Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health • Columbia, SC • Campus • $6,867/Semester Resident (Graduate, Public)
The University of South Carolina offers 1 nutrition degree, and it is a direct RD route at ACEND candidacy rather than full accreditation:
- M.S. in Performance Nutrition and Dietetics (an ACEND Future Education Model graduate program in candidacy; coursework and supervised practice in one degree)
- Undergraduate Minor in Nutrition and Food Systems (18 credits, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior; not an RD route)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Performance Nutrition and Dietetics | $43,974 in tuition and fees for a resident by the school’s handbook; per-credit billing could lower the tuition part | 22 months, five semesters | 44; 35 to 44 with advanced standing |
| Nutrition and Food Systems minor | Undergraduate rates apply | Not stated | 18 minimum |
The lead fact is that ACEND lists the program as a Candidate for Accreditation, granted in April 2025, not as fully accredited. The school’s degree listing says only that it is accredited by ACEND, while its program page and handbook say candidacy. The school states that completers receive a verification statement indicating eligibility to take the RDN exam.
The degree is performance-focused dietetics rather than a sports nutrition track: 12 of its 44 credits are performance-branded courses, the rest is standard dietetics, and students can enter any RDN setting. The university has no undergraduate dietetics program, so applicants need only a bachelor’s degree in any field and the prerequisites.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus; the handbook says on-ground and in person, and the program page says blended curriculum, meaning coursework plus supervised field experience |
| ACEND Accreditation | Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics: Candidate for Accreditation from April 21, 2025, with a candidacy term to April 21, 2029 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes on completion, per the school, with the candidacy caveat |
| Supervised Practice | At least 1,200 hours across five supervised experience courses of about 240 hours each, arranged by the program |
| Entrance Exams | No GRE found |
| GPA Floor | 3.0 across the bachelor’s degree and all prerequisites, with a B or higher in introductory human nutrition |
| Intake | Fall only; DICAS opens August 15 with a January 1 deadline, program decisions by March 1 |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $6,867 a semester resident and $14,880 non-resident for full-time graduate study; $572.25 or $1,240 per credit part-time |
| Institutional Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
Master of Science in Performance Nutrition and Dietetics
The M.S. is 44 credits over five semesters: 9, 10, 5, 10, and 10. The school’s handbook estimates $43,974.25 in tuition and fees for residents and $79,365 for non-residents, and $103,629 or $139,020 with books and living costs. The estimate bills the 9- and 10-credit terms at the full-time rate; at the per-credit rate, tuition alone for 44 credits would be $25,179 for a resident against $30,329 in the handbook (derived), and how the cohort is actually billed was not found.
Curriculum
Courses cover nutrition through the life cycle, applied nutrition research, performance nutrition, medical nutrition therapy I and II, nutrition counseling, performance nutrition therapy, nutrition and public health, food systems management, leadership, and a capstone, with five supervised experience courses of one credit each. Workshops include a food service management certification and clinical skills such as enteral and parenteral support and the nutrition-focused physical exam. There is no thesis.
Admissions
- A bachelor’s degree in any field with a 3.0 GPA across the degree and all prerequisites, and a B or higher in introductory human nutrition
- Eleven 3-credit prerequisites: human nutrition, food science, biology, chemistry, microbiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, human physiology, exercise physiology, psychology or sociology, and statistics, with up to five in progress at application
- Three recommendation letters, an essay, a resume, a GPA calculation form, and a virtual interview of 15 to 20 minutes
- DICAS costs $50 for the first program and $25 for each additional one
- Applicants with a DPD verification statement may bypass up to 9 credits through advanced standing
- Cohort size was not found; a 2024 state proposal projected 5 to 10 students a year, which are projections only
You Should Know
The handbook says candidacy was granted in May 2025, while ACEND’s decisions page and directory say April 2025. The handbook bills the non-resident program fee at $800 a term, while the bursar lists $1,100 for public health programs, a $300 a term difference. The school’s older admissions text described a Graduate School application with no fee, which is no longer the process.
Tuition
The University of South Carolina is public, so residency changes the price.
- Full-time graduate: $6,867 per semester resident and $14,880 non-resident; part-time: $572.25 and $1,240 per credit
- Fees include a $200 technology fee for full-time students, a health center fee, a program fee of $800 a term for residents under the handbook ($1,100 non-resident on the bursar list), and student health insurance of $4,000 a year
- The handbook’s year-one resident tuition is $16,595.25 and year two is $13,734, with fees of $7,265 and $6,380
- Resident tuition was frozen for 2026-27 according to the handbook, and the second year assumes unchanged rates
- Assistantship tuition rules for this program were not found
Be aware that:
A figure of $6,144 per semester that appears in some search results does not match the bursar’s current table. Official figures are on the university’s bursar page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to career changers or graduates with the prerequisites who want one master’s that includes the supervised practice, with a performance-nutrition emphasis, and who are comfortable with a new program in candidacy.
The single-degree route removes the DPD and the separate internship match, and a DPD holder can shorten it through advanced standing. The honest limit is that the program is new and in candidacy, no graduates or outcome results exist yet, the handbook cost estimate may overstate tuition, and supervised practice requires driving to sites at the student’s own cost.
If you want a general RD route and prefer a fully accredited program, compare options that hold full accreditation. If you want a sports or performance setting, the performance courses and required sports dietitian memberships are part of the degree.
Accreditation
The University of South Carolina is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and filed a substantive-change notice with it for this program in October 2024. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s live directory for South Carolina lists the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics as a Candidate for Accreditation, with initial accreditation on April 21, 2025 and a term ending April 21, 2029, and its April 2025 decisions page records candidacy being granted. The listed date is the candidacy date, not full accreditation. Decisions pages for 2019 through 2024 and the early 2026 months contain no entry, and later 2026 months could not be checked.
Candidacy is a normal step for a new program. A graduate of the M.S. would hold a verification statement and the master’s degree, and eligibility rests on the school’s statement and ACEND’s candidacy rules, so confirm the current status before applying.
More Nutrition Degrees in South Carolina
- Clemson University - Clemson
- South Carolina Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- South Carolina State University - Orangeburg
- Winthrop University - Rock Hill