Carson-Newman University Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences • Jefferson City, TN • Campus • $21,250/Semester (Undergraduate, Private)

Carson-Newman University offers 2 nutrition degree options at the bachelor’s level, and neither leads to RD/RDN eligibility on its own:

  • B.S. in Foods and Nutrition, Dietetics emphasis (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics)
  • B.S. in Foods and Nutrition, without the dietetics emphasis (not ACEND-accredited)
  • A verification-statement-only route for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, with courses set by the program director

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S. Foods and Nutrition, Dietetics emphasis (DPD)$42,500 a year in tuition; $170,000 over eight semesters before room, board, and special fees (derived)4 years120
B.S. Foods and Nutrition$42,500 a year in tuition (derived on the same terms)4 years120
Verification statement onlyNot publishedSet by the directorNot stated

The lead fact is that the degree is not called a dietetics degree. It is a B.S. in Foods and Nutrition with a dietetics emphasis, and the school has no graduate program or internship, so graduates apply to outside supervised practice programs through DICAS and complete a master’s elsewhere. Placement is not guaranteed.

The program sits in a Family and Consumer Sciences department and its nutrition majors can also sit for the Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences credential as seniors. The school describes a partnership with another institution for a master’s in integrative and functional medicine with a nutrition concentration, which is addressed below.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus; ACEND lists the DPD as fully in person and also approved to offer distance education, and no online option was found
ACEND AccreditationDidactic Program in Dietetics: accredited, term ends June 30, 2033
RD/RDN EligibilityNo on its own; the DPD gives a verification statement, then an outside internship and a master’s degree
Supervised PracticeNone at Carson-Newman; a 150-hour field experience, and the RD route needs about 1,000 hours elsewhere
Entrance ExamsNone for admission
GPA Floor2.8 cumulative for upper-division entry, with C or higher in required courses and B or higher in three lower-division nutrition courses
IntakeAnnual; the DPD application is due August 30 of the junior year
Tuition2026-27: $21,250 per semester for 12 to 17 credits; $1,775 per credit under 12
Institutional AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition, Dietetics Emphasis

The Dietetics emphasis is 120 credits: 41 to 42 in the liberal arts core, 8 in a family and consumer sciences core, 61 in the emphasis, and 9 to 10 in electives. Tuition is $42,500 a year for full-time students, which is $170,000 over eight semesters (derived). Books are estimated at $800 a semester.

Dietetics Curriculum

Courses include organic chemistry, survey of biochemistry, advanced nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, quantity food systems, experimental food science, nutrition education and the community, and a senior seminar. A 3-credit, 150-hour field experience requires 64 completed credits, and recent placements include a children’s hospital, a state health department, hospitals, an area agency on aging, and university athletics. There is no thesis, and the program has a foods and nutrition laboratory.

Dietetics Admissions

  • A cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 and a C or higher in the listed science, communication, and family and consumer sciences courses, with B or higher in three lower-division nutrition courses
  • The application goes to the program director by August 30 of the junior year, and the school says a GPA above 3.2 improves the chance of a supervised practice place
  • One required nutrition course is mostly offered in fall only, which forces course sequencing
  • DICAS for outside internships costs $50 for the first application and $25 for each additional one
  • Cohort size and a verification statement fee were not found
You Should Know

The school’s handbook and catalog disagree on several details: liberal arts hours are 44 in one and 41 to 42 in the other, medical terminology courses are 2 credits in the handbook and 3 in the catalog, and a microbiology course appears as required in the handbook but not in the current catalog record. The handbook’s own subtotals do not add consistently, so the catalog totals are used here.

Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition

The non-dietetics track is also 120 credits and is not accredited by ACEND. The school says it does not require ACEND accreditation and aims it at public health, extension, culinary, food industry, and food service management work. It leaves out organic chemistry, biochemistry, advanced nutrition, and medical nutrition therapy, and uses the university’s regular admission standards.

Verification Statement Only and the Partner Master’s

  • People with a bachelor’s degree in another field can have their transcripts reviewed by the director, who sets the missing courses; no credit count or price is published, and the catalog does not say which post-baccalaureate rate applies
  • Since 2021 the school has had an agreement with John Patrick University that gives students and alumni a 20 percent discount on that school’s tuition and lets dietetics students begin an M.S. in Integrative and Functional Medicine with a nutrition concentration
  • That university is accredited by a national career-school accreditor, is not ACEND-accredited, and its program name, credits, and price were not found, so whether the degree meets the dietitian graduate-degree requirement should be confirmed with CDR before relying on it

Tuition

Carson-Newman is private, so one rate applies to every student.

  • Full-time tuition is $21,250 per semester for 12 to 17 credits, $42,500 a year, with no separate mandatory fees listed
  • Part-time is $1,775 per credit, and credits above 17 cost $1,250 each
  • Derived: $21,250 divided by 15 credits is about $1,417 per credit at a typical load
  • Lab fees of $50 to $150 apply to four courses, and the program lists an Academy student membership at $58 a year, a lab coat, and student association dues
  • No nutrition differential is listed, and non-residents pay the same

Be aware that:

A $38,700 yearly figure appears on third-party sites and does not match the school’s catalog. Official figures are on the university’s costs and fees page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to undergraduates who want a small private DPD in east Tennessee with a field experience, or a foods and nutrition degree without the dietetics requirements.

The compact route pairs the dietetics emphasis with a 150-hour field experience and a published three-year exam pass rate of 91 percent within a year of first attempt (2023 to 2025, with no group size). The honest limit is that the program is coursework only, the price is a private-school rate with no published aid detail here, internship placement is not guaranteed, and only targets are published for other outcomes.

If you want the RD credential, plan for an outside internship and a master’s from the start. If you want food or public health work without it, the non-dietetics track is a lighter route.

Accreditation

Carson-Newman 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 Tennessee lists the Didactic Program in Dietetics as accredited, with initial accreditation on May 1, 1979 and a term ending June 30, 2033, and approval to offer distance education. ACEND’s 2024 decisions list full and continued accreditation after a site visit, and the 2019 through 2023, 2025, and 2026 pages and the Programs Under Review page contain no entry. The school says it was accredited in 2006 and reaffirmed in 2016 and 2024, which differs from the directory’s 1979 date.

A graduate of the dietetics emphasis holds a verification statement and is not eligible for the CDR exam on that basis. The non-dietetics track has no ACEND status.

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