Department of Applied Human Sciences, College of Health and Human Services • Bowling Green, KY • Campus and Hybrid • $607 to $707/Credit (Graduate, Public)
Western Kentucky University lists 3 nutrition credentials with an RD link, and 2 of them are ACEND-accredited:
- Dietetic Internship combined with an MBA and a Graduate Certificate in Dietetic Practice (ACEND-accredited internship; the direct RD route)
- B.S. in Hospitality Management and Dietetics, Nutrition and Dietetics concentration (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- B.S. in Hospitality Management and Dietetics, Food, Nutrition and Wellness concentration (not an RD route)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dietetic Internship with MBA and certificate | $20,010 resident by the school’s handbook; about $20,610 with college fees (derived) | 14 months, part time | 30 for the MBA; 15 for the certificate; 1,050 practice hours |
| B.S. Hospitality Management and Dietetics, Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) | $12,276 a year in tuition and fees (derived, resident) | 4 years | 120; 64 in the concentration |
The lead fact is that the internship builds the master’s degree required for the RD exam into the internship itself, as an MBA. Interns who finish the internship, the certificate, and the MBA, with the degree conferred, receive a verification statement and become eligible for the CDR exam. The certificate is open only to accepted interns.
The internship is a separate ACEND-accredited program, not a coordinated program, and a DPD verification statement or a declaration of intent is needed to apply. The school’s pages disagree on whether it admits a class in 2027-28, and ACEND placed the internship on a reduced accreditation term in July 2026, so applicants should confirm both with the director.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Internship: the MBA is online and the dietetics courses are hybrid with three weeks of face-to-face orientation; ACEND lists the coursework as fully in person. B.S.: campus, and ACEND lists a combination of in-person and online |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD: accredited, term ends December 31, 2031 per the directory. Internship: accredited per the directory, but placed on a reduced term in July 2026 with no end date published |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Internship plus certificate plus MBA: yes after a DPD. B.S. alone: no |
| Supervised Practice | Internship: 870 practice hours plus 180 alternate hours, 1,050 in total, about 32 hours a week at assigned sites |
| Entrance Exams | GRE not required for the internship as of January 2024; no interview |
| GPA Floor | Internship: 3.0. DPD entry: 3.0 over at least 30 credit hours |
| Intake | Internship: DICAS, with rolling review to February 15, 2027, up to 10 interns. DPD: applications processed at the end of each fall and spring semester |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $607 per graduate credit resident on campus and $707 for distance courses; undergraduate $6,138 a semester resident |
| Institutional Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
Dietetic Internship with MBA and Graduate Certificate in Dietetic Practice
The internship runs 14 months part time from July to the following August, with up to 10 interns. The school’s handbook estimates $20,010 for residents and $23,730 for non-residents, which reconstructs as 12 dietetics credits at the on-campus rate and 18 MBA credits at the $707 distance rate. College fees of $20 per credit on dietetics courses would add about $600 (derived), and whether MBA courses carry them was not confirmed.
- Rotations are in medical nutrition therapy, community, and food systems at assigned sites in Bowling Green, Glasgow, Leitchfield, Elizabethtown, Owensboro, and Louisville, with no travel reimbursement
- Admission needs a bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 GPA, and a completed DPD or a declaration of intent; there is no interview, and DICAS costs $50 for the first program and $25 for each additional one
- DICAS opens August 5, 2026, with decisions by March 1 and acceptance by March 10, 2027; accepted interns then apply to the WKU Graduate School
- The MBA side mentions a national matching process, and the program says a competitive internship place is part of the DPD route
- There is no thesis; interns complete the MBA and certificate portfolio courses
You Should Know
The internship’s main page says admissions pause for the 2027-28 academic year, while another page of the same program lists DICAS opening in August 2026 and a February 15, 2027 deadline. An older page still shows 15 months, a GRE requirement, $20,346, and 1,050 plus 160 hours, and the school’s MBA site describes certificates where older pages mention a business leadership concentration. The certificate is 15 credits in the handbook and 9 on the MBA site.
Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management and Dietetics, Nutrition and Dietetics Concentration
The Nutrition and Dietetics concentration is the accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics inside a 120-credit degree, with a 64-hour concentration of 13 common core and 51 concentration hours. Resident tuition and fees are $6,138 a semester, $12,276 a year (derived), with a $20 per credit college fee on dietetics courses.
- Courses include food science, human nutrition, nutrition assessment, advanced nutrition, life stage nutrition, medical nutrition therapy I and II, a practicum in dietetics, community nutrition, nutrition counseling, and biochemistry, with sports nutrition one of several electives
- Admission to the program is separate from university admission and needs a 3.0 GPA over 30 credits, a C or better in biology, math, and chemistry, a B in HMD 211, and an ACT of 20 or SAT of 950
- Applications are processed at the end of each fall and spring semester, and the school says a 3.3 to 3.5 GPA with experience helps with internship placement
- The Food, Nutrition and Wellness concentration is 69 hours, includes public health courses, and the school says it does not meet RDN requirements
- Cohort size and DICAS use for the DPD were not found
Tuition
Western Kentucky University is public, so residency changes the price except for distance courses. These are 2026-27 rates.
- Undergraduate: $6,138 a semester for 12 to 18 credits resident, $511.50 per credit, and $13,500 a semester non-resident, with mandatory fees included
- Graduate on campus: $607 per credit resident and $917 non-resident; graduate distance courses are $707 per credit for everyone
- Derived internship totals: $20,010 resident and $23,730 non-resident, from 12 credits at the campus rate and 18 at $707
- Other costs listed include $5,000 to $7,000 in living costs, about $1,500 in health insurance and $1,500 in transportation, and a $55 to $65 graduate application fee
- Interns who rotate in the Bowling Green area may apply for graduate assistantships, and terms were not found
Be aware that:
The $11,872 resident figure that circulates does not match the school’s published rates for 2025-26 ($12,072) or 2026-27 ($12,276). Official figures are on the tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to students who want a DPD in south central Kentucky and graduates who want to finish the master’s requirement as a business degree while completing an internship.
The built-in master’s means an intern leaves with the verification statement and an MBA and certificate in 14 months. The honest limit is that a DPD is required first, the cohort is capped at 10, the sites are assigned and travel is not reimbursed, and the program’s accreditation term and next admission cycle need to be confirmed.
If you want food service management or private practice, the business credential can suit that path. If you want a clinical research master’s, look at a nutrition master’s program instead.
Accreditation
Western Kentucky University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s live directory for Kentucky lists the Dietetic Internship, with initial accreditation on June 13, 2012, and the Didactic Program in Dietetics, with initial accreditation on February 1, 1976, both with terms ending December 31, 2031. ACEND’s decisions show approval in November 2020 of a major change that added a graduate degree, full and continued accreditation after a site visit for both programs in April 2024, and continued accreditation after a progress report for both in July 2025.
In July 2026 ACEND placed or continued the internship on a reduced accreditation term, with no end date or reason published, which conflicts with the directory’s 2031 date and the school’s wording that it is fully accredited. The Programs Under Review page lists no Western Kentucky program. A graduate of the internship, certificate, and MBA is eligible for the CDR exam; the B.S. alone is not.
More Nutrition Degrees in Kentucky
- Eastern Kentucky University - Richmond
- Kentucky Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Murray State University - Murray
- University of Kentucky - Lexington