UAMS offers two nutrition and dietetics credentials:
- M.S., Dietetics (combined with the dietetic internship)
- M.S., Clinical Nutrition
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Dietetics | $14.6K in-state $31.6K out-of-state | 15 months (4 semesters) | 36 |
| M.S. Clinical Nutrition | $17.6K derived | Not clearly stated | 36 |
UAMS runs the two programs at opposite ends of the dietitian pathway. The M.S. in Dietetics is a combined master’s and dietetic internship that takes DPD graduates to the credential in 15 months; the M.S. in Clinical Nutrition is an online degree mostly for people who already hold it.
The gate on the first one is absolute: admission requires a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics. Without that, this is not an available route, whatever your degree.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | Two master’s degrees, no undergraduate program |
| Format | Campus (M.S. Dietetics), Online (M.S. Clinical Nutrition) |
| Credit Hours | 36 for both |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes, covering the M.S. in Dietetics only |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S. Dietetics only. Clinical Nutrition assumes you already have it or do not need it |
| Supervised Practice | 1,200 hours minimum, inside the M.S. Dietetics program |
| Cohort Size | 14 students per year |
| Entry Gate | ACEND-accredited DPD verification statement required for the M.S. Dietetics |
| Tuition | $406/credit resident, $878/credit non-resident; six border states pay the resident rate |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission |
Master of Science in Dietetics
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Dietetics at UAMS is approximately $14,616 in-state and $31,608 out-of-state (36 credits at $406 and $878/credit, derived from the published rate). The program requires 36 credits and runs 15 months across four sequential semesters, starting in summer.
Program details are on the M.S. in Dietetics program page.
M.S. Dietetics Curriculum
The degree replaced a 12-credit dietetic internship certificate, with eight new graduate courses built to carry it to 36 credits. Competency development spans clinical dietetics, food service administration, and community nutrition, and a grade of B or better is required in each course to progress.
Coursework and practicum run concurrently rather than in sequence, which is what compresses the whole thing into 15 months.
M.S. Dietetics Supervised Practice
- 1,200 practicum hours minimum, against a roughly 1,000-hour CDR standard
- Rotations in clinical, administrative, and community settings
- ⚠ A minimum of 40 hours per week goes to practicum and coursework combined
- Placements are arranged through the academic health center and its affiliated sites rather than sourced by the student
The 40-hour figure is the number that should drive the decision. This is a full-time commitment with no part-time version, and for four straight semesters including two summers, outside employment is not realistic. In exchange, the student never enters the internship match and never hunts for preceptors, which is the trade most applicants would take.
M.S. Dietetics Admissions
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
- Verification statement from an ACEND-accredited DPD
- Cumulative GPA of 2.85 minimum; preference for 3.0 overall, 2.5 math and science, and healthcare work or volunteer experience
- Both a DICAS application and a UAMS application, plus a $40 fee
- 14 seats per year, admission competitive
- Up to 12 transfer credits from the UAMS Clinical Nutrition master’s, or up to 6 from another accredited university, completed within five years at a B or better
You Should Know
- The 12-credit transfer allowance from the Clinical Nutrition program is the useful structural detail here. A DPD graduate who is not ready to apply, or who is not admitted, can take graduate coursework online first and carry a third of the degree in.
- Fourteen seats against every DPD graduate in the state means rejection is a live possibility, not a formality. Have a second route identified before you rely on this one.
Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Clinical Nutrition is approximately $17,568 (36 credits at $488/credit, derived from the UAMS Graduate School part-time rate). The program requires 36 credits, is delivered fully online, and offers a thesis or non-thesis route.
Program details are on the M.S. in Clinical Nutrition program page.
M.S. Clinical Nutrition Curriculum
The 36 credits are 18 hours of core coursework plus one of two configurations: 15 elective hours with a non-thesis capstone, or 12 elective hours with 6 thesis hours. The elective block is unusually large for a 36-credit master’s, and a degree plan is built individually for each student.
The thesis choice is the real decision. A working dietitian adding a credential is generally better served by the non-thesis route, while anyone aiming at doctoral study or research employment should take the thesis and expect the timeline to stretch past what the credit count suggests.
