Department of Nutrition Sciences, Borra College of Health Sciences • River Forest, IL • Hybrid and Online • $700/Credit (Graduate, Private)
Dominican University lists 6 nutrition credentials, 2 of them leading to RD/RDN eligibility, and the older of those two has stopped admitting:
- M.S., Nutrition with Coordinated Program in Dietetics (closed to new students from June 2026)
- MBA with Coordinated Program in Dietetics
- B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (the Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- Certificate in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD coursework for degree holders)
- M.S., Nutrition (non-RD)
- Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (closing by December 31, 2026)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Coordinated Program (Closed) | $29,250 (39 credits at $750, derived) | 4 semesters full-time | 39 |
| MBA with Coordinated Program | $39.0K to $40.2K (derived; the MBA rate differs by page) | About 21 months | 48 |
| B.S. Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) | About $40.9K a year (undergraduate rate) | 4 years | 124 (2022-23 handbook) |
| Certificate in Nutrition and Dietetics | $35,190 for the 34-credit minimum (derived) | About 4 semesters | 34 minimum at Dominican |
| M.S. Nutrition | $21,000 (30 credits at $700, derived) | 3 semesters and a summer | 30 |
| Supervised Practice Pathway (Closing) | $13,500 (18 credits at $750, derived) | Not clearly stated | 18 |
Dominican has narrowed. The M.S. Coordinated Program, which had been its lead RD route, stopped admitting in June 2026, and the supervised practice pathway for unmatched DPD graduates closes by the end of 2026. The route that remains is the MBA with a Coordinated Program, whose 2026-27 admission status could not be confirmed because its program page was unavailable.
ACEND placed both Dominican programs on a reduced term in July 2024 and continued them after progress reports in July 2025. Applicants should confirm current status with the department before applying.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Coordinated Programs: online evening classes with in-person practice; ACEND lists the Coordinated Program as fully in-person. B.S.: campus |
| Admission Status | M.S. Coordinated Program closed; practice pathway closing; MBA route unconfirmed |
| ACEND Accreditation | Coordinated Program (initial 2007, term to June 30, 2028) and DPD (initial 1973, term to June 30, 2030) per the directory |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Coordinated Program tracks: yes, with CDR exam eligibility. B.S., certificate, and M.S. Nutrition: no on their own |
| Supervised Practice | At least 1,000 hours, program-arranged within 50 miles, 3 to 4 days a week |
| Entrance Exams | GRE only if GPA is below 3.0, and it can be waived |
| GPA Floor | 3.0 recommended; B- or better in DPD professional courses |
| Intake | MBA route: one fall start, DICAS deadline July 1; classes of about 15 |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $700 M.S. Nutrition, $750 Coordinated Program, $850 MBA (listed), $1,035 post-baccalaureate |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission, reaffirmed June 2025 |
Master of Science, Nutrition with Coordinated Program in Dietetics (Closed)
The M.S. Coordinated Program was 39 credits (21 core and 18 in five supervised practice courses) at $750 per credit, or $29,250 (derived), which matches the 2024-25 handbook total. Its page says it will not admit new students starting June 2026, the page is now unpublished, and the graduate programs hub still links it.
- Four semesters full-time, with part-time available; classes described as 100% evening and online, with practice on site
- At least 1,000 hours across community, foodservice management, outpatient, and clinical settings, usually 21 to 32 hours a week at sites within 50 miles of campus
- Admission needed a nutrition bachelor’s or the post-baccalaureate certificate first, a 3.0 GPA, two references, and B- or better in DPD professional courses; the DICAS deadline and cohort size were not found
MBA with Coordinated Program in Dietetics
The MBA with a Coordinated Program is 48 credits, 30 in the MBA and 18 in supervised practice, over about 21 months with at least 1,000 hours. At the $850 MBA rate on the tuition page plus $13,500 for the practice credits, it comes to about $39,000, and at the $889 rate in the 2024-25 handbook, about $40,170 (both derived).
- The coordinated courses are offered in the daytime and the MBA courses in the evening, online and in person, so the format is hybrid; practice rotations run 3 to 4 days a week within 50 miles
- One fall start a year with classes of about 15; DICAS applications are due July 1 for U.S. applicants, with no D&D Digital match required and early acceptance offered
- The GRE or GMAT is required only if GPA is below 3.0, and waivers exist; the MBA is AACSB-accredited
You Should Know
The MBA rate differs by page, the tuition table says it has been in effect since summer 2023, and the practice-credit rate for 2026-27 could not be confirmed. The page was unavailable when checked, so confirm that the 2026-27 cohort is open.
