multiple regression was used to estimate what variables explain accreditation time for the careers and cluster analysis was used to demonstrate the affinity among Nutrition and Dietetics careers offered by different universities. SPSS Statistics 24.0 was used.

Results

There is a positive association between the years of accreditation granted to Nutrition and Dietetic programs and to universities; economic and selectivity variables have no statistical significance. Careers show an affinity pattern according to the type of university that offers them; this is also related to quality.

Conclusions

University accreditation is a critical factor for quality assurance of Nutrition and Dietetics careers.

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