Ruth Whitaker Holmes School of Behavioral & Health Sciences • Frederick, MD • Campus • Tuition Not Yet Verified
Hood College offers 1 RD-pathway Nutritional Sciences credential:
- M.S., Nutrition Science, Dietetics Track (ACEND Coordinated Graduate Program)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated | 42 didactic, plus 1,000+ hours supervised experiential learning |
Hood’s M.S. in Nutrition Science, Dietetics Track just achieved full ACEND accreditation in October 2025, after receiving candidacy status in 2022, combining didactic coursework and at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning into one Coordinated Graduate Program. Hood also offers two related, non-RD-pathway tracks within the same M.S. degree: a Nutrition Science track for practicing RDs seeking advanced credentials, and a Sustainable Nutrition track focused on community and population health, neither covered in detail on this page.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | M.S. (ACEND Coordinated Graduate Program); Hood also offers non-RD-pathway Nutrition Science and Sustainable Nutrition tracks within the same M.S. |
| Format | Campus |
| Credit Hours | 42 didactic credits, plus at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning (at least 700 in professional settings) |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes — full accreditation granted October 2025, through June 30, 2033, following candidacy status granted in 2022 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, on completion; coursework and supervised practice are combined in one Coordinated Graduate Program |
| Tuition | Not clearly stated; confirm directly with Hood College |
| Institutional Accreditation | MSCHE (Middle States Commission on Higher Education) |
M.S. in Nutrition Science, Dietetics Track
Hood College does not publish tuition for this program on the pages reviewed; confirm current cost directly with the Ruth Whitaker Holmes School of Behavioral & Health Sciences. The program requires 42 didactic credits plus at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning, with program length not clearly stated.
Dietetics Track Curriculum
The Dietetics Track combines 42 units of didactic coursework with supervised experiential learning in one accredited Coordinated Graduate Program, rather than a coursework-then-internship sequence.
You Should Know
Hood describes this track on its own materials as “one of only two Coordinated Programs of its kind in Maryland.” That claim comes from Hood College itself and was not independently verified against every other Maryland program’s exact ACEND category in this research; treat it as Hood’s own characterization.
Dietetics Track Supervised Practice
- At least 1,000 total hours of supervised experiential learning
- At least 700 of those hours in professional settings
- Built into the same accredited program as the didactic coursework, not a separate post-degree application
Dietetics Track Admissions
Admissions requirements were not clearly stated on the pages reviewed; confirm current requirements and application deadlines directly with Hood College.
Tuition
No per-credit or total tuition figure for this program was found published on the pages reviewed.
- Tuition not clearly stated; contact Hood College’s Ruth Whitaker Holmes School of Behavioral & Health Sciences directly
Be aware that:
Hood is a private institution, so cost is likely to run above Maryland’s public university programs profiled elsewhere in this guide; confirm the current rate directly before comparing.
Program details are published on Hood College’s Nutrition Science, Dietetics Track program page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want a Coordinated Program at a small private college in Frederick, with coursework and supervised practice bundled into one degree.
Students who want certainty over current accreditation status get a program whose standing was just confirmed: Hood passed its first full-accreditation review in October 2025 after three years on candidate status, so the review is recent rather than a long-unexamined legacy decision.
Practicing RDs or sustainability-focused students can look at Hood’s other two M.S. tracks, Nutrition Science and Sustainable Nutrition, though neither is covered in detail on this page since they don’t lead toward initial RD eligibility.
The honest trade-off is that tuition and program length weren’t independently confirmed in this research, and as a young program, Hood lacks the multi-year outcomes track record some public university programs publish.
Accreditation
Hood College is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the college.
ACEND granted the Dietetics Track candidacy status in April 2022, then full and continued accreditation in October 2025, valid through June 30, 2033. Hood’s Nutrition Science and Sustainable Nutrition tracks are not RD-pathway credentials; that’s normal for tracks built for already-credentialed RDs or non-clinical population-health careers, not a deficiency.
Graduates of the Dietetics Track are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam on completing the program, since coursework and at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning are earned together in one accredited credential.
Maryland Nutrition Programs to Compare
- Anne Arundel Community College - Arnold
- Baltimore Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore
- Maryland Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Morgan State University - Baltimore
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore - Princess Anne
- University of Maryland Medical Center - Baltimore
- University of Maryland, College Park - College Park