Illinois Institute of Technology Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Food Science and Nutrition • Chicago, IL • Campus • $1,925/Credit (Graduate, Private)

Illinois Institute of Technology offers 1 nutrition-specific credential, and it does not lead to RD/RDN eligibility:

  • M.S., Nutrition Science (thesis-based research degree)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
M.S. Nutrition Science$57.8K to $61.6K in tuition (derived, 30 to 32 credits at $1,925)Not clearly statedNot stated; 30 to 32 derived

Illinois Tech has no ACEND-accredited program of any type, so none of its nutrition or food science degrees lead to the RD credential. The M.S. in Nutrition Science is an on-campus research master’s that requires a thesis and positions graduates for industry, public health and policy work, or doctoral and professional school.

The department also offers an M.S. in Food Safety and Technology, a Ph.D. in Food Science and Nutrition, three certificates, and accelerated B.S. to M.A.S. options in food safety, none of which is a dietetics route. There is no nutrition or dietetics bachelor’s major.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus: Mies campus, Chicago
ACEND AccreditationNone; no Illinois Tech program appears in ACEND’s directory or decisions pages
RD/RDN EligibilityNo
Supervised PracticeNone; thesis research and a clinical research course instead
Entrance ExamsGRE optional for master’s programs university-wide
GPA Floor3.0 on the program page; 3.5 for thesis applicants on the department page
IntakeFall, spring, and summer; domestic fall deadline August 15
Tuition2026-27: $1,925 per credit hour, one rate for all students
Institutional AccreditationHigher Learning Commission

Master of Science, Nutrition Science

The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Nutrition Science at Illinois Tech is $57,750 to $61,600 (30 to 32 credits at $1,925, derived), because neither the catalog nor the program page states a credit total. The credits derived from the listed components are 12 required, 6 to 8 for the thesis, and 12 of electives.

Nutrition Science Curriculum

The required courses are energy and nutrient metabolism (FDSN 501), practical clinical nutrition research (FDSN 530, which involves shadowing and work with anonymized trial data), a seminar, a course in physiology or biomedical engineering, and human physiology. The thesis (FDSN 591) is 6 to 8 credits, and the catalog shows no non-thesis option or capstone.

The department’s Clinical Nutrition Research Center runs human trials with metabolic and food-analysis labs. Students without a strong biochemistry foundation may spend most of their electives on catch-up courses, because the first required course lists an undergraduate biochemistry prerequisite chain.

Nutrition Science Admissions

  • A four-year bachelor’s in nutrition, chemistry, biology, food science, engineering, or a related field, with calculus, chemistry, biology, and physics recommended
  • A 3.0 GPA, which a lower GPA with food-industry experience may offset; the department page says thesis applicants should have 3.5 and research experience
  • TOEFL iBT 80 or IELTS 6.5; below TOEFL 94 or IELTS writing 6.5, a 3-credit English course (FDSN 502) is required as an elective
  • University-wide deadlines: domestic fall August 15, spring January 7, summer May 15; international fall June 15; cohort size and DICAS use were not found
You Should Know

Because the degree is thesis-only, the stricter 3.5 GPA may apply in practice, and the school does not resolve the two figures. The marketing page does not mention the English-course requirement. One required course carries a corequisite lab that the required-course list omits, which could raise the real total to 31 to 33 credits.

Tuition

Illinois Tech’s published Mies campus graduate rate is $1,925 per credit hour for fall 2026, spring 2027, and summer 2027, up $74, or 4.0%, from $1,851 in 2025-26. Illinois Tech charges a single rate with no residency split.

  • Derived totals: $61,450 at 30 credits and $65,300 at 32, including $925 a semester in mandatory fees ($125 activity and $800 student service) for four full-time semesters
  • Health insurance of $2,510 a year, billed in the fall and waivable for domestic students with proof of coverage; an optional U-Pass of $155 a semester; a $200 graduation application fee
  • The 2026-27 course fee table is not published; the 2025-26 table lists $250 for some biology courses that may apply to an elective
  • Teaching and research assistantships carry a stipend and partial or full tuition remission; availability for this program was not found

Be aware that:

Fees follow semesters enrolled, not credits, so a longer path adds $925 each term. A funded student could pay far less than the sticker price, and a self-funded student should plan for the totals above plus insurance. Official figures are on Illinois Tech’s graduate tuition page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to students with a science background who want clinical nutrition research training and are not seeking the RD credential.

If you are heading toward a Ph.D. or professional school, the thesis and the clinical research course supply research experience, and the department works with FDA scientists and food-safety researchers. If you want industry, regulatory, or policy work, the degree positions you for those roles, though outcomes data was not published.

If you want to become a dietitian, this is not the route: it has no ACEND accreditation and no supervised practice, so the RD credential would require a separate program elsewhere.

Accreditation

Illinois Tech is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid. HLC’s page shows a comprehensive evaluation scheduled for October 19, 2026, read from a search result rather than the HLC page itself.

The M.S. in Nutrition Science has no programmatic accreditation, and the school’s pages make no accreditation claim. ACEND’s live directory lists 26 Illinois programs and none from Illinois Tech, and archived copies of ACEND’s decisions pages for 2019 through 2026 and of its Programs Under Review page contain no Illinois Tech entry.

A graduate of the M.S. holds a research master’s degree and is not eligible for the CDR exam on that basis.

More Nutrition Degrees in Illinois