The University of Arkansas offers four nutrition credentials:
- B.S.H.E.S., Human Nutrition and Dietetics
- B.S.H.E.S., Food, Nutrition and Health
- M.S., Human Environmental Sciences (Human Nutrition concentration)
- Ph.D., Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (Human Nutrition concentration)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Human Nutrition and Dietetics | $43.7K in-state $132.7K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| B.S. Food, Nutrition and Health | $43.7K in-state $132.7K out-of-state | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| M.S. Human Environmental Sciences | $13.8K in-state $37.5K out-of-state | 2 to 3 years | 30 |
| Ph.D. Human Nutrition | Varies with funding | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated |
This is the deepest nutrition ladder in the state, running from an accredited bachelor’s through a research doctorate in one institution. It is also the only thing a reader needs to understand about it: the university offers no supervised practice at any level, and says so directly on its own doctoral program page.
Every graduate here who wants the dietitian credential leaves to complete practice hours somewhere else. What Fayetteville provides is the coursework, the accredited verification statement, and the research training.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | Two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s with four concentrations, a doctorate |
| Format | Campus; some graduate courses online by concentration, and an online nutrition minor |
| Credit Hours | 120 (either B.S.), 30 (M.S.) |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes, covering the Human Nutrition and Dietetics bachelor’s as a DPD |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | No program here completes it. The DPD yields a verification statement only |
| Supervised Practice | None offered at any level |
| Grade Requirement | C or higher in every NUTR and required science core course |
| Research Options | Thesis and non-thesis at master’s level; GRE optional |
| Tuition | $277.84/credit in-state undergraduate, $1,020.11 non-resident |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission |
B.S. in Human Nutrition and Dietetics
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Human Nutrition and Dietetics is approximately $33,341 in-state or $122,413 out-of-state (120 credits at $277.84 and $1,020.11 per credit, derived from published rates), plus about $10,320 in university fees across four years. The program requires 120 credits and is delivered on campus.
Program details are on the Human Nutrition and Dietetics program page.
B.S. Curriculum
This is the accredited track. Coursework runs through biochemistry, human physiology, community nutrition, and medical nutrition therapy, and is explicitly built as the prerequisite set for a post-baccalaureate dietetic internship and graduate school rather than as a terminal degree.
The grading rule is stricter than the university minimum. A C or higher is required in every NUTR course and every required science core course, so a single D in biochemistry means repeating it.
You Should Know
- Graduates receive a verification statement and are eligible to apply to an accredited supervised practice program. Since January 2024 a master’s degree is also required before the registration exam, so this degree is two steps from the credential rather than one.
- The department follows an Eight-Semester Degree Policy, which sets out what the university guarantees about course availability if you stay on the published plan.
B.S. in Food, Nutrition and Health
Tuition matches the dietetics bachelor’s, since both are standard undergraduate rate programs at 120 credits. The distinction is what the degree leads to rather than what it costs.
Program details are in the UA course catalog.
What This Degree Is For
Food, Nutrition and Health is the non-credentialing sibling. It sits in the same school, shares much of the science foundation, and is aimed at public health and nutrition science rather than clinical dietetics. It carries no ACEND accreditation and produces no verification statement.
The two majors sit one line apart in the catalog and lead to different careers. If the dietitian credential is the goal, Human Nutrition and Dietetics is the only one of the two that starts that path. If it is not, this degree removes the DPD course constraints and leaves room for public health or science coursework instead.
M.S. in Human Environmental Sciences
The estimated tuition for the M.S. is approximately $13,790 in-state or $37,507 out-of-state (30 credits at $459.68 and $1,250.24 per credit, derived from published online-program rates). The program requires 30 hours, offers thesis and non-thesis options, and typically takes two to three years.
Program details are on the master’s program page.
M.S. Structure and Concentrations
Four concentrations are available, including Human Nutrition and a Nutrition and Hospitality Management track. The Human Nutrition concentration goes deeper into nutritional biochemistry and metabolism and into interpreting and critiquing nutrition research, which is useful preparation for doctoral work or research employment.
At 30 hours this sits at the low end of the typical 30 to 36 credit master’s range, and the GRE is optional. Some courses are offered online depending on concentration, which makes part-time completion realistic for a working student.
You Should Know
- The department states plainly that a student pursuing this master’s must have completed DPD coursework and a dietetic internship separately to qualify for the registration exam. The degree satisfies the graduate requirement and nothing else.
