Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences • Detroit, MI • Campus (Dietetics) or Online (M.S. Nutrition and Food Science) • $866/Credit (Graduate, Resident, 2026-27)
Wayne State offers 5 nutrition credentials, with 1 RD route and no DPD or internship of its own:
- M.S., Dietetics (the Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics, ACEND Coordinated Program)
- B.S., Nutrition and Food Science (pre-med or pre-dietetics tracks, not a DPD)
- B.A., Nutrition and Food Science (a broader liberal arts, science, and business degree)
- M.S. and M.A., Nutrition and Food Science (research or essay-based; the M.S. also offered fully online, non-RD)
- Ph.D., Nutrition and Food Science
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Dietetics (Coordinated Program) | About $33,421 in-state for four semesters (handbook, 2026-27 rates) | 2 years, four semesters | 34 |
| B.S. and B.A. Nutrition and Food Science | $7,094 to $8,419 per semester flat, lower to upper division (2026-27) | 4 years | 120 |
| M.S. and M.A. Nutrition and Food Science | About $27,700 for the 32-credit online M.S. at the resident rate (derived, before fees) | Three semesters online; traditional M.S. not stated | 32 |
| Ph.D. Nutrition and Food Science | $866.01 per credit, resident | Seven-year limit | 60 minimum |
Wayne State’s RD route is a single campus Coordinated Program with a cohort of 15: a 34-credit, set and sequential master’s with 1,032 supervised-practice hours, open to applicants with a bachelor’s in any subject plus prerequisites. Wayne State states plainly that it offers no DPD and no dietetic internship, and its only online degree, the M.S. in Nutrition and Food Science, does not lead to RD eligibility.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus for the Coordinated Program, B.S., B.A., traditional M.S., and Ph.D.; the M.S. in Nutrition and Food Science is also offered fully online in 8-week courses. The Coordinated Program has no online or hybrid component |
| Credit Hours | Coordinated Program: 34; B.S. and B.A.: 120; M.S. and M.A.: 32; Ph.D.: 60 minimum |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes — Coordinated Program in Dietetics. Wayne State says it has been accredited since 1980 and was continued in July 2023 for a term ending December 31, 2031. ACEND’s decisions pages show a June 2021 approval to add a graduate degree and full and continued accreditation after a site visit in July 2023; they give no term end and do not show 1980 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, through the Coordinated Program on completion; the B.S., B.A., M.S., M.A., and Ph.D. do not lead to RDN eligibility on their own |
| Supervised Practice | 1,032 hours across four semesters of supervised-practice courses, 8-hour rotation days at randomly assigned Detroit-area sites, unpaid; the handbook’s own tables sum to 960 to 1,104 hours |
| Reported Outcomes | Objectives only (80% take the exam, 80% one-year pass rate, 80% employed, 80% complete); a claim that over 80% find employment in the field within three months has no year; full data is available on written request |
| Coordinated Program Admissions | Cohort of 15; DICAS ($50 for the first program, $25 for each additional); minimum 3.3 GPA calculated on prerequisite courses; two recommendations and a personal statement; bachelor’s in any subject plus prerequisites (DPD holders exempt); Fall 2027 deadline February 1, 2027 |
| Tuition | Graduate 2026-27: $866.01 per credit resident, $1,875.78 non-resident; undergraduate science tiers $589.96 to $700.14 per credit resident; fully online students from outside Michigan pay the resident rate |
| Institutional Accreditation | HLC (Higher Learning Commission) |
Master of Science Coordinated Program in Dietetics
The estimated cost is about $33,421 in-state across four semesters ($8,823, $8,823, $9,759, and $6,016), per the 2026-28 handbook at 2026-27 rates. The department page’s own tuition table still shows $32,136 at 2025-26 rates. The program is 34 credits, set and sequential with no electives, and ends with a 2-credit capstone rather than a thesis.
