College of Health and Human Sciences, University of Memphis • Memphis, TN • Hybrid (M.S.) or Campus (B.S.) • $490–$697/Credit (Resident, Undergraduate to Graduate, Tuition and Service Fee)
The University of Memphis offers 2 dietetics credentials that lead toward RD/RDN eligibility:
- B.S., Health Studies, Dietetics concentration (the Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- M.S., Integrated Nutrition (RD pathway)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Health Studies, Dietetics | $47.0K in-state, $81.3K out-of-state (tuition and service fees, derived) | 4 years (8 semesters, derived) | 120 |
| M.S. Integrated Nutrition | $20.2K in-state, $33.3K out-of-state (derived, before a possible $1,672 fee) | 12 months (3 consecutive terms) | 36 |
The University of Memphis runs the RD route in two steps: an ACEND-accredited DPD inside a bachelor’s, then a single 12-month master’s that builds 1,000-plus supervised-practice hours into the degree, so there is no separate internship match. The master’s admits only applicants who already hold a DPD verification statement, starts once a year in the summer, and takes a cohort of no more than 16.
One accreditation caveat matters before applying. ACEND lists the master’s as a Dietetic Internship, and its decisions pages show a reduced term in January 2025 and a progress report in July 2025, which the school’s own pages do not mention. Memphis also offers non-RD master’s degrees in nutrition science, environmental nutrition, and exercise nutrition, a doctoral concentration, and a sport nutrition certificate, none of which is profiled here.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | M.S.: hybrid, with about one in-person class day a week plus up to 32 hours of supervised practice at Memphis-area sites. B.S.: campus (the school does not state a format) |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: 120; M.S.: 36 (9 summer, 12 fall, 15 spring) |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD: accredited, initial 1978. M.S., listed by ACEND as a Dietetic Internship: accredited since 1996, but with a January 2025 reduced-term decision |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S.: yes, on completion, then the CDR exam. B.S.: not directly; it gives a verification statement only |
| Supervised Practice | M.S.: 1,000-plus hours, integrated, with placements arranged by the program |
| Entrance Exams | None. The GRE is not required |
| Intake | M.S.: summer only, rolling review, cohort of no more than 16 |
| GPA Floor | M.S.: 3.0, with 3.25 or higher strongly preferred. DPD verification statement: 2.75 at graduation |
| Tuition | 2026-27 per credit: graduate resident $697, non-resident $943 ($846 plus fees); undergraduate resident $490, non-resident $694 |
| Institutional Accreditation | SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) |
Bachelor of Science, Health Studies, Dietetics Concentration
The estimated tuition and service fees for the B.S. in Health Studies with a Dietetics concentration are about $47,040 for a resident (8 semesters at $5,880, derived) and about $81,264 for a non-resident. The degree is 120 credits and takes about four years, derived from the credit total since no duration is published.
B.S. Curriculum
The degree is not a stand-alone nutrition major: students enter as Health Studies majors with the Dietetics concentration, which is the DPD. The 120 credits split into 41 general education, 14 related science, 60 concentration, and 5 elective credits, with a C- or better required in all major courses. Several courses are term-locked, such as Metabolism I in spring and Medical Nutrition Therapy I in fall.
- Metabolism I and II, and Medical Nutrition Therapy I and II
- Community Nutrition, and Experimental Foods with a lab
- NUTR 4605 Internship in Nutrition, in the final semester with a permit
B.S. Admissions
Students use standard University of Memphis undergraduate admission, and no program GPA floor is published. The verification statement needs a 2.75 GPA at graduation, with 3.25 recommended to be competitive in the internship match. Bachelor’s holders in other fields can apply for a DPD-only transcript evaluation, with a stated turnaround of 2 to 4 weeks. An accelerated B.S.-to-M.S. option lets up to 12 graduate credits count toward both degrees for Memphis dietetics students.
Master of Science, Integrated Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Integrated Nutrition is about $20,213 for a resident and $33,269 for a non-resident (36 credits at the published per-credit rates and caps, derived). The program requires 36 credits and takes 12 months, in three consecutive terms.
M.S. Curriculum
The sequence is fixed: 9 credits in summer, 12 in fall, and 15 in spring, with a supervised-practice course each term. There is no thesis, and an outcomes-based Applied Project replaces it. The program has no formal concentrations; pediatrics, sports, community, foodservice, and similar areas are practice exposures, not tracks.
- NUTR 7412 and 7422 Cellular Nutrition 1 and 2, and NUTR 7305 Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy
- Nutrition Assessment, Management in Dietetics, and NUTR 7780 Health Counseling
- HMSE 7010 Research Methods, HPRO 6400 Statistics, and HPRO 7950 Applied Project
- NUTR 7481 Clinical Nutrition Internship, 3 credits in each term
You Should Know
Older cached pages from the former program site give 39 credits over 16 months with an optional thesis or project, and a 2024 degree sheet lists 48 credits while saying a minimum of 42. The current program pages say 36 credits and 12 months, so treat the others as stale and confirm with the program. The school calls the delivery hybrid and also says the program is not online or part-time, while ACEND lists the internship as approved for distance education; students must still be in or near Memphis. The program has also been called Clinical Nutrition, the name still used on several pages.
