Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences • Immaculata, PA • Hybrid (M.S./Internship), Online (M.S.), or Campus (B.S.) • $730/Credit (Graduate, Private)
Immaculata University offers 5 nutrition credentials, and 1 of them leads to RD/RDN eligibility:
- B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (the Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- Dietetics Bridge (DPD only, post-baccalaureate)
- 3+2 accelerated B.S./M.S.
- M.S., Clinical Nutrition with Dietetic Internship (M.S./Internship)
- M.S., Clinical Nutrition (online, non-RD)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Nutrition and Dietetics | $118.2K over four years before scholarships (derived, tuition only) | 4 years, or 3 accelerated | 120 minimum (adult page says 126) |
| Dietetics Bridge | $31.6K to $33.0K ($465 per credit, upper bound) | 2 semesters to 2 years or more | 68 to 71 |
| M.S./Dietetic Internship | $28,470 tuition; about $29.5K to $29.7K with fees (derived) | 2 years | 39 |
| M.S. Clinical Nutrition (Online) | $21.9K (30 credits at $730, derived) | 1 to 2 years | 30 |
| 3+2 Accelerated B.S./M.S. | Not clearly stated | About 5 years | Not clearly stated |
Immaculata’s RD route is the M.S. in Clinical Nutrition with Dietetic Internship, a 39-credit master’s that contains 1,000 hours of supervised practice. ACEND lists it as a Dietetic Internship whose completion requirement is a master’s degree, not a Coordinated Program or Future Education Model program. The plain 30-credit M.S. in Clinical Nutrition is online and makes no RD claim.
The accredited unit on the undergraduate side is the Didactic Program in Dietetics, not the whole bachelor’s degree. The M.S./Internship is competitive, with GPA, experience, and interview requirements, and the 3+2 route guarantees M.S. acceptance but not the internship, which needs a separate application.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | B.S.: campus. M.S./Internship: online year-one coursework and an in-person internship year (ACEND lists fully in-person). Non-DI M.S.: online |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD (initial 1976) and Dietetic Internship (initial 1989), both accredited with terms to June 30, 2028 per the directory |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S./Internship: yes, with CDR exam eligibility. B.S., Bridge, and non-DI M.S.: no on their own |
| Supervised Practice | 1,000 hours integrated: clinical 66 days, foodservice 35, community 24 (derived at 8 hours a day) |
| Entrance Exams | None. The GRE is not required or considered |
| GPA Floor | M.S./Internship: 3.0 overall and 3.2 in the DPD, waivable with 12 graduate credits at 3.25 |
| Intake | M.S./Internship: summer start; DICAS October 1, 2026 (passed), spring window February 1, 2027 if spots remain |
| Tuition | 2026-27: graduate $730 per credit; undergraduate $29,550 a year; adult and Bridge $465 per credit |
| Institutional Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education, reaffirmed June 2024 |
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Dietetics
The B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics costs $29,550 a year for full-time students, up to 18 credits a term, or about $118,200 over four years before scholarships and $121,950 with student services fees and the new-student fee (derived, flat 2026-27 rates). All accepted full-time students receive between $6,500 and full tuition in scholarship. The traditional page says 120 credits and face-to-face delivery, with a three-year accelerated option.
The major is 78 to 79 credits per the catalog and contains the ACEND DPD, with several courses including hours in clinical, community, and foodservice settings and a faculty-mentored research project. It includes no supervised practice, so graduates need a master’s degree, an internship, and the exam. Transfer students need at least 12 credits at Immaculata.
You Should Know
Immaculata’s pages disagree on the DPD completion GPA (2.6 overall on the program page, 2.0 in the catalog), which changes eligibility for the verification statement. The adult page says 126 credits, but its components sum to 129, and it describes a 1,000-hour internship that appears copied from the master’s page. The FAQ says no online or hybrid option, while the adult page says various formats including online.
Dietetics Bridge (DPD Only)
The Bridge lets bachelor’s holders earn the verification statement without a second degree. It is billed at $465 per credit, so 68 to 71 credits would cost $31,620 to $33,015 as an upper bound (derived), and the length runs from two semesters to two full-time years or more, depending on transcript review. A 3-credit introductory nutrition course at B- or better is the prerequisite, and at least 12 credits must be taken at Immaculata. The adult page says a maximum of 68 credits and the catalog 70 to 71, a difference of up to $1,395.
Master of Science, Clinical Nutrition with Dietetic Internship
The estimated tuition for the M.S./Dietetic Internship is $28,470 (39 credits at $730), which reconciles with the school’s figure, or about $29,548 to $29,578 with the internship fee, exam prep, DICAS, a background check, and Academy membership (derived). It takes two years, with 24 credits in year one and 15 in year two, and starts in the summer.
M.S./Internship Curriculum
Courses include medical nutrition therapy I and II, nutrition assessment, culture and diversity in health care, foodservice management, interprofessional research, topics in applied nutrition, and nutrition education, with electives in eating disorders, diabetes, gut health, pediatrics, and sports nutrition. A 3-credit capstone replaces a thesis. All 39 credits must be taken within the program, with no credit for prior graduate coursework.
