Department of Health Sciences • Ellensburg, WA • Campus • About $166/Credit (Undergraduate, Resident, Est.)
CWU offers 4 nutrition-related credentials:
- B.S., Nutrition Science – Dietetics Specialization (ACEND Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- B.S., Nutrition Science – Foods and Nutrition Specialization (non-RD, food technology and product development)
- M.S., Nutrition (thesis or non-thesis)
- Dietetic Internship (DI), a separate post-baccalaureate ACEND-accredited supervised-practice program
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Dietetics Specialization | $7,459 to $7,716/yr resident (2026-27, tuition only; sources conflict) | 4 years | 180 total, 111 in the major |
| B.S. Foods and Nutrition Specialization | $7,459 to $7,716/yr resident | 4 years | 180 total |
| M.S. Nutrition | $11,772/yr resident (2026-27) | About 2 years | Not clearly stated; thesis and non-thesis tracks |
| Dietetic Internship | Not published separately | 3 academic quarters, within 13.5 months | 54 |
CWU’s own pages don’t fully agree on this program’s name: current program pages call it “Nutrition Science, BS,” while CWU’s accreditation page and even parts of the same current handbook still say “Food Science and Nutrition.” The RD pathway itself is a genuine multi-step ladder here: the Dietetics Specialization is a Didactic Program only, so graduates need a graduate degree (CWU’s own M.S. or another) and then a separate, competitive application to an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship, which is not automatically linked to CWU’s own coursework.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus, Ellensburg |
| Credit Hours | B.S. (either specialization): 180 total university credits, 111 in the Dietetics major, 63 pre-specialization credits required before admission; M.S.: not clearly stated; DI: 54 |
| ACEND Accreditation | Didactic Program in Dietetics and Dietetic Internship both received full and continued accreditation at ACEND’s July 2019 meeting; CWU’s own accreditation page shows only 2018-19 DPD documents and a stale 2014 letter for the DI, not reflecting the 2019 decision. DI page separately states current full accreditation through December 31, 2027 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Not directly from the B.S. alone. The Dietetics Specialization issues a DPD verification statement; students must then earn a graduate degree (per the CDR’s 2024 requirement) and separately apply to an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship, such as CWU’s own, before RDN eligibility. The Foods and Nutrition Specialization and the M.S. alone are not RD pathways |
| Dietetics Admissions | Overall CWU GPA of 3.0 or better and pre-specialization coursework GPA of 3.0 or better; 63 pre-specialization credits; students apply at the end of junior year; no fixed annual deadline or cohort cap found, admission appears rolling and advisor-approved |
| DI Structure | 3 academic quarters, 54 credits, completed within 13.5 months: clinical rotation about 10 weeks, community about 6 to 7 weeks, school foodservice about 5 to 7 weeks, hospital foodservice about 3 to 4 weeks, and an optional specialized rotation of about 3 weeks; interns work 30 to 38 hours a week. Total supervised-practice hours not published |
| Community Partnerships | Over 100 community partnerships are advertised specifically on the M.S. Nutrition page, for internships, research, and outreach; the B.S. Dietetics page describes community partnerships generally, with no number given |
| Tuition | Undergraduate resident: $7,459 to $7,716/yr tuition depending on which CWU page is used (2026-27), plus $2,250 to $2,396 in fees; non-resident about $27,041 to $27,042/yr. Graduate resident: $11,772/yr; non-resident $27,579/yr |
| Institutional Accreditation | NWCCU (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities) |
B.S., Nutrition Science – Dietetics Specialization
The estimated tuition for this specialization is $7,459 to $7,716 a year for residents in tuition alone (2026-27); CWU’s own cost-of-attendance page and its Nutrition and Dietetics Handbook give slightly different figures. The specialization is 111 credits within a 180-credit degree, after 63 pre-specialization credits.
