Professional Practice Internship
All Family and Consumer Sciences majors are required to complete FCS 398: Professional Practice. This is a 160-hour internship experience, typically completed in a student's junior or senior year.
*Professional Practice for the Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics (FND) student is not the post-graduate dietetic internship required to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (R.D.N). Professional Practice is an opportunity for the undergraduate Dietetics student to gain valuable experiences at a dietetics-related site. Experiences gained through FCS 398, paid work, or volunteering are important to learn more about the dietetics field, and to strengthen your knowledge and experience prior to applying for and beginning the larger dietetic internship that comes after graduation.
Prerequisites
In order to qualify for FCS 398, students must meet the following prerequisties:
- A minimum of 75 hours completed
- Completion of FCS 200
- Minimum 2.0 GPA
- Concurrent registration with FCS 300
*If you do not meet the prerequisites for FCS 398 but would still like to do an internship for credit, please contact your advisor about enrolling for FCS 198
Applications
The Professional Practice application is available on the FCS Advising ReggieNet page.
Students are respsonsible for finding an internship site that aligns with their career goals and professional interests. You will not be registered for FCS 398 until after your application has been approved by the Professional Practice Coordinator. Students can expect to receive a confirmation email from the coordinator once the deadline has passed and applications have been processed.
Students may not enroll for FCS 300 and FCS 398 on their own. The coordinator will issue overrides and follow up with each student via their ISU email with specifc registration instructions upon approval of their application.
Purpose
The Professional Practice course has five main purposes:
- To provide the student with on-the-job work experience that will allow for a variety of management / supervisory learning opportunities.
- To allow the student to apply his or her capabilities and academic learning on the job.
- To develop interpersonal skills.
- To develop positive/professional attitudes.
- To encourage closer cooperation between the FCS Department and the government, business, agency, or industry with whom the student is working.
Professional Practice Areas
Dietetics students often find internship opportunities in the following areas:
- Healthcare organizations
- Medical nutrition therapy
- Long-term care facilities
- Rehabilitation centers
- Private practice
- Sports nutrition
- School food services
- Grocery stores
- Wellness centers
- Health departments
- Government agencies
Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics students learn about all aspects of foods, from purchasing and preparation to service, so they are able counsel individuals on modifying their diet for greater health.
Contact
Lauren Nelson
lcnels1@IllinoisState.edu
(309) 438-2517