Distance Dietetic Internship
Overview
The Distance Dietetic Internship is a nine-month Graduate Certificate program that includes 10 graduate credit hours through two internship seminars (2 credits each) and two supervised practice experiences (3 credits each) during rotations in Clinical, Community, and Food Service areas.
The program prepares students to be competent entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists and lifelong learners in the community by providing a variety of opportunities to increase their capacity for inquiry, logical thinking, critical analysis, synthesis, and leadership as they apply theory to practice. Individuals will develop skills in the areas of medical nutrition therapy, community nutrition, and food service management with a concentration in Leadership & Project Management..
As a participant in the certificate program, you'll have the flexibility to establish your experience anywhere in the U.S. with the approval of the program. You'll also develop a personal leadership project to manage, that can include National Nutrition Month activities in local school districts, community gardens, or other community engagement opportunities.
This certificate program is approved to match 50 interns. The program may preselect applicants who are already taking graduate courses in our department.
This program uses the online centralized internship application, Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Services (DICAS).
An on-campus visit or video conference is always encouraged. Please feel free to contact Dr. Schumacher, Mrs. Byrd, or Mrs. Kollmann to arrange a time to discuss the exciting opportunities at Illinois State.
This program is designed for someone who has their undergraduate degree, completed a didactic program in dietetics and possess a DPD verification statement. Alternate dietetic pathways at Illinois State University include a Master of Science degree in Nutrition and a combined Master’s of Science degree in Nutrition combined with a Dietetic Internship.
Point of Pride
Several graduate students in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences published their theses in peer-reviewed journals.
Advising
Kaitlin Byrd
(309) 438-4608
Turner 203A
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Discover what life as a Illinois State graduate student is like with an Online Graduate Student Information Session.
How to Apply
University Admission Requirements
A student applying to a master's program must:
- have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association, or do so within one academic year
- present unofficial transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. The unofficial transcript should be easily readable and clearly indicate degree(s) awarded, courses and course grades for each term. If accepted, official transcripts can be emailed from the university to GraduateAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Illinois State University, Graduate School, 209 Hovey Hall, Campus Box 4040, Normal, IL 61790-4040.
International students can learn more about specific application requirements by visiting the Office of Admissions.
Additional Program Admission Requirements
A student applying to this program must:
- Complete at least a Bachelor's degree
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Complete a didactic program in dietetics (DPD) with a DPD verification statement
A student applying to this program must participate in the DICAS and DND Digital national matching services by the February deadline. Please visit the Dietetic Internship website for additional information.
The GRE is not required.
International students need a minimum TOEFL score of 79.
Completion of a minimum of 150 hours of paid or volunteer work experience in food service and/or nutrition care is preferred.
References
When completing the application form through DICAS, applicants must include the name and contact information (specifically an email address) for each reference (total of 3). This will trigger an email message requesting completion of an online reference form.
Personal Statement
Applicants who apply to internships using DICAS will be asked to complete a personal statement. You should use your personal statement to address questions such as:
- Why do you want to enter the dietetics profession?
- Discuss experiences that have helped to prepare you for your career,
- What are your short-term and long-term goals?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses or areas needing improvement?
The personal statements has a 1,000 word limit.
Transcripts
Official transcripts should be sent to:
DICAS-Transcript Dept
PO Box 9118
Watertown, MA 02471
If accepted, you will need to apply and send official transcripts to Illinois State.
Application Fee
Our program's application submission fee is $35 for each internship track (if applying to both tracks, submit $70). We only accept online payments.
If selected, you will need to apply to Illinois State through the Graduate School application. There is a $50 application fee.
How to Apply for Preselect
We accept preselect applications only from Illinois State University students in either the accelerated master’s sequence (FND dietetics sequence), or senior dietetics sequence students, or current Illinois State University Master’s of Science in Nutrition students.
Applicants for preselect must submit their materials using the link below by November 1 in the fall prior to the year they intend to complete the internship. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status prior to fall break each year. Note that interns preselected will not participate in computer matching through D&D Digital, however if not selected, students can apply to other internships through the computer matching process.
If you are not preselected to our internship, we encourage you to reapply during the match process as you may still have potential to match with our programs. If you have individual questions about your eligibility after the preselect process, please direct questions to the Assistant DI director.
Preselect Application Materials
Open to Illinois State University students only
- Personal statement addressing required questions listed under “Personal Statement” above.
- Resume
- Application submission fee of $35 (see application fee above).
Start Your Preselect Application
Application Deadlines
The Distance Internship uses the online centralized internship application, DICAS. The online application must be completed for our program by 11:59 PM Central Time on February 15.
Applicants must also register online for computer matching with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Matching service, D & D Digital. This service is necessary for you to rank your dietetic internship preferences.
Further information about computer matching applicant responsibilities can be found on the ACEND website.
Only those students matched to the ISU Dietetic Internships in April will at that time
apply to Graduate School
.
Graduate Assistantships
Assistantships are not available for this program.
Costs & Funding
See Student Accounts for information on tuition and fees. Funding for graduate students is available from several different sources. Students who have been admitted from contiguous states including Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin will receive in-state tuition.