Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics
Admitted students can earn a Master of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and can choose to include a Dietetic Internship and/or complete a thesis. The graduate program is designed to provide flexibility and individualization for students with varying needs and interests. The ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship, if selected has a Medical Nutrition Therapy focus. At present, the degree program is only intended for: 1) current dietitians who seek to complete a master's degree, and 2) aspiring dietitians who hold an earned DPD Verification Statement and who matched with Ball State's Dietetic Internship through the early access or DICAS admission. If you do not meet these criteria, but you are interested in becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist, email a copy of your transcripts to the Dietetics Program Director at dpd@bsu.edu who will identify the courses you will need to complete in order to meet the DPD Verification Statement requirements.
The MS Nutrition and Dietetics has four concentrations – two for aspiring dietitians (thesis or non-thesis) and two for current dietitians (thesis or non-thesis. Admitted students will select one of the following concentrations: Dietetic Internship-Research (thesis), Dietetic Internship-Applied (non-thesis), Registered Dietitian-Research (thesis), or Registered Dietitian-Applied (non-thesis).
Current Dietitians
This degree program provides the flexibility to help registered dietitian nutritionists complete their degree while continuing to work, helping them remain competitive in the marketplace. Individuals with graduate coursework from more than 6 years prior can request that those credits be revalidated (“count toward the degree”). Candidates may transfer up to 9 graduate credits from other accredited institutions into their program. In addition, current dietitians may be granted up to 9 additional credits via the Prior Learning Policy if they completed a Dietetic Internship for which no graduate credit was received. Contact the Graduate Program Director for details.
Aspiring Dietitians
The Ball State combined MS/DI program can be completed in as little as18-months. Once matched with the Dietetic Internship (either through the Early Access or DICAS application processes), students complete online coursework their first year and then will complete their Dietetic Internship starting the following May. Students must complete their graduate degree in order to earn their Dietetic Internship Verification Statement that will, in part, make them eligible to sit for the National Registration Examination. The Dietetic Internship at Ball State University is currently granted accreditation status by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 312-899-0040.
36 credits
Concentration 1: Dietetic Internship: Research
Research component, 15 credits from
| HSC 687 | Statistical Theory and Methods in Health Science | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 641 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 642 | Analysis of Variance | 3 |
| HSC 683 | Principles of Epidemiology 1 | 3 |
| NUTR 697 | Research Methods in Nutrition and Dietetics | 3 |
| THES 698 | Thesis | 1 TO 6 |
Students must take THES 698 for 6 credits.
Nutrition core, 18 credits from
Students must take NUTR 690 for 9 credits.
Directed electives, 3 credits from
Students must choose 3 credits (1 class) from the following NUTR and HSC electives.
| NUTR 643 | Energy Balance, Obesity, and Weight Control | 3 |
| NUTR 644 | Nutrition for Exercise and Sport | 3 |
| NUTR 645 | Nutrition and Food Policy | 3 |
| NUTR 650 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 651 | Pediatric Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 652 | Nutrition for Older Adults | 3 |
| NUTR 655 | Integrative and Functional Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 656 | Nutrition Counseling and Behavior Change | 3 |
| NUTR 660 | Advanced Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| NUTR 663 | Renal Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 664 | Nutrition in Cardiovascular Diseases | 3 |
| NUTR 695 | Independent Study in Nutrition and Dietetics | 1 TO 6 |
| NUTR 683 | Advanced Practice in Dietetics | 3 |
| NUTR 696 | Seminar in Foods and Nutrition | 3 |
Concentration 2: Dietetic Internship: Applied
Research component, 9 credits from
| HSC 687 | Statistical Theory and Methods in Health Science | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 641 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 642 | Analysis of Variance | 3 |
| HSC 683 | Principles of Epidemiology 1 | 3 |
| NUTR 697 | Research Methods in Nutrition and Dietetics | 3 |
Nutrition core, 18 credits from
Students must take NUTR 690 for 9 credits.
