East Tennessee State University Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Nutrition and Integrated Health Sciences • Johnson City, TN • Campus and Online • $6,085/Semester at 9 Credits In-State (Graduate, Public)

East Tennessee State University lists 5 nutrition credentials, and 1 of them is a direct RD route:

  • M.S. in Clinical Nutrition combined with the Dietetic Internship, the MS/DI (the direct RD route, 40 credits, or 46 with a thesis)
  • B.S. in Nutrition, Dietetics concentration (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, which the school plans to close at the end of 2027)
  • Advanced Standing RD/M.S. (29 credits with a thesis, for people who already hold the RD credential)
  • Graduate Certificate in Sport Nutrition (12 credits, online; not an RD route)
  • B.S. in Nutrition, Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals and Nutrition and Wellness concentrations, and a nutrition minor (not RD routes)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
M.S. Clinical Nutrition with Dietetic Internship$25,658 in tuition and fees; about $27,658 with specialized course fees (derived, in-state)2 years, 4 semesters40; 46 with thesis
B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics concentration (DPD)$11,048 a year in tuition and fees plus $50 per credit in course fees (derived, in-state)4 years120
Advanced Standing RD/M.S.Graduate rates applyNot stated29
Graduate Certificate in Sport Nutrition (Online)Graduate rates plus a $50 per credit online fee2 or 4 semesters12

The lead fact is that the school has told applicants it plans to close the DPD effective December 31, 2027 and reorganize the DPD, the master’s, and the internship into a Coordinated Program under the 2027 ACEND standards, starting in fall 2027. The school describes this as a submitted request. ACEND’s directory, decisions pages, and Programs Under Review page show no East Tennessee State Coordinated Program, so nothing is approved today.

The school says students applying to the dietetics concentration for fall 2026 or spring 2027 are effectively applying to the undergraduate years of the planned program. Fall 2026 has started, so only spring 2027 remains, and the school has not said how current MS/DI students would be treated.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus; ACEND lists both the DPD and the internship as fully in person. The sport nutrition certificate is online and asynchronous
ACEND AccreditationDPD: accredited, term ends December 31, 2027. Dietetic Internship: accredited, term extended to December 31, 2029 in March 2026
RD/RDN EligibilityMS/DI: yes on completion. DPD alone and the other credentials: no
Supervised PracticeMS/DI: about 1,000 hours, 32 to 40 hours a week at assigned sites in an eight-county region
Entrance ExamsNo GRE found
GPA FloorDPD: 2.8. MS/DI: 3.0
IntakeMS/DI: through the DICAS match, with the application due February 1 and notification by March 15
Tuition2026-27: $549 per credit maintenance fee through 9 credits plus a program service fee capped at $1,144; out-of-state adds up to $7,560
Institutional AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition with Dietetic Internship

The MS/DI is 40 credits without a thesis (22 core and 18 internship) or 46 with one, over four semesters: two of graduate coursework and two of supervised practice. On the suggested 11, 11, 9, and 9-credit schedule, in-state tuition and fees come to $25,658 (derived), and $55,898 for out-of-state students, before specialized course fees of $50 per credit. The internship is not sold separately; it requires the master’s.

  • Admission needs a bachelor’s degree with a DPD verification statement or intent to graduate, a 3.0 GPA, three references, an essay, and Graduate School admission; a verification statement older than four years needs an 80 percent written exam or extra coursework
  • Applications go through the Graduate School and DICAS by February 1, with notification by March 15; the school’s pages say summer or fall start in one place and fall in another
  • Sites include Ballad Health, Covenant Health, Fresenius, NHC, and an assigned county health department, with no relocation detail published
  • The school says every intern who applied over five years got a half-time graduate assistantship or a tuition scholarship, and out-of-state tuition is waived for assistants
  • Cohort size and a GRE policy were not found
You Should Know

The catalog narrative says 36 to 40 credits, while its requirements table says 40 to 46, and the table adds up. The internship schedule page lists courses that are not in the current catalog. The school’s claim that every graduate seeking a dietetics job found one within six months has no year or cohort, and its mission page lists a different target of 75 percent within 12 months.

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration

The DPD is 120 credits over four years. In-state full-time tuition and fees are $5,524 a semester, $11,048 a year (derived), plus $50 per credit for nutrition course fees. Entry needs a 2.8 GPA and a C or better in two general chemistry courses, two anatomy and physiology courses, introductory nutrition, psychology, sociology, and math, through an internal application with no published deadline.

  • Courses include clinical nutrition I and II with labs, nutritional biochemistry, community nutrition, food systems administration, and nutrition education and counseling
  • The verification statement requires 94 units of DPD coursework, and people with a prior bachelor’s can enroll as special undergraduates to earn it
  • The DPD page carries a banner announcing the plan to close the program effective December 31, 2027

Advanced Standing RD/M.S. and the Sport Nutrition Certificate

  • The Advanced Standing RD/M.S. is 29 credits including a 6-credit thesis, for people already credentialed as RDs, and accepts applications year-round
  • The Graduate Certificate in Sport Nutrition is four 3-credit courses, 100 percent online and asynchronous, in two or four semesters; it is not an RD route
  • The Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals concentration prepares students for medical, physician assistant, and therapy programs, and Nutrition and Wellness prepares nutrition educators and health coaches without a master’s degree

Tuition

East Tennessee State is public, so residency changes the price, though assistants have out-of-state tuition waived.

  • Graduate in-state: $549 per credit through 9 credits plus a program service fee of $143 per credit capped at $1,144, so $6,085 at 9 credits and $6,744 at 11 credits; out-of-state adds up to $7,560 for $13,645 and $14,304
  • Derived MS/DI: $25,658 in-state and $55,898 out-of-state over four semesters, using the 2026-27 table for both years
  • Undergraduate in-state: $5,524 for 12 credits, from $4,380 maintenance plus $1,144 service fee
  • Nutrition and rehabilitative sciences courses carry a $50 per credit specialized fee, and online courses add $40 undergraduate or $50 graduate per credit
  • Other program costs include a $58 Academy membership, background check of $65, drug screen of $45, and hepatitis B series of $90 each

Be aware that:

Second-year rates are not published, and the school’s funding statements are its own. Official figures are on the university’s tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to DPD graduates who want a master’s and supervised practice in one department in northeast Tennessee, and to registered dietitians who want a thesis master’s or a sport nutrition certificate.

The one-department route moves a student from the DPD to the MS/DI without leaving the school, and interns report widespread assistantship support. The honest limit is that the school has announced the DPD will close and the structure is changing, ACEND has approved no coordinated program, and the school has not published outcome data.

If you want the RD credential and are deciding where to start as an undergraduate, ask the department in writing what is approved before enrolling. If you already have a DPD, the MS/DI is available now.

Accreditation

East Tennessee State 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, with initial accreditation on July 1, 1978 and a term ending December 31, 2027, and the Dietetic Internship, with initial accreditation on April 1, 1990 and a term ending December 31, 2029. ACEND’s March 2026 decisions delayed the internship’s site visit by two years and extended its term. The decisions pages also show full and continued accreditation for the DPD in 2019, 2020, and 2022 after a progress report.

The Programs Under Review page lists no East Tennessee State program, and no East Tennessee State Coordinated Program appears anywhere on ACEND’s pages. The directory does not show the DPD closure the school announced. A graduate of the MS/DI is eligible for the CDR exam; a graduate of the DPD holds a verification statement only.

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