Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine • Cleveland, OH • Hybrid (M.S., DPD) or Campus (B.S., Internship) • $2,384/Credit (Graduate, Private, One Rate for All)
Case Western Reserve University offers 6 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them lead toward RD/RDN eligibility:
- B.S. and B.A., Nutrition
- Didactic Program in Dietetics (coursework within a bachelor’s or master’s)
- M.S., Nutrition
- Combined Dietetic Internship/M.S. Nutrition (with the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA)
- M.S., Public Health Nutrition
- Ph.D., Nutrition
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. and B.A. Nutrition | $285.6K (four years of tuition, derived) | 4 years (8 semesters, derived) | 120 |
| Didactic Program in Dietetics | Not clearly stated | Within 2 years, 36 months maximum | Coursework within a degree |
| M.S. Nutrition | $71.5K (30 credits at $2,384, derived) | 1 to 2 years | 30 |
| Combined Internship/M.S. | About $55.0K after a $7,000 award (derived; a second page implies $57.4K) | 17 to 18 months | 30 minimum |
| M.S. Public Health Nutrition | $71.5K to $73.9K (30 or 31 credits, derived) | 16 months | 30 or 31 |
| Ph.D. Nutrition | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated | 54 (36 coursework plus 18 research) |
Case Western has exactly one ACEND program of its own, a Didactic Program in Dietetics, and ACEND’s 2026 decisions record the voluntary closure of its public health nutrition dietetic internship effective September 30, 2026. The RD route it still offers is the Combined Dietetic Internship/M.S., which runs through the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA’s separate ACEND internship, so admission depends on a DICAS match with a DPD verification statement already in hand.
Older Case Western pages and the 2026-27 bulletin still describe the closed internship as a current option, and the bulletin names University Hospitals as an alternate site while the department names only the VA. The remaining degrees are nutrition-science programs that do not lead to RD eligibility on their own.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | DPD and M.S. Nutrition: hybrid (ACEND lists in-person plus online; the department calls the M.S. blended). Bachelor’s and internship: campus |
| Credit Hours | B.S. and B.A.: 120; M.S. Nutrition: 30; Combined Internship/M.S.: 30 minimum; M.S. Public Health Nutrition: 30 or 31; Ph.D.: 54 |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD: accredited, initial 1970, term to December 31, 2027. CWRU’s own internship closed September 30, 2026. The VA internship is a separate ACEND program |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | DPD: verification statement only. Combined Internship/M.S.: yes, through the VA internship. Other degrees: no |
| Supervised Practice | Combined Internship/M.S.: more than 1,200 hours over 49 weeks, per the VA, Tuesday to Friday |
| Reported Outcomes | DPD: 100% supervised-practice acceptance (2023 to spring 2026, rolling) and 97.4% exam pass rate (2023 to 2025) |
| Entrance Exams | GRE or MCAT optional for the M.S.; GRE not required for the Ph.D. |
| GPA Floor | DPD: 3.2 cumulative to apply, then 3.2 overall and 3.4 in DPD courses. Combined Internship/M.S.: 3.0 |
| Intake | M.S. rolling (spring December 20, summer May 2, fall August 1). Combined internship: October 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027 through DICAS |
| Tuition | 2026-27 per credit: graduate $2,384, undergraduate $2,976; one rate regardless of residency |
| Institutional Accreditation | HLC (Higher Learning Commission), reaffirmed July 2025 |
Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts, Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Nutrition is about $285,640 over four years ($71,410 a year at $2,976 per credit, derived at the 2026-27 rate held flat, before fees and aid). Each degree is 120 credits, and the B.S. major is 57 credits.
B.S. Curriculum
The B.S. is marketed as Human Nutrition and carries a SAGES capstone. Optional concentrations of three 3-credit courses each cover Nutrition for Women and Children, Lifestyle and Preventive Medicine, Sports Nutrition, and Clinical Nutrition. A separate B.S. in Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism (126 credits), a B.A. version, and seven minors also exist.
- NTRN 342 and 342L Food Science, NTRN 343 Dietary Patterns, and NTRN 363 and 364 Human Nutrition I and II
- NTRN 397 and 398 SAGES capstone, three 300-level electives, and a chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and statistics sequence
The degrees are not ACEND-accredited on their own. A combined bachelor’s and master’s route (BS to MS Nutrition or MS Public Health Nutrition) lets students with at least 90 credits and a 3.6 GPA count up to 9 credits toward both degrees; it is billed at the undergraduate rate until the bachelor’s is awarded, and undergraduate scholarships end afterward. Admission is through general Case Western admission, with no department-specific criteria found.
