Department of Allied Health, Kinesiology and Sport Sciences, College of Education, Health and Human Studies • Cape Girardeau, MO • Online and Campus • $457/Credit (Graduate, Public)
Southeast Missouri State University offers 2 nutrition credentials, and 1 of them is a direct RD route:
- M.S. in Applied Nutrition, online coursework with in-person supervised practice (ACEND-accredited graduate program; the direct RD route)
- B.S. in Nutrition with three tracks: Didactic Program in Dietetics (ACEND-accredited), Nutrition Science, and Nutrition and Wellness (the last two are not RD routes)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Applied Nutrition (Online) | $16,452 in tuition and general fees; $17,352 with course and exam fees (derived) | 14 months full time; 21 months part time | 36 |
| B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics (DPD) track | $42,240 in tuition and general fees; about $42,410 with DPD course fees (derived) | 4 years | 120 |
| B.S. Nutrition, Nutrition Science and Nutrition and Wellness tracks | $42,240 in tuition and general fees (derived) | 4 years | 120 |
The lead fact is that Southeast Missouri State runs both ACEND programs on one campus. The online master’s bundles coursework, more than 1,000 hours of supervised practice, and a research capstone in about 14 months, and the bachelor’s DPD is coursework only. SEMO’s own DPD students can apply for a Pre-Select seat in the master’s.
The master’s coursework is online but most supervised practice hours must be completed in person, in Missouri or Illinois, at partner sites in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, or at sites a student arranges anywhere in the country. The school has a degree-only route for people who already hold the credential, and it skips supervised practice and the verification statement.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | M.S.: the school says 100% online coursework with in-person supervised practice. B.S.: campus in Cape Girardeau; ACEND lists the DPD as a combination of in-person and online coursework |
| ACEND Accreditation | Graduate program: accredited, term ends December 31, 2031, listed as a Future Education Model program and described by the school as becoming a coordinated program on August 1, 2027. DPD: accredited, term ends June 30, 2029 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S.: yes on completion. B.S. DPD: no on its own; it gives a verification statement |
| Supervised Practice | M.S.: more than 1,000 hours, confirmed hours required for the verification statement. B.S.: none |
| Entrance Exams | GRE optional and not required for the M.S.; an interview is required |
| GPA Floor | M.S.: 3.0. DPD application: 3.0 overall, with a C or better in five prerequisite courses |
| Intake | M.S.: summer only, next start June 14, 2027. DPD: application due the second Monday in February |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $457 per graduate credit and $352 per undergraduate credit, one rate for domestic and online students |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission |
Master of Science in Applied Nutrition (Online)
The estimated tuition for the M.S. at Southeast Missouri State is $16,452 in tuition and general fees (36 credits at $457), or $17,352 with $800 in field experience course fees and a $100 exam fee (derived). The school prints $17,452 in two places, but its own semester table adds to $17,352. The program is 36 credits, taken with a cohort in a fixed sequence, with a research capstone done at a supervised practice site and no thesis.
M.S. Curriculum
Courses include advanced medical nutrition therapy, food science and technology, strategic management of nutrition and food services, foundations in dietetics practice, culinary nutrition, applied statistics, performance and wellness nutrition, community nutrition programming, counseling and education, research methods, professional skills, two field experiences, and the capstone. Students choose a written comprehensive exam or an oral exam for zero credits.
M.S. Admissions
- A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited school, a 3.0 GPA, and a DPD verification statement or a prerequisite list approved by the program director
- An interview is required, the GRE is not, and the school lists three references
- DICAS opens in October 2026, with a first-round deadline of January 15, 2027, decisions by February 28, and acceptance due March 10; review continues until the program fills or May 1, 2027
- Pre-Select for SEMO DPD students needs a 3.5 GPA, at least 1,500 experience hours, and a leadership record, and can be applied for at any time
- Remote-distance students must arrange their own sites before applying, and without a site by fall they move to part-time study
You Should Know
The school gives the length as 15 months in one place and 14 in another, and its applicant handbook lists a minimum of 750 hours of experience that the program page does not. The handbook also says the program starts in May 2027, while its calendar says June 14, 2027. Cohort size and graduate assistantship rules were not found, and the school publishes outcome targets, not results.
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition
The B.S. is 120 credits over four years at $352 per credit, or $42,240 in tuition and general fees (derived), with about $170 more in DPD course fees. It has three tracks inside one degree: the Dietetics track is the accredited DPD, the Nutrition Science track is aimed at medical and graduate school, and the Nutrition and Wellness track is aimed at health education and requires a minor.
- Declaring the major is not admission to the DPD: students apply during their nutrition counseling course with 45 hours completed and a 3.0 GPA, by the second Monday in February, with decisions by the first Monday in April
- A provisionally accepted student needs a 3.0 at completion to earn the verification statement, and retention requires a 3.0 cumulative and in DPD courses
- The DPD is coursework only, so graduates continue to an accredited graduate program with supervised practice
- Sports nutrition and culinary nutrition appear only as individual courses, not as tracks
- DPD cohort size and match rates were not found
Tuition
Southeast Missouri State is public but charges one rate to domestic and online students, with no resident and non-resident split. International students pay a separate rate.
- Graduate: $410 tuition plus $47 general fee is $457 per credit; undergraduate: $305 plus $47 is $352 per credit
- International graduate students pay $832 per credit, which would make the master’s about $29,952 before fees (derived)
- No nutrition program differential is published; the only graduate extras are $400 for each of two field experience courses and a $100 graduate program fee for the exam course
- Course fees in the DPD track are $50 for three courses and $10 for two (derived $170 total)
- The school estimates living, travel, and site costs for supervised practice, including $686.25 to $4,120 in transportation depending on program length
Be aware that:
Rates of $295 and $395 per credit still circulate; they are the school’s 2025-26 tuition-only figures. The 2026-27 totals are $352 and $457 with fees. Official figures are on the cost page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to students who want a master’s and supervised practice in about a year, mostly online, and who can reach practice sites or arrange their own.
The bundled graduate route combines the master’s, more than 1,000 practice hours, and a capstone in one program, with a Pre-Select seat for SEMO’s own DPD students. The honest limit is that supervised practice is in person and may require travel or relocation, the cohort starts only in summer, the program’s type label is changing from a graduate program to a coordinated program, and no outcome results are published.
If you already hold the credential, the degree-only route skips supervised practice. If you want a coordinated route as an undergraduate, plan the DPD first and apply for Pre-Select.
Accreditation
Southeast Missouri State is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, with its next reaffirmation listed for 2029 to 2030. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s live directory for Missouri lists the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics with initial accreditation on December 9, 2019 and a term ending December 31, 2031, and the Didactic Program in Dietetics with initial accreditation on October 1, 1975 and a term ending June 30, 2029. The school says the graduate program is accredited under the Future Education Model and becomes a coordinated program on August 1, 2027, and announced reaccreditation in September 2024.
ACEND’s decisions pages show the old dietetic internship closing in 2021 and being reorganized into the graduate program, full and continued accreditation for the graduate program in July 2024, and for the DPD in January 2022, with progress reports for the DPD in July 2023 and July 2025 whose reasons are not published. The Programs Under Review page lists no Southeast Missouri State program. A graduate of the M.S. is eligible for the CDR exam on completion; a graduate of the B.S. holds a verification statement only.
More Nutrition Degrees in Missouri
- Missouri Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Missouri State University - Springfield
- Northwest Missouri State University - Maryville
- Saint Louis University - St. Louis
- University of Central Missouri - Warrensburg
- University of Missouri - Columbia