George Mason University Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Nutrition and Food Studies, College of Public Health • Fairfax, VA • Campus • $667/Credit (Graduate, In-State)

George Mason offers 3 graduate nutrition credentials. There is no bachelor’s degree in nutrition or dietetics here, only two undergraduate minors:

  • M.S., Nutrition – Dietetics Concentration (the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, ACEND Future Education Model, the RD pathway)
  • M.S., Nutrition – Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Performance, General Nutrition, or Research concentration (non-RD)
  • Graduate Certificate in Nutrition (Community Nutrition or Food Security)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
M.S. Nutrition, Dietetics ConcentrationAbout $30,015 in tuition (45 credits at $667), before the per-credit student feeAbout 21 months expected; GMU pages also cite 2 years and 31.5 months45
M.S. Nutrition, Other ConcentrationsAbout $26,013 in tuition (39 credits at $667)About 2 years39 (catalog arithmetic)
Graduate Certificate in NutritionAbout $12,006 in tuition (18 credits at the same graduate rate, est.)12 months18

Mason’s differentiator is structure: one M.S. in Nutrition with five concentrations, only one of which is the RD pathway. The Dietetics concentration is a stand-alone ACEND-accredited graduate program with supervised practice built in, while the four other concentrations (Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Performance, General Nutrition, Research) are non-RD degrees. A graduate-only department also means every applicant needs a bachelor’s degree from somewhere else first.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus. Mason Online lists the M.S. and certificate as “On Campus”; Mason’s own department and catalog pages do not state a format
Credit HoursDietetics concentration: 45 (24 core plus 21); other concentrations: 39 (24 core, 12 concentration, 3 capstone), derived from the catalog; certificate: 18
ACEND AccreditationYes — Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (Future Education Model). ACEND granted candidacy in April 2022 and full and continued accreditation in October 2025; Mason’s own release gives a term through June 30, 2033, which does not appear on ACEND’s decisions page
RD/RDN EligibilityYes, through the Dietetics concentration only, which issues a verification statement with the M.S.; the other concentrations, the certificate, and the minors do not lead to RDN eligibility
Supervised PracticeAt least 1,155 hours of supervised experiential learning, built into the degree through NUTR 587 and NUTR 687; Mason provides a list of sites, so students do not find their own
Reported OutcomesThe dietetics page publishes targets only (80% complete within 3 years, 90% take the CDR exam within 12 months, 80% pass within a year, 80% employed in the field within 12 months), with actual results “available upon request”
AdmissionsUniversity standard of a 3.0 GPA; resume, transcripts, two letters, and an expanded goals statement; dietetics is fall-only with no GRE required; non-dietetics deadlines are April 1 (priority), August 1 (fall), and November 1 (spring)
TuitionCollege of Public Health graduate rate: $667/credit in-state, $1,628 out-of-state (2026-27); $645.75 and $1,607 in 2025-26; plus a per-credit mandatory student fee (listed near $169 in 2026-27)
Institutional AccreditationSACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges), reaffirmed December 2022

M.S. Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration (Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics)

The estimated tuition is about $30,015 in-state for 45 credits at $667, or about $73,260 out-of-state at $1,628, before the per-credit mandatory student fee. Graduates receive an M.S. in Nutrition plus a verification statement for RDN exam eligibility.

Curriculum and Supervised Practice

  • 45 credits: a 24-credit nutrition core plus 21 credits of dietetics coursework and supervised practice, with no thesis or capstone
  • At least 1,155 hours of supervised experiential learning, built in rather than matched separately
  • Fall admission only
You Should Know

Mason’s pages give three different lengths for this program: about 21 months expected, a “recommended completion” of 31.5 months, and “2 years” on Mason Online. Its deadline wording also differs, with the program page showing an October 1 priority deadline and the College of Public Health admissions page showing October 1 as the standard deadline with no priority date. The program page has said that the class reached full capacity for Fall 2026 and that the Fall 2027 application would open in August 2026, which may be out of date. Confirm the current cycle directly.

Mason’s May 2022 news release called the program “accredited,” but ACEND’s record for that period is candidacy, with full and continued accreditation following in October 2025. ACEND labels the program “Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics” in 2022 and “Graduate Program in Dietetics” in 2025.