Didactic Program in Dietetics
The Didactic Program in Dietetics is coursework taken inside the bachelor’s majors or alongside a master’s, so it has no separate tuition, and cost was not clearly stated. It is designed to be completed within two years, either in the last two years of an undergraduate program or as a graduate student, with a 36-month maximum.
DPD Admissions
- A grade of B or above in NTRN 201 and C or above in BIOL 214, CHEM 105, and CHEM 106
- A cumulative GPA of at least 3.2 at application; the handbook says no other factors are used
- Once admitted, students must keep 3.2 overall and 3.4 in DPD courses
- Bachelor’s holders who want the DPD alongside a graduate degree send transcripts to the DPD director
The program issues a verification statement, after which graduates apply separately for supervised practice through DICAS. Cohort size and DPD-specific fees were not found, and the handbook says no drug testing or background checks are required.
You Should Know
The department’s DPD page cites 100% supervised-practice acceptance for 2023 through spring 2026, while its why-choose page cites a 93% five-year placement figure against a 53% national average with no years given. ACEND’s directory lists only B.A. and B.S. degrees for the DPD, so the accredited unit is the course sequence, not a graduate degree.
Master of Science, Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Nutrition is about $71,520 (30 credits at $2,384, derived), or $61,990.50 for one full-time year with fees. The program requires 30 credits and takes one to two years depending on course load, with the department reporting a 1.7-year average time to degree (undated).
M.S. Curriculum
NTRN 433 and 434 (Advanced Human Nutrition I and II) are required, and 21 of the 30 credits are in nutrition. The department describes blended learning across 26 graduate nutrition courses. Two 15-credit graduate certificates, Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals and Maternal and Child Nutrition, can be credited toward the degree, and the plan may be built to cover the DPD requirements. The M.S. itself is not ACEND-accredited and does not lead to RD eligibility on its own.
You Should Know
The bulletin describes a thesis option (30 credits including 6 to 9 research credits and an oral defense) and a non-thesis option with a written comprehensive exam, while the department’s program and application pages do not mention a thesis. Scholarship totals on the department’s pages are stale ($225,000 for 2020-21 and $300,000 for 2019-20), and no assistantship structure is published for the M.S.
M.S. Admissions
- General chemistry, organic chemistry, and biology; anatomy and physiology, statistics, and biochemistry may be taken concurrently but do not count toward the degree
- Transcript, resume, personal statement, three letters, and an application fee; GRE or MCAT optional; no undergraduate nutrition degree required
- Rolling deadlines with no year stated: spring December 20, summer May 2, fall August 1 (international May 1)
- A GPA floor and cohort size were not found
Combined Dietetic Internship/Master of Science, Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the Combined Dietetic Internship/M.S. is about $61,983 before a $7,000 department award, or $54,983 net (30 credits split 8, 6, and 16 across terms, derived from the VA’s financial page). The program is non-thesis with at least 30 credits and takes 17 to 18 months.
Combined Internship Curriculum
- NTRN 459 Diabetes Prevention and Management, NTRN 436 Pediatric Nutrition, and NTRN 403 Evidence-Based Practice
- NTRN 501 Cultural Influences on Nutrition Practice, NTRN 528 Introduction to Public Health Nutrition, and NTRN 559 Seminar in Diabetes
- Fifteen elective credits, at least 6 in nutrition, a 3.0 GPA, and a written comprehensive exam
Combined Internship Supervised Practice
- More than 1,200 hours over 49 weeks, per the VA; Case Western states no hours
- Classes on Monday, with one evening in the first fall, and VA rotations Tuesday to Friday; summers run Monday to Friday
- A $25,200 pre-tax stipend, per the VA, and a $7,000 department award paid in $2,000, $2,000, and $3,000 installments
Admission needs a DPD verification statement and a DICAS match, with windows of October 15, 2026 and January 15, 2027. Applicants who already hold the RDN credential or are pursuing another area internship are not eligible, and cohort size was not found. The structure removes match risk after admission but not before it, since the VA match itself is competitive.
You Should Know
Case Western says 17 months, while the VA says 18 months with a 12-month internship. The VA’s financial page splits the credits 8, 6, and 16 for a net of $54,983, while its FAQ page splits them 8, 7, and 15 for a derived net of $57,367, and its $1,993 health fee does not match the bursar’s $2,110 medical plan. The bulletin names University Hospitals or the VA as the site, the department’s combined page names only the VA, and ACEND attaches the M.S. degree only to the VA internship.
Master of Science, Public Health Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Public Health Nutrition is $71,520 to $73,904 (30 or 31 credits at $2,384, derived). It is a non-thesis degree of 16 months with a fall or spring start, and it does not lead to RD eligibility on its own.
