School of Kinesiology and Nutrition • Hattiesburg, MS • Campus (B.S.) or Online (M.S.) • $446/Credit (B.S., Resident)
USM offers 3 Nutritional Sciences credentials:
- B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD)
- M.S., Nutrition and Food Systems — Dietetics Practice Track (paired with USM’s separately accredited Dietetic Internship)
- M.S., Nutrition and Food Systems — Applied Nutrition and Food Systems Track (not an RD pathway)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $446/credit resident (2026-27) | 4 years (120-credit bachelor’s norm) | 120 |
| M.S. Dietetics Practice | $594/credit resident, plus $30/credit online fee | About 21 months, though USM cites 1 to 3 years depending on hours enrolled | 30 |
| M.S. Applied Nutrition | $594/credit resident, plus $30/credit online fee | Not clearly stated | 30 |
USM’s “Nutrition and Food Systems” M.S. is genuinely one 30-credit degree split into two tracks: a Dietetics Practice track paired with USM’s own, separately ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship, and a non-RD Applied Nutrition and Food Systems track aimed at food-service and community-nutrition careers. USM’s own pages cite three different, undated pass-rate figures across the B.S., M.S., and Dietetic Internship pages, none with a cohort size or reporting period attached, so treat them as marketing figures rather than audited metrics until you get dated numbers directly from the department.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | B.S.: Campus, Hattiesburg only. M.S.: fully online for both tracks; the Dietetics Practice track’s internship component is in person |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: 120; M.S.: 30 (both tracks) |
| ACEND Accreditation | B.S.: Yes, DPD. M.S. degree itself: not ACEND-accredited. USM’s separate Dietetic Internship, paired with the Dietetics Practice track: Yes, full accreditation through June 30, 2030 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | B.S. alone: No. M.S. Dietetics Practice track plus the Dietetic Internship: Yes, on completion. M.S. Applied Nutrition and Food Systems track: No, not an RD pathway |
| Reported Outcomes | Three different, undated pass-rate figures appear across USM’s own pages: 93.4% (B.S. page, 5-year first-time RD pass rate), 92.3% (M.S. page), and 80%-plus (Dietetic Internship page, 1-year pass rate); none states a cohort size or reporting period |
| Supervised Practice | 1,000-plus hours at affiliated sites in Jackson, Meridian, Hattiesburg, and the Gulf Coast |
| Intake | Dietetic Internship: DPD verification statement, 3.0 GPA (2.7 science GPA, no grade below C); application deadlines are stated inconsistently across USM’s own pages, see You Should Know; roughly 14 to 22 supervised-practice slots across affiliated sites |
| Tuition | B.S.: $446/credit resident; M.S.: $594/credit resident, plus $30/credit online delivery fee (2026-27 rates) |
| Institutional Accreditation | SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) |
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Dietetics
The estimated tuition for the B.S. at USM is $446 per credit for residents (2026-27 rate). The program requires 120 credits over the standard four-year timeline, on the Hattiesburg campus only.
B.S. Curriculum
Nutrition and Dietetics is USM’s ACEND-accredited DPD, with a science-heavy curriculum covering nutrient metabolism, food microbiology, and diet-disease relationships, pointed toward clinical dietetics, community nutrition, food service management, and research.
B.S. Admissions
Admission follows USM’s standard undergraduate admission process; students declare Nutrition and Dietetics to be on the DPD track.
M.S. Nutrition and Food Systems, Dietetics Practice Track
The estimated tuition for this track at USM is $594 per credit for residents, plus a $30 per credit online delivery fee. The 30-credit degree runs about 21 months for the internship-paired track, though USM describes a broader 1 to 3 year range depending on how many hours a student carries at a time.
Dietetics Practice Curriculum
This track pairs the online M.S. coursework with USM’s own, separately accredited Dietetic Internship. The degree itself is delivered with no required visits to the Hattiesburg campus, but the internship’s 1,000-plus supervised-practice hours are completed in person at affiliated sites.
Dietetics Practice Supervised Practice
- 1,000-plus hours minimum
- Sites in Jackson, Meridian, Hattiesburg, and the Gulf Coast, with roughly 14 to 22 total slots across all locations
Dietetics Practice Admissions
- DPD verification statement
- 3.0 overall GPA, 2.7 science GPA, no grade below C
- Admission to the internship is required alongside the M.S. application
You Should Know
USM’s own pages give conflicting application windows for this track. The Dietetic Internship page states a regular deadline of February 1. USM’s separate Dietetics Practice page instead recommends February 15 and strongly encourages applying before April 1. Confirm the current deadline directly with the School of Kinesiology and Nutrition before assuming either date.
M.S. Nutrition and Food Systems, Applied Nutrition and Food Systems Track
The estimated tuition for this track is the same $594 per credit resident rate, plus the $30 per credit online fee. The degree requires 30 credits, with duration not clearly stated beyond the general online-pacing range USM publishes for the M.S. overall.
Applied Nutrition Curriculum and Eligibility
This track shares core coursework with the Dietetics Practice track but substitutes 15 credits of advisor-approved electives in place of the internship-required courses. It is not an RD pathway and does not require a DPD verification statement, serving students aimed at school food service, child nutrition management, food and nutrition services management, or community nutrition instead.
Applied Nutrition Admissions
Standard USM graduate admission requirements apply; no DPD verification statement is required for this track.
Tuition
USM charges $446 per credit for resident undergraduates and $594 per credit for resident graduate students (2026-27 rates), with a $30 per credit surcharge for online delivery on top of the graduate rate.
- $446/credit resident undergraduate (2026-27); $429/credit was the 2025-26 rate
- $594/credit resident graduate (2026-27); $572/credit was the 2025-26 rate
- $30/credit additional fee for online course delivery
Be aware that:
USM does not publish a single annual total for either program; the figures above are per-credit rates. A commonly cited “~$9K/year in-state” figure for USM nutrition programs could not be independently confirmed as USM’s own stated total and may understate current cost once the online delivery fee and full course load are factored in.
Official tuition figures are published on USM’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want a fully online graduate route to the RD credential, or a food-systems-focused master’s that doesn’t require a DPD.
Working professionals who need to stay employed while studying get a genuinely online M.S., with in-person time limited to the Dietetics Practice track’s supervised-practice rotations.
Students without a prior DPD who want food-systems or community-nutrition careers can use the Applied Nutrition and Food Systems track directly, without the internship application the Dietetics Practice track requires.
The honest trade-off is that USM’s own outcomes reporting is inconsistent across pages, with three different pass rates and no dates attached, and the internship application deadline itself is stated two different ways on USM’s own site. Confirm both directly before applying.
Accreditation
USM is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND accredits USM’s Didactic Program in Dietetics and separately accredits its Master’s-required Dietetic Internship, through June 30, 2030. The M.S. in Nutrition and Food Systems degree itself, including its Dietetics Practice track, is not independently ACEND-accredited; the accreditation belongs to the internship component. The Applied Nutrition and Food Systems track falls outside ACEND’s scope entirely, which is normal for a non-clinical food-systems degree.
Graduates of the Dietetics Practice track are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam once the graduate degree and the internship’s supervised practice are both complete. Graduates of the DPD alone are not RD-eligible and must complete a Dietetic Internship, at USM or elsewhere, plus a graduate degree, to pursue the credential.
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