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Dietetics
The B.S. is the Didactic Program in Dietetics, 124 credits per the 2022-23 handbook, and campus-based. Dominican lists undergraduate tuition at $40,948 a year on one page and $40,958 on another, with $1,365 per credit part-time. A verification statement is the result, and graduates still need a master’s, a supervised practice program, and the exam. An undergraduate Coordinated Program is closed to new applicants. A nutrition-specific differential was not found.
Certificate in Nutrition and Dietetics
The certificate is the DPD route for bachelor’s holders, with a minimum of 34 credits taken at Dominican over about four semesters. At the 2026-27 post-baccalaureate rate of $1,035 per credit that is $35,190 (derived). The 2022-23 handbook says the certificate requires 87 credits in total, so transfer credit must fill the gap, and the certificate page still mentions 1,200 practice hours for the Coordinated Program against 1,000 everywhere else.
Master of Science, Nutrition
The M.S. in Nutrition is 30 credits (18 core and 12 elective) at $700 per credit, or $21,000 (derived), over three semesters and a summer, with most courses online. It has no ACEND accreditation and carries no RD eligibility, though it satisfies the graduate-degree step. Applicants without a nutrition bachelor’s need a math course and four nutrition courses at B- or better first.
Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway (Closing)
This 18-credit certificate was supervised practice only, for DPD graduates who did not match, at $750 per credit, or $13,500 (derived). Dominican says ACEND discontinued it, applications are no longer accepted, and its local and distance options must close by December 31, 2026.
Tuition
Dominican’s 2026-27 graduate rates are $700 per credit for the M.S. in Nutrition and $750 for the Coordinated Program and the practice pathway, with the MBA listed at $850 and post-baccalaureate courses at $1,035. Dominican is private, and the master’s pages offer an alumni tuition discount of 20%.
- Fees from the 2024-25 handbook, subject to change: lab fees of $700 in total, a $100 graduation fee, a $25 matriculation fee, a student fee of $85 per course part-time or $250 full-time, and a $115 experiential fee for the MBA route
- Practice costs: liability insurance of $35 to $45 a year, medical exams of $150 to $200, a background check near $60, a drug screen of $30 to $80, and Academy student membership of $58
- Brennan School of Business merit scholarships of $639 to $739 per credit are published against a standard rate of $889
Be aware that:
The MBA route page says additional program fees may apply, and the derived totals use the 2024-25 rate for practice credits. Official figures are on Dominican’s tuition and aid page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to applicants who want a small-cohort Coordinated Program that pairs dietetics with an MBA, and who can confirm the route is still open for their year.
The business pairing is the distinguishing feature of the surviving route, and Dominican describes it as the only combined business and RD program of its kind, a claim not checked here. Published exam results for calendar years 2022 to 2024 show the Coordinated Program at 16 of 19 passing on the first attempt (84.21%) and 18 of 19 within a year (94.74%), which implies only six or seven candidates a year.
The undergraduate route is weaker on those numbers: the DPD’s first-attempt rate was 31 of 57 (54.39%) and its one-year rate 43 of 60 (71.67%), against national rates Dominican lists at 64.65% and 87.68%. The honest limit is the narrowing: with the M.S. route and the practice pathway closed, there are fewer ways in than the older listings suggest.
Accreditation
Dominican is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which reaffirmed it in June 2025, and that matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory lists a Coordinated Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation September 1, 2007, offering the M.S. and MBA) with a term ending June 30, 2028 and a Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial December 1, 1973) with a term ending June 30, 2030. ACEND’s decisions pages show full and continued accreditation for the Coordinated Program in January and July 2020 and July 2021, a continuation after an interim report in July 2023, and for the DPD in April 2021 and January 2023. In July 2024 both programs were placed on or continued on a reduced term after progress reports, and in July 2025 both were continued after progress reports. The decisions pages print no term dates, so the directory terms may reflect the reduced term. Dominican is not on the Programs Under Review page in the copy reviewed, and the ISPP is not an ACEND program in the directory.
A graduate of a Coordinated Program track completes the degree and supervised practice and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the B.S., the certificate, or the M.S. in Nutrition needs further steps.