Department of Nutrition and Dietetics • Livonia, MI • Hybrid (M.S.) or Campus (B.S.) • $1,020/Credit (Graduate, 2026-27)
Madonna University, a private Catholic university, offers 4 dietetics credentials, with its master’s at ACEND candidacy rather than full accreditation:
- B.S., Dietetics (a fully accredited ACEND Didactic Program in Dietetics, with an accelerated 3+2 option)
- M.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (an ACEND Coordinated Program, Pathway I, at candidacy)
- Nutrition and Dietetics Graduate Certificate (Pathway II, supervised practice only, for applicants who already hold a master’s and a verification statement)
- M.S., Nutrition and Wellness (non-RD)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Dietetics | $15,300/semester for 12 to 18 credits (2026-27) | 4 years; 3+2 accelerated option takes about 5 years with the M.S. | 120 (36 in the major) |
| M.S. Nutrition and Dietetics (Coordinated Program) | About $43,860 (43 credits at $1,020, derived) | 21 months full time from a fall start | 43 |
| Graduate Certificate (Pathway II) | About $14,280 (14 credits at $1,020, derived) | About 18 months | 14 |
| M.S. Nutrition and Wellness | About $31,620 (31 credits at $1,020, derived) | Not clearly stated | 31 |
Madonna’s differentiator is a master’s that builds 1,000 supervised-practice hours into the degree, so there is no internship match, at the cost of ACEND candidacy status: the Coordinated Program was granted candidacy in April 2023 and no later decision to full accreditation was found. The bachelor’s DPD is a separate, fully accredited program, so Madonna offers a complete in-house route only through the candidacy master’s.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | M.S.: Madonna calls it an immersive hybrid format, though its handbook says most courses are face to face, with eight online (five fully and three hybrid); B.S.: campus, with no delivery format stated |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: 120 (36 major, 5 electives, at least 27 support); M.S.: 43 (nine didactic courses, six supervised-practice courses totaling 14, a 3-credit capstone); certificate: 14; M.S. Nutrition and Wellness: 31 |
| ACEND Accreditation | B.S. DPD: full accreditation, with full and continued accreditation after a site visit in January 2020 and continued accreditation after an interim or progress report in July 2024. Coordinated Program: candidacy, granted April 2023, with no later decision found. No term end dates were found |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, via the M.S. Coordinated Program, which earns a verification statement with the degree (graduates of a candidate program have the same rights as graduates of an accredited one, per ACEND’s definition). The B.S. alone does not |
| Supervised Practice | 1,000 hours across six supervised-practice courses at 140 or 210 hours each, about 32 hours a week; the sample plan’s hours sum to 980 plus 15 |
| Reported Outcomes | No results published; objectives of 80% completion within 150% of program length, 80% taking the exam, and an 80% one-year pass rate are listed, and data is available on request |
| M.S. Admissions | Bachelor’s degree, 3.0 GPA, prerequisites at a C or better, two letters, a resume, a statement of purpose, an interview, DICAS, and a background check and health screening; priority March 15 for fall, with later applications considered if room remains; no GRE; cohort size not found |
| Tuition | Graduate $1,020 per credit (2026-27), $1,000 (2025-26); undergraduate $15,300 per semester at 12 to 18 credits |
| Institutional Accreditation | HLC (Higher Learning Commission) |
Master of Science, Nutrition and Dietetics (Coordinated Program)
The estimated cost is about $43,860 for 43 credits at the 2026-27 rate of $1,020 per credit (about $43,000 at 2025-26’s $1,000); Madonna does not publish a program total. The handbook describes it as designed for completion in 21 months by full-time students who start in the fall.
Curriculum and Practice
- A nine-course didactic core, six supervised-practice courses (14 credits), and a 3-credit capstone
- Supervised practice runs about 32 hours a week at clinical, grocery, and athletic sites, plus weekly classroom sessions
- Prior-learning credit of up to 210 hours is allowed in the handbook, though the catalog says 150 in one place
You Should Know
Madonna’s program is not “didactic only”; that description fits only the bachelor’s DPD. The master’s holds ACEND candidacy, so any “accredited” wording should carry that qualifier. Madonna’s pages disagree on small points: the chemistry and sociology prerequisites, who conducts the interview, and the certificate’s GPA (3.0 on the web page, 3.2 in the handbook). The handbook still says tuition is $1,000 per credit and includes most textbooks, against the 2026-27 schedule’s $1,020.