Required courses include NTRN 433, 528, 529, 530, 459, and 436 or 440, plus electives, and students can add either graduate certificate. The program formerly had a dietetic internship version with 1,320 supervised-practice hours and a 12-week out-of-state placement, which is now closed.
You Should Know
The 2026-27 bulletin still lists a Dietetic Internship version of this degree with a 31-credit minimum and RDN eligibility. The department’s page says the internship is no longer accepting applications, and ACEND records its voluntary closure effective September 30, 2026, so do not rely on the bulletin for that route. The department’s page says 31 credits and the bulletin says 30 for the degree, a $2,384 difference.
Doctor of Philosophy, Nutrition
The Ph.D. in Nutrition requires 36 coursework credits (24 graded) plus 18 credits of dissertation research, and its tuition coverage and time to degree were not found. Students are admitted through the Biomedical Sciences Training Program or the Medical Scientist Training Program, with concentrations in nutritional biochemistry and metabolism or applied nutrition.
Students rotate through at least three labs, and the qualifying exam is a short grant proposal with an oral defense. The GRE is not required, and the department’s priority deadline is December 1 while the training program’s page says October 15, with a January 1 final deadline on both.
Tuition
Case Western’s published 2026-27 tuition is $2,384 per credit for graduate students in fall and spring and $2,976 per credit for undergraduates, the same for all students regardless of residency. Graduate charges are capped at 12 credits a term ($28,607 fall and spring), and summer is $2,316 per credit at the 400 level and above.
- Graduate fall and spring fees: Student Medical Plan $4,220 (waivable with insurance), fitness $337.50 (opt-out), sales tax $27, Graduate Student Fee $12, Graduate Student Council Fee $40, and an RTA transit fee $140, for a published total of $61,990.50 with tuition
- Undergraduate: cap of $35,705 a semester and $71,410 a year, plus $2,805 a semester in fees, for $77,020 a year
- Derived: M.S. Nutrition 30 credits at $2,384 is $71,520; the cap method gives $71,518
- Year over year, graduate tuition rose about 2.9% and undergraduate about 4.0% (derived from the prior rates of $2,316 and $2,862)
Be aware that:
Nutrition is not listed as a separate program on the rate pages, so these figures assume it is billed under Programs Not Listed Separately, which matches the rate on the M.S. application page. No nutrition lab fee is published for undergraduates. The department’s old scholarship totals are stale, and no assistantship architecture is published for the master’s.
The combined internship is the cost exception: its net tuition is about $55,000 to $57,400 after the department award, with a stipend of $25,200 from the VA, which can bring the out-of-pocket cost well below the plain M.S. Official figures are on Case Western’s graduate and undergraduate tuition pages.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want accredited dietetics coursework inside a medical-school nutrition department, can pay private-university rates, and are prepared to compete for the VA internship if the RD credential is the goal.
The cost verdict is mixed. A one-year M.S. with fees runs about $62,000, and four years of the bachelor’s about $285,600 in tuition alone. The combined internship nets about $55,000 to $57,400 and pays a $25,200 stipend, which makes it the lowest-cost route to the credential among Case Western’s options, but only if the match succeeds.
The DPD is the entry point. A 3.2 GPA and specific grades open it, it can be taken within an M.S. for career changers, and the department reports a 100% acceptance rate into supervised practice for recent applicants. The internship itself is not Case Western’s, and Case Western’s own internship has closed.
Students who want science or public health have the Ph.D., the public health nutrition M.S., and the two certificates, none of which leads to RD eligibility.
Accreditation
Case Western is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which reaffirmed it in July 2025 with the next comprehensive review in 2034-35. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory lists the Case Western Didactic Program in Dietetics as accredited, with initial accreditation in 1970 and a term ending December 31, 2027. ACEND’s decisions pages show full and continued accreditation after a site visit in July 2019 and no later decision, and its Programs Under Review page lists a reaccreditation site visit scheduled for November 15, 2026.
Case Western’s public health nutrition dietetic internship held the same 2019 decision, then appeared in ACEND’s July 2026 list of programs voluntarily closing, effective September 30, 2026, under the name Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA internship behind the combined program is a separate ACEND program, accredited with a directory term ending June 30, 2028, and the University Hospitals internship is also separate. None of Case Western’s bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees is itself ACEND-accredited.
A DPD graduate holds a verification statement and still needs a master’s degree, supervised practice, and the CDR exam. A graduate of the combined internship and M.S. completes the degree and practice requirements through the VA internship and can sit for the exam, while graduates of the other degrees are not eligible on those degrees alone.