M.S. Clinical Nutrition Admissions
- Built for practicing RDs and RDNs, other health professionals wanting to practice as nutrition specialists, and science graduates seeking nutrition research skills
- Graduates of the UAMS/CAVHS dietetic internship may transfer in 12 graduate credit hours
- Non-degree-seeking enrollment is available for up to 12 semester hours with the department chair’s permission, which works as a trial run before committing
You Should Know
- This degree carries no ACEND accreditation and no supervised practice. It does not lead to the RD credential for someone who does not already have it.
- Duration is not published. With an individualized degree plan and an online part-time design, time to completion depends on course load rather than a fixed sequence.
Tuition
The College of Health Professions publishes a graduate rate of $406 per credit hour for residents and $878 for non-residents. Both are published figures from UAMS Student Financial Services rather than derivations, and program totals below are computed from them.
One rule matters more than the rates themselves. UAMS charges the in-state resident rate for Dietetics to students from six border states: Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Dietetics is named explicitly on the bursar’s list, alongside a short set of other programs.
| Program | Rate | Credits | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Dietetics, resident or border state | $406 | 36 | $14,616 derived |
| M.S. Dietetics, non-resident | $878 | 36 | $31,608 derived |
| M.S. Clinical Nutrition, resident | $488 | 36 | $17,568 derived |
| M.S. Clinical Nutrition, non-resident | $976 | 36 | $35,136 derived |
Be aware that:
- The two programs may not sit on the same tuition schedule. The Dietetics master’s is a College of Health Professions program billed at CHP rates, while the Clinical Nutrition degree is conferred through the UAMS Graduate School, whose published part-time rate is $488 resident and $976 non-resident. Confirm which schedule applies before comparing the two.
- Whether the border-state provision extends to the Clinical Nutrition program is not stated. The bursar’s list names Dietetics.
- Rates shown are tuition only. Lab fees are charged per credit hour in the College of Health Professions, and UAMS requires all students to carry health insurance.
- Students in UAMS-designated fully online programs are exempt from some fees and pay half the standard technology fee, which favors the Clinical Nutrition side.
- The College of Health Professions operates a non-resident academic tuition waiver. A non-resident outside the six border states should apply rather than budget from the $878 rate.
For an Arkansas resident or a border-state applicant, the dietitian route here is roughly $14,600 in tuition for a credential that takes 15 months, which is a strong number for a program with practice hours included. For a non-resident outside those six states the figure more than doubles, and the waiver becomes the deciding variable rather than a footnote.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for DPD graduates who want the credential quickly and can give it fifteen uninterrupted months.
Speed and placement certainty are the offer. Fifteen months from start to verification statement is fast for a route that includes 1,200 supervised practice hours, and the placements come with the program at the state’s academic health center. For a DPD graduate weighing a separate internship application against a combined degree, this removes the match and the separate year it usually costs.
The constraints are narrow entry and narrow capacity. Fourteen seats, a required verification statement, and a 40-hour weekly commitment rule out career changers, part-time students, and anyone whose bachelor’s was not an accredited DPD. The Clinical Nutrition master’s is open to a far wider group but answers a different question, since it carries no accreditation and no practice hours. Read the two as separate products rather than as a beginner and advanced version of the same thing.
Accreditation
UAMS is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which governs credit transfer, graduate admission elsewhere, and federal financial aid eligibility across every program the university awards.
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics accredits the Master of Science in Dietetics program and nothing else in the department. Graduates receive a verification statement and, having completed both the master’s degree and the supervised practice hours, are eligible to sit for the Commission on Dietetic Registration examination. The Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition holds no ACEND accreditation, which is ordinary for an advanced-practice degree aimed at people already credentialed, but it means that degree alone does not produce RDN eligibility. Arkansas licenses dietitians separately through its own board, so passing the national exam is not the last step.
More Nutrition Degrees in Arkansas
- Arkansas Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Arkansas State University - Jonesboro
- Harding University - Searcy
- Little Rock Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Ouachita Baptist University - Arkadelphia
- University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
- University of Central Arkansas - Conway