M.S./Internship Supervised Practice
- 1,000 hours integrated in the degree: clinical 66 days, foodservice 35 days, and community 24 days, about 10 months from late August in year two
- The Internship Director arranges placement, usually at one facility for clinical and foodservice; sites have included Chester County Hospital, Cooper, Crozer-Chester, Lancaster General, Pennsylvania Hospital, Reading, Temple Health, and a VA medical center, and may change yearly
- Travel is regional, across the Philadelphia area, Lancaster and Reading, and Camden, New Jersey; fieldwork is unpaid
M.S./Internship Admissions
- A bachelor’s plus a DPD verification statement or declaration of intent; non-nutrition majors can complete the DPD courses without a second degree
- A 3.0 overall and 3.2 DPD GPA, which the catalog says may be waived with at least 12 graduate credits at a 3.25; suggested experience of 500 or more hours with 50 or more shadowing an RDN
- DICAS, an interview, and a selection committee; deadlines of October 1, 2026 for the fall period (passed, with notification November 1 and confirmation November 10) and February 1, 2027 for a spring period if spots remain
- Immaculata undergraduate and Bridge students in their last two years have early admission on October 1, with interviews by November 15 and decisions by December 1; cohort size was not found
You Should Know
The school calls the delivery online coursework with an in-person internship, while ACEND’s directory says fully in-person coursework, so the hybrid label here is a judgment. The web page lists two letters and a one-page essay through DICAS, while the catalog lists three letters, a personal statement, and a resume. A stand-alone internship for outside master’s holders is described as possible in one FAQ answer but contradicted by the requirement to complete all 39 credits in the program.
Master of Science, Clinical Nutrition (Online)
The non-internship M.S. is 30 credits (23 required and 7 elective), about $21,900 in tuition (derived), and says its courses are 100% online and mostly asynchronous. It takes one to two years, with a capstone and no supervised practice. Admission needs a 3.0 GPA and a DPD verification statement, a current RDN credential, or four advanced undergraduate nutrition courses at B- or better plus science prerequisites. The page makes no RD claim.
3+2 Accelerated B.S./M.S.
The 3+2 route cuts the usual six years to about five and guarantees M.S. acceptance to students with a high school GPA of 3.0 and a science GPA of 3.0 plus an essay. Progression needs C or better in chemistry and biology, B- or better in nutrition courses, and a 3.0 cumulative GPA. A preferred application to the internship track in the fall of year three requires a separate application.
Tuition
Immaculata’s published 2026-27 graduate rate is $730 per credit, one rate for everyone, with no separate line for the M.S. in Clinical Nutrition. Full-time undergraduate tuition is $29,550 a year, up 2% from 2025-26, and adult and Bridge students pay $465 per credit.
- Internship fees: $260 per internship semester ($520 derived over two), exam prep of $400, DICAS of $50 plus $25 for each extra program, a background check of $50 to $80, and Academy membership of $58
- Fee schedule items not clearly labeled: a master’s course fee of $50 or $100, a comprehensive exam fee of $150, a graduation fee of $150, and a DI fee shown as $120, $260, or $400
- Undergraduate extras: student services of $850 a year, a $350 new-student fee, lab fees of $60 to $150, a $55 dietetic practicum fee, and about $200 per course in textbooks
- No stipends are offered for the internship, and no nutrition tuition differential was found
Be aware that:
The derived internship total excludes the unlabeled course fee and the comprehensive exam and graduation fees, which add up to $150 or more if they apply. Official figures are on Immaculata’s graduate tuition page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students in the Philadelphia area who want to keep every stage of the route at one university, at a private-college price of roughly $29,500 for the master’s and internship.
If you are a high school student, the B.S. with the 3+2 route guarantees master’s acceptance, though the internship track needs its own application. If you already hold a bachelor’s in another field, the Bridge supplies the DPD, and the early October 1 admission window applies to Bridge students in their last two years.
If you hold a DPD, the M.S./Internship takes the whole route in two years, but every credit must be taken at Immaculata, the program is competitive, and year two requires living near Philadelphia. If you only need a master’s, the online M.S. is the cheaper path and does not carry the credential.
Accreditation
Immaculata is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, reaffirmed June 27, 2024 with the next evaluation in 2031 to 2032. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory lists a Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation 1976, B.S. offered) and a Dietetic Internship (initial 1989, M.S. offered), both accredited with terms ending June 30, 2028. ACEND’s decisions pages, read through archived copies, show full and continued accreditation of both after a site visit in January 2020, a DPD progress-report decision in July 2020, approval in April 2022 of the internship’s change to a graduate-degree requirement, a DPD decision after a progress report in July 2022, and continued accreditation of both after an interim or progress report in July 2023. No entry appears in 2019, 2021, 2024, or 2025. The pages print no term dates, so the 2028 date comes from the directory alone.
Immaculata is not on the Programs Under Review page in the archived copy read, and ACEND lists no Coordinated Program or Future Education Model program for it. A graduate of the M.S./Internship completes the degree and supervised practice and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the B.S. or Bridge holds a verification statement and still needs a master’s, an internship, and the exam.
More Nutrition Degrees in Pennsylvania
- Drexel University - Philadelphia
- La Salle University - Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Philadelphia Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Temple University - Philadelphia
- West Chester University - West Chester