Health, Nutrition, and Dietetics Department • Buffalo, NY • Hybrid (Combined Pathway), Campus (B.S.), or Online (M.S.) • $295–$471/Credit (Resident, Undergraduate to Graduate)
SUNY Buffalo State University offers 4 nutrition credentials, and only 1 of them leads to RD/RDN eligibility on its own:
- Dietetics Combined Pathway (B.S. and M.S.)
- B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics)
- M.S., Dietetics (online)
- Food literacy microcredentials (non-RD)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dietetics Combined Pathway | $28.3K in-state for eight undergraduate semesters, plus about $9.1K for the graduate year (derived, tuition only) | About 5 years | 122 undergraduate plus 30 graduate, 12 shared (derived 140) |
| B.S. Nutrition and Dietetics | $28.3K in-state, $75.2K out-of-state (eight semesters, derived, tuition only) | 4 years (2 to 3 as a junior transfer) | 120 (catalog lists 114) |
| M.S. Dietetics (online) | About $15.2K in-state part time (derived, with per-credit fees) | 1 year for RDNs | 30 |
| Food Literacy Microcredentials | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated | Not clearly stated |
Buffalo State’s RD route is the Dietetics Combined Pathway, which ACEND lists as a Graduate Program in Dietetics under its Future Education Model. It builds 1,000 hours of supervised practice into the senior and graduate years, with the program placing students in Western New York sites, so there is no internship match. It takes up to 16 students a year, and its former Coordinated Program closed with a teach-out effective May 19, 2022.
The B.S. alone is a Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics that gives a verification statement, and the online M.S. admits mainly interns, RDNs, and pathway students, so an outside DPD graduate still needs an internship elsewhere.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Pathway: B.S. portion in person, M.S. portion online or at distant sites, with practice in Western New York. B.S.: campus. M.S.: online |
| Credit Hours | Pathway: 122 undergraduate plus 30 graduate; B.S.: 120; M.S.: 30 |
| ACEND Accreditation | Graduate Program in Dietetics (full and continued after a July 2025 site visit) and the Didactic Program (July 2020); term ends not found |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Pathway: yes. B.S.: verification statement only. Online M.S.: not a route for outside applicants |
| Supervised Practice | Pathway: 1,000 hours, program-placed in Western New York; a car is usually needed |
| Cohort Size | Pathway: up to 16 students a year |
| Entrance Exams | None mentioned; the GRE is not listed |
| GPA Floor | Pathway: 2.75, then 3.0 for the M.S. portion. M.S.: 3.0. B.S. transfers: 2.75 |
| Intake | Pathway: fall; application information is available by December 1, deadline not found |
| Tuition | 2026-27 per credit: undergraduate resident $295, graduate resident $471; non-resident $784 and $991 |
| Institutional Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education |
Dietetics Combined Pathway (B.S. and M.S.)
The estimated tuition for the Dietetics Combined Pathway is about $28,280 for eight resident undergraduate semesters ($3,535 each) plus about $9,146 for the graduate year (18 unshared credits at $471 plus $37.10 in fees), derived for 2026-27. The catalog lists 122 undergraduate credits, including 12 that also count toward the 30 graduate credits, for a derived 140 distinct credits over about five years.
Pathway Curriculum
The pathway starts in the junior year and combines Medical Nutrition Therapy I to III and Nutrition Care A to E with graduate courses in weight management, diabetes, advanced medical nutrition therapy, counseling, and leadership. It ends in a 3-credit master’s project, a research manuscript and presentation with IRB review, and no thesis.
Pathway Supervised Practice
- 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning, including alternate experiences, all in the senior and graduate years per the handbook
- Course components include NFS 448 at four days a week for four to five weeks, 135 hours in NFS 449, and a 135-hour practicum in NFS 550
- Students arrange their own transport, a car is usually needed, and travel is generally limited to Western New York
The program places students, so there is no separate match, but there is also no published remote or relocation model, so it suits students who can live in the Buffalo area.
Pathway Admissions
- A 2.75 GPA and prerequisites in biology, chemistry, nutrition, and psychology, with a personal statement, two letters, two faculty interviews, and volunteer or work experience
- Up to 16 students a year, with a fall start and conditional admission requiring C or better in spring and summer prerequisites
- A 3.0 GPA to enter the M.S. portion, with the interview, resume, and fee waived for pathway students
You Should Know
Buffalo State’s catalog lists 122 undergraduate credits, but the heading for the major’s required courses says 21 hours above courses that sum to 58, and the roadmap tops out near 120. Course credits differ between pages: NFS 447 and 448 are 4 or 5, and NFS 449 is 2 or 3. The pathway starts in the junior year per the catalog and in the summer between junior and senior years per the November 2025 handbook, and the 2024 handbook required 800 hours of planned work experience for New York certification that the 2025 handbook dropped. A search summary cited 144 total credits, which does not match the derived 140.
