Seven Indiana universities offer nutrition or dietetics credentials, and each now has a profile built from the school’s own pages and ACEND’s records. Purdue, Ball State, and Indiana University Indianapolis run graduate routes that pair coursework with supervised practice, Manchester offers one online with practice near the student’s home, and the University of Indianapolis offers a dietetic internship on its own. Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Southern Indiana run accredited bachelor’s programs that stop at the verification statement.
Two programs this page used to list are gone. Indiana State University’s coordinated program entered an ACEND teach-out with an effective date of August 1, 2023, and the University of St. Francis’s coordinated program closed in June 2026. Both are covered under the schools below, so you do not plan around a route that no longer exists.
Nutrition Programs in Indiana — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue University West Lafayette |
MS Dietetics — the ACEND graduate Coordinated Program, two years BS Nutrition and Dietetics — the accredited DPD BS and MS/PhD Nutrition Science — not RD routes |
$9,992 a year in-state; $19,984 over two years for the M.S. (derived) | Campus | Yes — the M.S. in Dietetics; ACEND terms end December 31, 2033 |
| Ball State University Muncie |
MS Nutrition and Dietetics, Aspiring Dietitian — 36 credits with the internship built in BS Dietetics — the accredited DPD MS, Registered Dietitian concentrations — online, for current RDs |
$464/credit graduate in-state; about $17,979 for the Aspiring Dietitian M.S. (derived) | Campus; hybrid and online (M.S.) | Yes — the Aspiring Dietitian M.S., after a DPD |
| Indiana University Indianapolis Indianapolis |
Doctorate in Nutrition and Dietetics — three-year coordinated program MS with Dietetic Internship — for applicants with a DPD MS non-thesis and certificates — not RD routes |
$628/credit in-state; the M.S. with internship is about $22,790 in tuition by the school’s cost page | Campus; hybrid | Yes — the doctorate or the M.S. with internship |
| Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington |
BS Applied Health Science, Dietetics — the accredited DPD 4+1 accelerated master’s — IU dietetics majors only MS Nutrition — a research degree |
$12,144 a year in-state undergraduate | Campus | Partial — a verification statement, then an outside internship |
| University of Southern Indiana Evansville |
BA/BS Food and Nutrition, Dietetics specialty — the accredited DPD | $299.19/credit in-state; about $10,676 a year (derived) | Campus | Partial — a verification statement, then an outside internship and graduate degree |
| Manchester University Fort Wayne |
MS Nutrition and Nutrigenomics — an ACEND Future Education Model graduate program | $850/credit plus an $85 technology fee; about $50,490 (derived) | Mostly Online | Yes — degree and verification statement together; ACEND term ends June 30, 2033 |
| University of Indianapolis Indianapolis |
Dietetic Internship — non-degree, with a Sport Nutrition concentration Paired master’s routes — exercise science, public health, or aging studies |
$862/credit; about $10,775 for the internship (derived) | Campus | Partial — the internship plus a graduate degree |
Figures are 2026–27 rates from each school’s published tables where profiled, and several are derived or estimated on the profiles. Verify accreditation status and which specific option carries it before applying.
Which Indiana Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose Purdue if you want coursework and supervised practice in one graduate program. The M.S. in Dietetics is a two-year ACEND coordinated program with practice in year two at sites across Indiana. Purdue’s individualized supervised practice pathway is closing and no longer accepts new interns.
Choose Ball State if you hold a DPD and want the internship inside a master’s. Its Aspiring Dietitian M.S. runs 36 credits with a full-time internship built in, and ACEND terms for the DPD and internship run to December 31, 2029.
Choose Indiana University Indianapolis if you did not complete a DPD, or want a choice of route. The three-year doctorate is an entry-level coordinated program that does not require a DPD if the prerequisites are done, and the M.S. with internship serves applicants who already hold a verification statement.
Choose Manchester if you need to train near home. The coursework is online and the supervised experiential learning happens where you live, with no internship match. ACEND moved the program from candidacy to full accreditation in April 2026, though the school’s own pages still describe candidate status.
Choose the University of Indianapolis if you want a sport nutrition internship in central Indiana. The internship is non-degree, so it completes the route only for an applicant who already holds a graduate degree or pairs it with one of the university’s master’s programs.
Choose Indiana University Bloomington or the University of Southern Indiana if you are starting as an undergraduate. Both are accredited DPDs. Bloomington adds a 4+1 pathway to a master’s for its own dietetics majors, and Southern Indiana’s dietetics specialty sits inside a Food and Nutrition degree.
Indiana Nutrition Schools
Purdue University
Purdue in West Lafayette runs nutrition through its Department of Nutrition Science in the College of Health and Human Sciences. This is Purdue University, not Purdue Global.
- MS in Dietetics — the ACEND graduate Coordinated Program, with coursework in year one and at least 1,000 supervised practice hours in year two
- BS Nutrition and Dietetics — the accredited DPD
- BS Nutrition Science, and MS and PhD Nutrition Science — research and science degrees, not RD routes
ACEND lists the coordinated program and the DPD with terms ending December 31, 2033. Year-two practice takes place in assigned settings across Indiana.
Full Purdue University profile
Ball State University
Ball State in Muncie runs nutrition through the Department of Nutrition and Health Science in the College of Health.