Admissions

  • 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale or better in baccalaureate study (university standard; no program-specific minimum listed)
  • Resume, transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and an expanded goals statement
  • No GRE required; prerequisite courses for dietetics are not listed on the pages reviewed

M.S. Nutrition, Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Performance, General Nutrition, and Research Concentrations

The estimated tuition is about $26,013 in-state for 39 credits at $667, or about $63,492 out-of-state, before the mandatory student fee. The catalog does not state the 39-credit total directly; it is the 24-credit core plus 12 concentration credits plus a 3-credit capstone. Mason Online lists the Community Nutrition and Nutrition and Performance versions at 39 credits and two years.

Concentrations

  • Community Nutrition: public-health and community nutrition coursework
  • Nutrition and Performance: sports and exercise nutrition coursework with kinesiology
  • General Nutrition: a core plus advisor-chosen electives
  • Research: faculty-mentored, and the only concentration with a thesis

The other three finish with a practicum or project of at least 200 contact hours. Students pick a concentration by the end of the first semester. None of these concentrations leads to RDN eligibility.

You Should Know

Mason says the Nutrition and Performance curriculum “prepares the student to take” the International Society of Sports Nutrition certification exam, and Mason Online says graduates are “eligible to take” it. Neither page says the coursework is designed to meet ISSN requirements. A department page also cites $69K+ average salary, 89% full-time employment, and 89% working in a related field, but these are for 2020 graduates only, with no sample size or source, so treat them as dated. Weight management and food safety appear as courses, not concentrations, despite some marketing language.

Mason’s admissions pages also disagree on the anatomy prerequisite, naming GCH 270 in the catalog and BIOL 124 on the department page; both name NUTR 295 as the nutrition prerequisite.

Graduate Certificate in Nutrition

The estimated tuition is about $12,006 for 18 credits, assuming the same College of Public Health graduate rate applies; the certificate pages do not state a separate rate. It runs about 12 months, full time or part time, with two concentrations: Community Nutrition and Food Security. It is not ACEND-related.

Tuition

George Mason charges graduate students in the College of Public Health $667 per credit in-state and $1,628 out-of-state for 2026-27, with no separate nutrition rate listed.

  • 2026-27: $667/credit in-state, $1,628 out-of-state; 2025-26: $645.75 and $1,607
  • Mandatory student fee per credit: $169 in 2026-27 and $163.50 in 2025-26 (confirm against the rate sheet)
  • Dietetics concentration: about $30,015 in-state or $73,260 out-of-state in tuition for 45 credits
  • Other M.S. concentrations: about $26,013 in-state or $63,492 out-of-state for 39 credits

Be aware that:

The rate sheet’s fee columns are laid out inconsistently, so the student-fee figures should be confirmed against the PDF. The undergraduate rates on the same sheet apply only to the two minors, since Mason has no undergraduate nutrition degree.

Official figures are on George Mason’s Student Accounts tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for applicants who already hold a bachelor’s degree and want either a stand-alone RD pathway near Washington, D.C., or a nutrition master’s with a community, performance, or research focus.

Students aiming for the RD credential get at least 1,155 supervised-practice hours inside the degree and a site list provided by the program, though entry is fall-only and capacity has been tight.

Students who want a non-RD nutrition master’s can choose community nutrition, performance, general, or research concentrations within the same department and the same tuition rate.

The honest trade-off is that the dietetics program publishes outcome targets rather than results, Mason’s own pages disagree on its length and deadlines, and the non-dietetics concentrations do not lead to the credential.

Accreditation

George Mason is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), reaffirmed in December 2022 with the next reaffirmation due in 2032, which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.

ACEND granted candidacy to Mason’s Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics in April 2022 and full and continued accreditation after a site visit in October 2025. Mason’s own news release gives a term through June 30, 2033, which could not be confirmed on ACEND’s decisions pages. This accreditation covers only the Dietetics concentration. The other M.S. concentrations, the certificate, and the minors carry no ACEND accreditation.

Graduates of the Dietetics concentration hold a master’s degree, accredited coursework, and at least 1,155 hours of supervised experiential learning, making them eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam. Graduates of the other concentrations are not RDN-eligible on those degrees alone.

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