The accredited Dietetic Internship (DI) at Ball State University has as its mission to prepare competent entry-level dietetic practitioners that meet or exceed the delineated competencies.  These competencies are to be achieved following both the guidelines of the Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice of the American Dietetic Association.

Following successful completion of this experiential program, students are eligible to write the dietetic registration examination to become recognized as Registered Dietitians.  Graduates of the Ball State University Dietetic Internship are strongly encouraged to attain certification offered through the State of Indiana as a significant part of their professional preparation. (Revised 2/06)

The mission of the Dietetic Internship is consistent with the Mission Statement of Ball State University as interns spent the 24 of the 26 weeks of the internship involved in action-oriented learning that include immersive out-of-class experiences.  The experiences generally occur within the state of Indiana, but occasionally involve experiences outside the state or interns complete written or verbal communication that reach individuals outside the state and have the potential to work with individuals from all corners of the world.  Over the past few years, interns who speak Spanish have been particularly valuable to the facilities in which they have completed their internship hours. 

Interns are required to complete (with a B average or higher) a minimum of 9 hours graduate course work prior to the start of the internship.  This allows time for the interns to get to know each other, work in a classroom setting with graduate nutrition faculty, as they experience the more vigorous demands of a graduate level course.  While interns are completing their supervised practice hours they are off campus, making day to day contact with university faculty impossible.  Interns are given phone and email contact information for both the program director and coordinator.  They are encouraged to use that information as needed.