Admissions and Practice
- Cohort of 15; DICAS opens November 1, 2026, with a February 1, 2027 deadline, notification by March 1, and a decision due March 15
- Prerequisites within five years: anatomy and physiology, microbiology, three chemistry courses, statistics, psychology, an anthropology or sociology course, management, and four nutrition courses
- Health care experience of 500 hours is suggested but not required; a GRE is listed as recommended in the catalog only
- Rotations are assigned randomly to Detroit-area sites, with report times from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; no named sites are published
You Should Know
The program is 34 credits, not 42 as sometimes stated, and the supervised-practice hours in the handbook’s tables do not sum exactly to 1,032. Wayne State’s regulations list “Master of Science in Dietetics” among completely online programs, while every program page describes the Coordinated Program as campus-based; treat it as campus-based. The department page’s cost table and the handbook use different years’ rates.
Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts, Nutrition and Food Science
Both degrees are 120 credits. Resident tuition in 2026-27 is a flat $7,094 per semester for 12 to 18 lower-division credits and $8,419 for upper-division credits, before a $300 registration fee, a per-credit services fee, and a science support fee for nutrition majors.
- B.S.: Track A (pre-med and pre-dental, 74 to 77 credits) or Track B (pre-dietetics and pre-PA, 72 to 73); not a DPD
- B.A.: a broader program (62 to 68 major credits) pointing to community health, policy, and food-service careers, with management and economics in its sample plan
- Neither degree issues a verification statement; Wayne State’s Coordinated Program is the only RD route
M.S. and M.A. in Nutrition and Food Science
Both are 32 credits at a 3.0 GPA minimum, with a GRE recommended on some pages and not required on others. The traditional M.S. is thesis-based, the M.A. is non-thesis with a 3-credit essay, and the online M.S. runs three semesters in 8-week courses with a capstone. Up to 6 credits are waived for ACEND dietetic interns and up to 6 for current RDs.
The online M.S. is the only online degree here, and Wayne State waives the out-of-state portion of tuition for fully online students, so they pay the resident $866.01 per credit. That is a waiver, not a 50% discount, and no 50% discount was found for any nutrition program. The online M.S. does not lead to RD eligibility.
Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Science
The doctorate requires at least 60 graduate credits, with 42 in coursework and 18 in dissertation per the department page, and has a seven-year time limit. A joint M.A./M.P.H. exists, but the catalog states an admissions moratorium is in effect.
Tuition
Wayne State’s graduate programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences share one tier, with a registration fee each semester and a services fee per credit.
- Graduate 2026-27: $866.01 per credit resident, $1,875.78 non-resident; registration fee $402.91 per semester; services fee $69.63 per credit
- Graduate 2025-26: $832.70 and $1,803.63; registration fee $387.41; services fee $66.95
- Undergraduate 2026-27: lower division $589.96 per credit or $7,094.17 flat per semester resident; upper division $700.14 or $8,419.08; non-resident $1,351.26 to $1,609.98 per credit
- Coordinated Program extras: Academy membership of $58 twice, textbooks of $200 to $300 a semester, a $750 physical, and a $35 lab coat
Be aware that:
A frequently quoted $15,862 resident figure matches no Wayne State rate; Coordinated Program year-one tuition and fees run about $16,968 (2025-26) and $17,646 (2026-27). No program-specific tuition discount for online or dietetics students was found.
Official figures are on Wayne State’s tuition and fee charts page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for applicants with a bachelor’s in any subject who want a short, public, campus-based route to the RD credential in Detroit, or students who want nutrition science, food science, or research training instead.
Students aiming for the RD credential get a 34-credit Coordinated Program that builds 1,032 practice hours into two years, with no DPD required and no internship match.
Students who want nutrition without the credential can pick the B.S., B.A., or a research master’s, or the online M.S. at the resident rate from anywhere.
The honest trade-off is seats and certainty: the cohort is 15, sites are assigned at random and unnamed, and Wayne State publishes outcome targets rather than results.
Accreditation
Wayne State is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), listed as accredited with a 2026-2027 reference year on the provost’s page; a next reaffirmation date was not found. This governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND lists Wayne State’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics under a June 2021 approval to add a graduate degree and under full and continued accreditation after a site visit in July 2023. Wayne State states a term ending December 31, 2031 and accreditation since 1980; ACEND’s pages do not show either. No probation, closure, or reorganization into a Future Education Model program appears. No other Wayne State program carries ACEND accreditation.
Graduates of the Coordinated Program are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam on completion. The undergraduate, research, and online graduate degrees do not lead to RDN eligibility.