Admissions
- 3.0 undergraduate and cumulative GPA, with a C or better in prerequisites: nutrition courses, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, sociology, math, and management
- Two letters of recommendation, a resume, a statement of purpose, and an interview
- A background check, immunizations, drug screen, and physical
- Applicants also apply through DICAS; Madonna does not require the GRE
Bachelor of Science, Dietetics
The estimated cost is $15,300 a semester for 12 to 18 credits (2026-27), or $1,020 per credit below 12. The degree is 120 credits and is a fully accredited DPD that does not include supervised practice.
Admission to the major is a two-step process (an older handbook describes declaring pre-dietetics, then applying after 56 credits and a set of critical courses with a 3.0 GPA). An accelerated 3+2 option leads to both the B.S. and the M.S. in about five years, with a 3.2 high school GPA, one year each of biology and chemistry, and a 3.0 college GPA to stay in. Madonna also offers non-RD bachelor’s degrees in Nutritional Sciences and Nutrition and Wellness.
Nutrition and Dietetics Graduate Certificate (Pathway II)
The estimated cost is about $14,280 for 14 credits of supervised practice at $1,020 per credit. It is for applicants who already hold a master’s and a DPD verification statement, with a sample plan of three semesters and a 3.0 or 3.2 graduate GPA depending on the page. It also carries the 1,000-hour requirement.
Master of Science, Nutrition and Wellness
This 31-credit master’s has no supervised practice and no ACEND status. It is also used as the master’s step for applicants who hold a verification statement but no graduate degree before they enter the certificate. Its page still carries dated 2024 language about the master’s requirement.
Tuition
Madonna is private, with one rate for all students regardless of residency. Its 2026-27 schedule lists the following.
- Graduate (Livonia campus): $1,020 per credit in 2026-27, $1,000 in 2025-26; the $570 online-only master’s rate does not apply to this hybrid program
- Undergraduate: $15,300 per semester for 12 to 18 credits in 2026-27 ($14,790 in 2025-26), or $1,020 per credit for 1 to 11 credits
- Fees: a $25 graduate application fee, a $100 graduation fee ($10 for certificates), liability insurance of $21 a year, and parking of $30 to $110
- Program expenses: Academy student membership of $116 for two years, ServSafe of $70 to $110, a background check and screening of about $100, and a $130 state academy conference
Be aware that:
The totals above are derived, not published by Madonna. The handbook’s housing figure and tuition line reflect the 2025-26 schedule even though the handbook was revised in June 2026.
Official figures are on Madonna’s 2026-27 tuition and fees schedule.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want supervised practice built into a master’s at a small private university and can accept a program still at ACEND candidacy.
Students aiming for the RD credential can finish a bachelor’s DPD, a master’s, and 1,000 practice hours in one department, or enter the 43-credit Coordinated Program with a bachelor’s in another field.
Applicants who already hold a master’s can use the 14-credit certificate to complete only the supervised practice.
The honest trade-off is status and price: the master’s is a candidate program, cohort size and results are unpublished, and private tuition puts the 43-credit degree near $44,000.
Accreditation
Madonna is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), according to its graduate catalog, which lists reaffirmation years through 2018; HLC’s own record was not checked. This governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND lists Madonna twice: a Didactic Program in Dietetics (full and continued accreditation after a site visit in January 2020, continued after an interim or progress report in July 2024) and a Coordinated Program in Dietetics (candidacy granted in April 2023). No probation, reduced term, closure, or reorganization appears, and no term end dates were found because ACEND’s directory would not load. The M.S. in Nutrition and Wellness carries no ACEND status.
Graduates of the Coordinated Program receive a verification statement with the degree and are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam on completion. Graduates of the B.S. DPD alone are not.