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Dietetics
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics is about $28,280 for a resident and $75,240 for a non-resident (eight semesters at $3,535 and $9,405, derived, before about $731.50 a semester in fees). It takes four years, or two to three for a junior transfer, and graduation requires 120 credits.
This is a Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the DPD. It gives a verification statement and NDTR eligibility, which Buffalo State describes as the only ACEND-accredited route to the NDTR exam in Western New York. Transfers and major-changers need a 2.75 GPA, and a 2.5 is needed to advance to junior nutrition courses. It includes no supervised practice, so graduates apply for an internship through DICAS, with February and September deadlines, and need a master’s degree.
You Should Know
The catalog lists 114 total credits, its components sum to 116, the May 2026 handbook says 102, and the roadmap and university rule say 120. Organic Chemistry I must be taken in the fall because the next course runs only in spring, and chemistry placement can add a prerequisite and summer courses.
Master of Science, Dietetics (Online)
The estimated tuition for the online M.S. in Dietetics is about $15,243 for a resident studying part time (30 credits at $471 plus $37.10 in fees, derived) and $29,730 for a non-resident. It is 30 credits, 27 in nine courses and 3 elective, with a master’s project, and the SUNY listing gives one year for RDNs.
Admission needs a bachelor’s with a 3.0 GPA plus one of three: Buffalo State’s on-campus B.S. in Dietetics, an RDN credential, or a DPD verification statement, along with a letter of intent, transcript, resume, and interview. The program is aimed at dietetic interns, RDNs, and pathway students, and Buffalo State’s own page says outside DPD graduates still need an external internship, so it is not an RD route for outsiders. Intake terms and deadlines were not found.
Food Literacy Microcredentials
Two stackable non-RD microcredentials, Introduction to Food Literacy (admission GPA 2.0) and Community Nutrition and Food Literacy, are also listed. Their full credit totals were not found.
Tuition
SUNY Buffalo State’s published 2026-27 resident rates are $295 per credit for undergraduates and $471 per credit for graduate students, with full-time flat rates of $3,535 and $5,655 a semester at 12 or more credits. Non-resident rates are $784 and $991 per credit, and SUNY did not raise tuition or fees.
- Mandatory fees: undergraduate $731.50 a semester or $60.85 per credit; graduate $449 a semester or $37.10 per credit
- Non-resident online rates of $353 per undergraduate credit and $565 per graduate credit apply only to programs designated exclusively online, and whether the M.S. holds that designation was not found
- Derived: the pathway’s graduate year at $9,146 resident; the online non-resident M.S. at $16,950 if eligible for the $565 rate
- Handbook costs: liability insurance of $35 to $50 a year, Academy student membership of $58, ServSafe at $80, CPR at $35, a background check at $25 to $100, and lab manuals of up to $60
Be aware that:
Buffalo State’s program page says 12 of the 30 graduate credits carry undergraduate tuition rates, a cost advantage that the bursar page does not state, so confirm it before budgeting. The athletics and transportation fees are worded for the fall semester, so spring fees may be lower than $731.50. No dietetics differential or program fee appears on the bursar page, though its absence does not prove none exists, and assistantship rules were not found.
Official figures are on Buffalo State’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want the practice and the master’s built into a state-university route in Buffalo, and who can live in Western New York for the senior and graduate years.
The cost verdict favors the pathway for in-state students: eight undergraduate semesters at $3,535 plus a graduate year of about $9,100 comes to roughly $37,400 in tuition, and Buffalo State says 12 graduate credits bill at undergraduate rates. The trade-off is up to 16 seats, a car, and an in-person schedule near Buffalo.
The fallback matters too. Students dismissed from the pathway can move to the B.S., which still gives a verification statement, though they would then need an outside internship and a master’s. The online M.S. serves interns and RDNs more than newcomers.
Accreditation
Buffalo State is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s December 2019 decisions list Buffalo State’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics as voluntarily closing with a teach-out effective May 19, 2022, alongside approval to reorganize into a Future Education Model graduate program. ACEND’s pages show full and continued accreditation of the Didactic Program after a site visit in July 2020 and of the Graduate Program in Dietetics after a site visit in July 2025. No Buffalo State entry appears for 2022 through 2024 or 2026, and Buffalo State is not on the Programs Under Review page.
ACEND’s live directory could not be read, so no term end is published here. The school says site visits recur every seven years. Buffalo State’s catalog pages call ACEND by the wrong name in one place and describe the bachelor’s and master’s as accredited together, while ACEND lists one graduate program. A graduate of the pathway completes the degrees and the supervised practice and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the B.S. holds a verification statement and still needs a master’s degree, an internship, and the exam.
More Nutrition Degrees in New York
- Brooklyn College - Brooklyn
- Buffalo Nutrition & Dietetics Programs
- D'Youville University - Buffalo
- Hunter College - New York
- Lehman College - Bronx
- New York City Nutrition & Dietetics Programs
- New York Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- New York University - New York
- Queens College - Flushing
- Teachers College, Columbia University - New York
- University at Buffalo - Buffalo