- MS Nutrition and Dietetics, Aspiring Dietitian — 36 credits including a 9-credit internship course, the direct RD route
- BS Dietetics — the accredited DPD
- MS Nutrition and Dietetics, Registered Dietitian — online, for credentialed RDs, not an RD route
The two master’s concentrations have similar names and different destinations, so check which one your application names. The internship is full time at about 40 hours a week, with placements chosen by the director.
Full Ball State University profile
Indiana University Indianapolis
IU Indianapolis runs nutrition through the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Health and Human Sciences.
- Doctorate in Nutrition and Dietetics — an entry-level three-year coordinated program
- MS in Nutrition and Dietetics with the Dietetic Internship — for applicants with a DPD verification statement
- MS non-thesis, a postprofessional doctorate, and certificates — not entry routes to the credential
The school’s own pages give different credit counts for the doctorate, 74 on the cost page and 90 on the degree page, which changes the cost estimate. ACEND lists the coordinated program to June 30, 2032 and the internship to December 31, 2030.
Full Indiana University Indianapolis profile
Indiana University Bloomington
IU Bloomington houses dietetics in the Department of Applied Health Science in the School of Public Health.
- BS Applied Health Science, Dietetics — the accredited DPD
- 4+1 accelerated master’s pathway — for IU Bloomington dietetics majors only, with no supervised practice
- MS Nutrition — a thesis research degree, not an RD route
Bloomington has no internship, so a graduate applies elsewhere for supervised practice after the verification statement. ACEND’s directory lists the DPD to June 30, 2032.
Full Indiana University Bloomington profile
University of Southern Indiana
USI in Evansville runs the program in the Food and Nutrition Department of the Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions.
- BA or BS Food and Nutrition, Dietetics specialty — the accredited DPD
- BA or BS Food and Nutrition, Nutrition and Wellness specialty — not an RD route
The degree is titled Food and Nutrition, and the accredited DPD is one specialty inside it. The university has no master’s, internship, or coordinated program, and publishes dated outcome tables for its DPD graduates.
Full University of Southern Indiana profile
Manchester University
Manchester’s program sits in the College of Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy and is based in Fort Wayne.
- MS Nutrition and Nutrigenomics — an ACEND Future Education Model graduate program, 54 credits, with about 1,040 hours of supervised experiential learning
- BS Nutrition Sciences — not ACEND-accredited, a path into RDN-eligible master’s programs
The school’s pages and catalog disagree on credits, 54 or 55, and still describe candidate status that ACEND’s directory no longer shows.
Full Manchester University profile
University of Indianapolis
UIndy offers its dietetic internship through the College of Health Sciences.
- Dietetic Internship — non-degree, 12.5 credits, with an integrated Sport Nutrition concentration
- Paired master’s routes — exercise science, public health, or aging studies with the internship
The school’s pages conflict on whether the program is a candidate or fully accredited and on 1,040 or 1,200 hours. ACEND’s directory lists it as accredited to June 30, 2032.
Full University of Indianapolis profile
Programs that have closed
Indiana State University in Terre Haute no longer has an ACEND-accredited dietetics program. ACEND’s September 2021 decisions list its Coordinated Program in Dietetics as voluntarily closing under a teach-out plan, effective August 1, 2023, and its current catalog lists only a nutrition minor, which does not lead to RD eligibility. Our earlier listing of a BS or MS coordinated program there was wrong.
University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne appears in ACEND’s records with a coordinated program that closed on June 5, 2026. The combined BS Nutrition and Master of Healthcare Administration degree once listed here could not be confirmed to exist.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Indiana
Purdue and Purdue Global are not the same program
Purdue states on its own pages that its Department of Nutrition Science programs are not affiliated with Purdue Global’s nutrition program, which is not ACEND-accredited. Purdue University cannot accept coursework from it toward the accredited degree. Check which institution you are applying to before enrolling or transferring credits.
Where the supervised practice sits
Purdue and Indiana University Indianapolis offer coordinated routes, Ball State and Manchester build practice into the master’s, and the University of Indianapolis offers an internship alone. Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Southern Indiana give coursework and a verification statement only, so plan the internship application separately and early.
Check what the degree actually is
Several accredited routes sit inside broader degrees: Southern Indiana’s dietetics specialty inside Food and Nutrition, Bloomington’s dietetics major inside Applied Health Science, and Ball State’s two master’s concentrations that differ in whether they lead to the credential. The verification statement, not the degree title, shows which route you took.
The master’s requirement changed in 2024
Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree in any field, plus a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited program and supervised practice, to sit for the RDN exam. The University of Indianapolis internship alone does not award a master’s, so it fits applicants who already hold one or pair it with one of the university’s graduate programs.
Confirm accreditation terms
ACEND terms differ across the state, from 2033 at Purdue and Manchester to 2030 and 2032 for several others, and Manchester’s and the University of Indianapolis’s own pages lag the directory. Check the term and status with ACEND before relying on a school’s description.
Nutrition Licensure and Credentials in Indiana
Indiana University’s program materials state that Indiana regulates registered dietitian nutritionists through the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana. Requirements differ from states with a full practice act, so confirm exactly what Indiana requires for the work you intend to do.
The national CDR requirements apply regardless: an ACEND verification statement, a master’s degree, supervised practice hours, and a passing exam score. Confirm current Indiana requirements with the Board before relying on them.
Before applying anywhere in Indiana, verify three things directly with the school: which specific program or concentration carries the ACEND accreditation, the current term and status with ACEND, and the application deadline and cohort size, which were not published for every program. Profiles for all seven schools are linked above.