- Non-resident graduate students should ask about the Chancellor’s Graduate Student Non-Resident Tuition Scholarship, which the university describes as an approximately 80% reduction in non-resident graduate tuition for eligible new degree-seeking students. On a $37,507 figure that is the largest single variable in the cost.
Ph.D. in Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, Human Nutrition Concentration
Cost depends almost entirely on funding rather than on published rates, as it does in any research doctorate. The university’s graduate assistant tuition rate is $446.29 per credit hour at the standard in-state level, and funded students pay materially less than the sticker figure suggests.
Program details are on the Human Nutrition Ph.D. concentration page.
Ph.D. Structure and Admissions
The doctorate is interdepartmental between the School of Human Environmental Sciences and the Department of Food Science, which gives it a wider methodological base than a nutrition-only program. A master’s is preferred for admission, though an exceptional bachelor’s-level applicant may be admitted directly with approval from the concentration admissions committee and the program steering committee.
The university states directly that this doctorate does not meet the requirements to become a registered dietitian nutritionist, because the CDR requires supervised practice hours in an ACEND-accredited program and the University of Arkansas does not provide them. That sentence is unusually candid and worth taking at face value. The assistantship question is the one that decides affordability, so ask about funding before anything else.
Tuition
Standard undergraduate tuition is $277.84 per credit hour in-state and $1,020.11 non-resident, both published for 2026-27. Graduate rates published for online enrollment are $459.68 in-state and $1,250.24 non-resident, and a separate university schedule lists $446.29 as the standard in-state graduate assistant rate, so confirm which line applies to your enrollment.
| Program | In-State | Non-Resident | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Either B.S., tuition only | $33,341 | $122,413 | 120 credits, derived |
| University fees, four years | $10,320 | $10,320 | $2,580/year, published |
| Either B.S., tuition and fees | $43,661 | $132,733 | Derived |
| M.S., tuition only | $13,790 | $37,507 | 30 credits, derived |
Be aware that:
- Fees are charged per credit hour, so a part-time student pays proportionally less than the $2,580 annual figure. The published list includes a College of Arts and Sciences fee that should not apply to a nutrition major housed in Bumpers College, so ask for a fee schedule specific to your college.
- Students in approved University of Arkansas online programs pay in-state tuition regardless of residency. Whether the nutrition master’s qualifies depends on the concentration, since only some are delivered online. Confirm before assuming the in-state rate.
- The non-resident gap at undergraduate level is the widest of any program in this comparison, roughly $89,000 in tuition alone across four years.
- Totals exclude housing, food, books, and transport. The university’s full cost-of-attendance estimate is substantially higher and is not a program cost.
For an Arkansas resident this is an inexpensive way to get accredited coursework and a strong science foundation, and the master’s at 30 hours is one of the cheaper graduate degrees available. For a non-resident undergraduate the figure is hard to justify against the in-state alternatives, and at graduate level the non-resident scholarship is the whole conversation rather than a footnote.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for Arkansas residents who want a research-capable department and are prepared to leave the state, or the university, for supervised practice.
Depth is the argument. Four credentials from bachelor’s to doctorate, an interdepartmental research doctorate shared with Food Science, and a master’s with concentrations that go into nutritional biochemistry and research critique. For a student who is genuinely interested in nutrition science rather than clinical practice, the ladder here goes further than anywhere else in the state and the in-state price is modest.
The gap is supervised practice, and it is not a small one. A DPD graduate here still needs an internship and a master’s before the registration exam, and the university supplies neither in combined form. That means competing for a placement elsewhere, which is the most common point at which people drop out of this field. A student whose sole goal is the RD credential should compare this against programs where coursework and practice hours come together, and treat the research strength as the reason to choose Fayetteville rather than the price or the pathway.
Accreditation
The University of Arkansas is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which governs credit transfer, graduate admission elsewhere, and federal financial aid eligibility.
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics accredits the Human Nutrition and Dietetics program as a Didactic Program in Dietetics. That accreditation covers coursework only. Graduates receive a verification statement and may apply to an accredited supervised practice program; combined with a master’s degree and completed practice hours, they become eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration examination. The Food, Nutrition and Health bachelor’s, the master’s, and the doctorate carry no ACEND accreditation, which is normal for degrees of those types and is stated clearly by the university itself in the doctoral program’s case. Arkansas licenses dietitians through its own board, a further step beyond the national exam.