M.S. Supervised Practice
- 1,000-plus supervised-practice hours, up to 32 hours a week, integrated with coursework
- No separate internship match; the program arranges all placements and preceptors, though specific sites are not guaranteed
- On-campus sites include Chartwells dining, the Tiger Food Lab, Student Wellness counseling, and Tiger Athletics
- Students provide their own transportation, and prior experience earns no credit
Because placements are arranged and many sites are on campus, the model removes the preceptor search that makes some distance routes hard. ACEND denied the internship’s requests to add a remote supervised-practice track in 2019 and 2020, so the practice is tied to Memphis.
M.S. Admissions
The program takes one summer cohort of no more than 16, reviewed on a rolling basis, and it requires a DPD verification statement (a Declaration of Intent is accepted before graduation).
- Bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 minimum; 3.25 or higher strongly preferred, and applicants between 3.0 and 3.25 are told passing the NDTR exam helps
- Three letters (one from the DPD director), a personal statement of up to two pages, and transcripts; the GRE is not required
- Outside applicants apply through DICAS; Memphis students use the program’s own form
- Transfer credit is capped at 50% of credits
You Should Know
The current admissions page describes rolling review with no fixed deadline, while an older cached page said written acceptance was due March 15. A search snippet also mentioned a February match deadline, a $35 fee, and six pre-select slots, which was not found on any current page. Confirm the timeline directly.
Tuition
The University of Memphis published 2026-27 on-campus rates of $600 per credit in tuition plus a $97 service fee for resident graduate students, $697 in all, and $406 plus $84, or $490, for resident undergraduates. Non-resident rates are $846 plus the $97 fee for graduate students and $610 plus the $84 fee for undergraduates.
- Resident graduate charges are capped at 10 credits a term, or $6,970; resident undergraduate charges are capped at 12 credits, or $5,880
- The non-resident tuition has no cap, though the service fee is capped at 10 graduate or 12 undergraduate credits
- Derived M.S.: summer $6,273, fall and spring $6,970 each, about $20,213 resident; $8,487, $11,122, and $13,660, about $33,269 non-resident
- Derived B.S.: 8 terms at 15 credits, about $47,040 resident and $81,264 non-resident, excluding summers, books, and course fees
- Not in tuition: Academy membership, immunizations, transportation and parking, and attire and textbooks
- Program-paid: background check, drug screen, liability insurance, a lab coat, and RD exam prep materials
Be aware that:
The fee schedule lists a $1,672 charge for the Dietetic Internship in addition to tuition and fees, and it does not say whether it applies to the M.S. in Integrated Nutrition. If it does, the derived totals rise to about $21,885 resident and $34,941 non-resident. The per-credit rates above are for the on-campus program; the online UofM Global graduate rate of $697 per credit does not apply to it.
No M.S.-specific differential tuition or assistantship information was found. The accelerated B.S.-to-M.S. page claims savings of nearly $11,000; using the published rates, the saving is about $3,500 for a resident and about $10,600 for a non-resident, which is this profile’s derived estimate, not a Memphis figure. Official rates are on the University of Memphis tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who live in or near Memphis, already hold or are completing a DPD, and want the supervised practice and the required master’s in one placed, 12-month program.
If you already hold a verification statement, the M.S. is one application: the program arranges rotations, many on campus, and the resident cost is about $20,200 before any internship fee, with no GRE and no thesis. The tradeoff is a single summer start, a cohort of 16 at most, and a weekday schedule that is not designed for working full time.
If you do not yet hold one, start with the B.S. in Health Studies or the DPD-only transcript evaluation for bachelor’s holders in another field. Memphis students who finish the DPD can use the accelerated B.S.-to-M.S. route to apply up to 12 graduate credits to both degrees.
If you cannot relocate, this is not your program, since its practice sites are in Memphis and ACEND has refused a remote practice track. Check the reduced-term history in the accreditation section before committing.
Accreditation
The University of Memphis is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal aid. No reaffirmation year was found on the pages reviewed.
ACEND’s program directory lists two University of Memphis programs, both accredited with terms ending December 31, 2031: the Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation 1978, degree B.S.) and a Dietetic Internship (initial accreditation 1996, degree M.S.), which is the program Memphis markets as the M.S. in Integrated Nutrition. ACEND’s decisions pages show the DPD receiving full and continued accreditation after a site visit in July 2024, and the internship receiving the same in July 2024 followed by a reduced term in January 2025 and continued accreditation after a progress report in July 2025.
The directory term and the school’s own December 31, 2031 statement do not mention the reduced term, and a reduced term would normally carry an earlier end date, so the internship’s current status is unclear and should be confirmed with ACEND or the program. ACEND lists no Coordinated Program or Future Education Model graduate program at Memphis, and Memphis’s other nutrition master’s degrees carry no ACEND accreditation.
A graduate of the B.S. receives a DPD verification statement but is not yet eligible for the CDR exam, since the master’s degree, supervised practice, and exam remain. A graduate of the M.S. completes the degree and supervised-practice requirements and can sit for the exam, subject to the program’s accreditation status at the time of completion.