Directed Electives, 9 credits from
Students must choose at least 6 credits (2 classes) from the following NUTR and HSC electives. Up to 3 credits (1 class) may be taken outside of the Department of Nutrition and Health Science (any 500- or 600-level courses in CPSY, SOPS, EXSC, ACE, SEPS, NUR, SOCW, SPAA, or other as approved by the graduate program director). No more than 3 credits (1 class) from 500-level courses.
| NUTR 643 | Energy Balance, Obesity, and Weight Control | 3 |
| NUTR 644 | Nutrition for Exercise and Sport | 3 |
| NUTR 645 | Nutrition and Food Policy | 3 |
| NUTR 650 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 651 | Pediatric Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 652 | Nutrition for Older Adults | 3 |
| NUTR 655 | Integrative and Functional Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 656 | Nutrition Counseling and Behavior Change | 3 |
| NUTR 660 | Advanced Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| NUTR 663 | Renal Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 664 | Nutrition in Cardiovascular Diseases | 3 |
| NUTR 683 | Advanced Practice in Dietetics | 3 |
| NUTR 695 | Independent Study in Nutrition and Dietetics | 1 TO 6 |
| NUTR 696 | Seminar in Foods and Nutrition | 3 |
Concentration 3: Registered Dietitian: Research
Research component, 15 credits from
| HSC 687 | Statistical Theory and Methods in Health Science | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 641 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 642 | Analysis of Variance | 3 |
| HSC 683 | Principles of Epidemiology 1 | 3 |
| NUTR 697 | Research Methods in Nutrition and Dietetics | 3 |
| THES 698 | Thesis | 1 TO 6 |
Students must take THES 698 for 6 credits.
Nutrition core, 6 credits from
Directed electives, 15 credits from
Students must choose at least 9 credits (3 classes) from the following NUTR and HSC electives. Up to 6 credits (2 classes) may be taken outside of the Department of Nutrition and Health Science (any 600-level courses in CPSY, SOPS, EXSC, ACE, SEPS, NUR, SOCW, SPAA, or other as approved by the graduate program director). No more than 3 credits from 500-level courses.
| NUTR 642 | Nutrition Assessment | 3 |
| NUTR 643 | Energy Balance, Obesity, and Weight Control | 3 |
| NUTR 644 | Nutrition for Exercise and Sport | 3 |
| NUTR 645 | Nutrition and Food Policy | 3 |
| NUTR 650 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 651 | Pediatric Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 652 | Nutrition for Older Adults | 3 |
| NUTR 655 | Integrative and Functional Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 656 | Nutrition Counseling and Behavior Change | 3 |
| NUTR 660 | Advanced Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| NUTR 663 | Renal Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 664 | Nutrition in Cardiovascular Diseases | 3 |
| NUTR 680 | Supervised Practices in Food Systems Management | 3 |
| NUTR 681 | Supervised Practice in Nutrition Therapy | 3 |
| NUTR 682 | Supervised Practice in Community Nutrition/Business/Entrepreneur | 3 |
| NUTR 683 | Advanced Practice in Dietetics | 3 |
| NUTR 695 | Independent Study in Nutrition and Dietetics | 1 TO 6 |
| NUTR 696 | Seminar in Foods and Nutrition | 3 |
Concentration 4: Registered Dietitian: Applied
Research component, 9 credits from
| HSC 687 | Statistical Theory and Methods in Health Science | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 641 | Introduction to Statistical Methods | 3 |
| or | |
| EDPS 642 | Analysis of Variance | 3 |
| HSC 683 | Principles of Epidemiology 1 | 3 |
| NUTR 697 | Research Methods in Nutrition and Dietetics | 3 |
Nutrition core, 6 credits from
Directed electives, 21 credits from
Students must choose at least 12 credits (4 classes) from the following NUTR and HSC electives. Up to 9 credits (3 classes) may be taken outside of the Department of Nutrition and Health Science (any 600-level courses in CPSY, SOPS, EXSC, ACE, SEPS, NUR, SOCW, SPAA, or other as approved by the graduate program director). No more than 3 credits from 500-level courses.
| NUTR 642 | Nutrition Assessment | 3 |
| NUTR 643 | Energy Balance, Obesity, and Weight Control | 3 |
| NUTR 644 | Nutrition for Exercise and Sport | 3 |
| NUTR 645 | Nutrition and Food Policy | 3 |
| NUTR 650 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 651 | Pediatric Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 652 | Nutrition for Older Adults | 3 |
| NUTR 655 | Integrative and Functional Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 656 | Nutrition Counseling and Behavior Change | 3 |
| NUTR 660 | Advanced Healthcare Administration | 3 |
| NUTR 663 | Renal Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 664 | Nutrition in Cardiovascular Diseases | 3 |
| NUTR 680 | Supervised Practices in Food Systems Management | 3 |
| NUTR 681 | Supervised Practice in Nutrition Therapy | 3 |
| NUTR 682 | Supervised Practice in Community Nutrition/Business/Entrepreneur | 3 |
| NUTR 683 | Advanced Practice in Dietetics | 3 |
| NUTR 695 | Independent Study in Nutrition and Dietetics | 1 TO 6 |
| NUTR 696 | Seminar in Foods and Nutrition | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 36