Curriculum and Admissions
- 63 pre-specialization credits, including general chemistry, human nutrition, and related coursework, each completed before applying
- Overall CWU GPA of 3.0 or better, and 3.0 or better in pre-specialization coursework
- Students apply for the Dietetics Specialization at the end of junior year; no published annual deadline or cohort limit
- Graduation requires a minimum of 180 total university credits, at least 60 of them at the 300 or 400 level
You Should Know
This is a Didactic Program in Dietetics, not a Coordinated Program: it carries no built-in supervised practice. Since the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s January 1, 2024 requirement, graduates also need a graduate degree before they can apply to a Dietetic Internship. CWU’s own current Nutrition and Dietetics Handbook uses two different names for this degree within the same document, “Nutrition Science” and “Food Science and Nutrition”; treat “Nutrition Science” as the current name.
B.S., Nutrition Science – Foods and Nutrition Specialization
The estimated tuition matches the Dietetics Specialization figures above. This specialization focuses on food technology, product development, food service, and sustainability, using four specialized labs across food science, nutrition, and culinary arts. It carries no ACEND accreditation and is not an RD pathway.
M.S., Nutrition
The estimated tuition is the standard graduate resident rate, $11,772 a year (2026-27). The degree offers thesis and non-thesis tracks and access to four specialized research labs, including clinical nutrition and metabolic studies. Over 100 community partnerships are advertised specifically for this program, for internships, research, and outreach projects.
CWU’s own pages disagree on the application deadline, listing January 1 on the program page and January 15 on the graduate programs page. On its own, this degree is not an RD pathway; it can serve as the graduate degree students now need before applying to a Dietetic Internship.
Dietetic Internship
A separate program-specific tuition figure was not published. The internship runs 3 academic quarters and 54 credits, completed within 13.5 months, and is open to DPD graduates from any accredited program, not only CWU’s own.
Rotations
- Clinical: about 10 weeks
- Community: about 6 to 7 weeks
- School foodservice: about 5 to 7 weeks
- Hospital foodservice: about 3 to 4 weeks
- An optional specialized rotation: about 3 weeks
Interns work 30 to 38 hours a week. Total supervised-practice hours were not published on CWU’s own pages.
Tuition
CWU’s 2026-27 rates come from two of its own pages, which disagree on the undergraduate resident figure by about $257:
- Cost of Attendance page: undergraduate resident $7,716/yr tuition, $2,396/yr fees (Ellensburg) or $1,386 (Centers/Online); non-resident $27,041/yr
- Nutrition and Dietetics Handbook table: undergraduate resident $7,459/yr tuition, $2,250/yr fees; “Destination Central” reduced non-resident rate $12,042/yr; out-of-state $27,042/yr, $2,250 fees
- Graduate: resident $11,772/yr; non-resident $27,579/yr
Be aware that:
A clean, primary-source 2025-26 resident undergraduate figure was not found; a 2025-26 non-resident quarterly rate of $8,725.30 (about $26,176 for 3 quarters) was confirmed instead. The per-credit figure in this profile’s meta line ($166) is a derived estimate assuming a 45-credit full-time year on CWU’s quarter system, not a rate CWU publishes directly.
Official figures are on CWU’s cost of attendance page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want a lower-cost Washington RD pathway, or who want food-science or nutrition training without pursuing the RD credential.
Students aiming for the RD credential get an ACEND-accredited DPD and an ACEND-accredited internship in the same department, though they must clear a graduate degree and a separate competitive DI application in between.
Students who want food science or research training can take the Foods and Nutrition Specialization or the M.S., both with dedicated labs and, for the M.S., extensive community-partnership opportunities.
The honest trade-off is that the RD pathway here is a genuine multi-step process, not a single bundled program, and CWU’s own pages disagree on the program’s name, its exact tuition figures, and the M.S. application deadline.
Accreditation
CWU is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND’s own decisions show both the Didactic Program in Dietetics and the Dietetic Internship receiving full and continued accreditation at ACEND’s July 2019 meeting. CWU’s own accreditation page is stale for the internship, showing only a 2014 continued-accreditation letter, while the DI’s own program page separately states current full accreditation through December 31, 2027. Confirm current status directly with the department. The Foods and Nutrition Specialization and the M.S. Nutrition carry no ACEND accreditation.
Graduates who complete the DPD, a graduate degree, and the ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam. The DPD alone, the Foods and Nutrition Specialization, and the M.S. Nutrition on its own do not lead to RDN eligibility.