Five schools with profiled nutrition programs serve the Dallas-Fort Worth area: UT Southwestern in Dallas, TCU and UNT Health Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas Woman’s University in Denton, and Tarrant County College in Arlington. Between them they list 22 credentials, from a $4,440 associate degree at Tarrant County to a graduate Coordinated Program at TCU that costs $69,450 at list price. Durations run from 12 months at TCU to four years for the bachelor’s degrees.
Three of the five run graduate programs with supervised practice built in: UT Southwestern, TCU, and UNT Health Fort Worth. TWU pairs a master’s with a dietetic internship that needs a DPD first, and replaces its older Houston program with a new graduate program from fall 2027. Tarrant County College prepares dietetic technicians for the NDTR exam, not the RD credential, and UNT Health Fort Worth’s program is an ACEND candidate with its first cohort enrolled in fall 2026.
Nutrition Programs in Dallas: Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT Southwestern Medical Center Dallas | Master of Clinical Nutrition: Coordinated Program, 71 credits, 24 months M.S. Nutritional Health: online, non-RD | $23.6K resident; $54.0K non-resident (derived, tuition and mandatory fees); online M.S. $17.8K to $19.1K in-state | Campus; Online (M.S.) | Yes: Coordinated Program, any bachelor’s with about 42 prerequisite credits |
| Texas Christian University Fort Worth | Combined B.S./M.S. Dietetics: TCU undergraduates only M.S. Nutrition, Coordinated Program track: 12 or 21 months B.S. Dietetics: DPD M.S. with DPD verification, general M.S., and two non-RD B.S. degrees | Graduate track $69.5K at list price; TCU’s Coordinated Program page claims a 70% scholarship (about $20.8K) | Campus | Yes: Coordinated Program, 1,000+ hours integrated |
| Texas Woman’s University Denton | M.S./Dietetic Internship, Denton: 16 months Graduate Program, Houston: first cohort fall 2027 B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics: DPD Two standalone M.S. degrees and a Ph.D. | Denton M.S./Internship about $17K resident, $32K non-resident (program estimate) | Hybrid (Denton M.S./Internship); Campus (B.S.) | Yes: Denton M.S./Internship after a DPD; Houston program from fall 2027 |
| UNT Health Fort Worth Fort Worth | M.S. Clinical Nutrition: Coordinated Program, ACEND candidate, 71 credits, 22 months M.S. Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching: online, non-RD | $35.8K resident; $65.6K non-resident (program estimate, excluding practicum and books) | Hybrid | Yes, for students enrolled after candidacy who complete the program; no graduates yet |
| Tarrant County College Arlington | A.A.S. Nutrition and Dietetics: 60 credits, dietetic technician Four certificates and awards | $4,440 in-county; $18,900 out-of-state (tuition and fees, before books) | Hybrid (classification flagged) | No: NDTR technician credential only |
Costs are each profile’s published or derived totals at 2026-27 rates. TWU’s and UNT Health Fort Worth’s totals are program estimates, UT Southwestern’s are derived from the bursar tables, and TCU’s 70% scholarship appears on one TCU page and not on the others. Other Texas programs are on the Texas nutrition programs page.
Which Dallas Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose UT Southwestern if you hold a bachelor’s in any field and want the master’s and 1,200 supervised hours in one 24-month program. The roughly 42 prerequisite credits come first, and the program starts each August.
Choose TCU if you already hold a DPD verification statement and want a 12-month May-start track, or if you are a career changer willing to add 22 hours of leveling coursework for the 21-month version. Confirm the scholarship TCU describes on one page before counting on it.
Choose Texas Woman’s University if you hold a DPD verification statement and want public tuition in Denton, with the supervised practice placed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A career changer without a DPD would look to the new Houston program, which does not enroll until fall 2027.
Choose UNT Health Fort Worth if you have no DPD, can finish eight prerequisites, and accept that the program is still an ACEND candidate with no graduates. ACEND says students who enroll after candidacy are considered graduates of an accredited program when they complete it.
Choose Tarrant County College if you want a two-year technician credential at in-county rates. It leads to the NDTR exam, and reaching the RD credential later means transferring into a bachelor’s program, then a graduate degree and supervised practice.
Dallas Nutrition Schools
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas; Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Health Professions; campus-based coordinated program and an online master’s.
- Master of Clinical Nutrition: 71 credits over six semesters, 1,200 supervised hours, August start
- M.S. Nutritional Health: 30 credits online, non-RD
The DICAS deadline is February 1, 2027. ACEND lists full and continued accreditation in January 2021, and the term end was not found. Ten scholarships are available to Coordinated Program students, including $5,250 a year for Texas residents. Full UT Southwestern profile.
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Davis College of Science and Engineering; campus-based.
- M.S. Nutrition, Coordinated Program track: 30 credits, $2,315 per credit, 12 months with a DPD or 21 without
- Combined B.S./M.S. in Dietetics for TCU undergraduates, plus a DPD and non-RD options
Supervised practice runs more than 1,000 hours, program-arranged and mostly in Dallas-Fort Worth. ACEND shows both the Coordinated Program and the DPD accredited to June 2029 per the directory. Full TCU profile.
Texas Woman’s University
Denton, with a Houston campus program; Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences; hybrid and campus options.
- M.S./Dietetic Internship, Denton: 16 months, at least 1,100 hours, cohort of 16 or 18
- Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, Houston: first cohort fall 2027, at least 1,010 hours
- B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics (DPD), two standalone M.S. degrees, and a Ph.D.
TWU’s older Houston M.S./Internship has closed to applicants, with its final cohort starting in August 2026. The final Denton DICAS deadline is January 15, 2027. Full Texas Woman’s profile.
UNT Health Fort Worth
Fort Worth; Department of Personalized Health and Well-Being, College of Health Professions; hybrid.
- M.S. in Clinical Nutrition: 71 credits, 22 months, at least 1,000 hours across North Texas
- M.S. in Lifestyle Health Sciences and Coaching: online, non-RD
ACEND granted candidacy in July 2025, with a directory term to July 2029. The program is 71 credits over 22 months, not a 34-credit program, and its next start term is not stated. Full UNT Health Fort Worth profile.
Tarrant County College
Arlington; Nutrition and Dietetics Program, Southeast Campus; hybrid classification flagged.
- A.A.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics: 60 credits, at least 450 practicum hours, $74 per credit in-county
- Dietary Manager, Nutrition Specialist, and Food and Nutrition Coach certificates, and a Healthy Meal Planning award
ACEND lists a reaccreditation site visit on February 28, 2027, with the program accredited to June 2028 per the directory. No named articulation agreements with dietetics programs were found. Full Tarrant County College profile.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Dallas
Which programs carry the credential
UT Southwestern’s and TCU’s Coordinated Programs and UNT Health Fort Worth’s candidate program fold the master’s and supervised practice into one degree. TWU’s Denton track needs a DPD and a separate DICAS match, and its bachelor’s and standalone master’s degrees do not carry the credential.
Prerequisites and starting point
UT Southwestern asks for about 42 prerequisite credits and UNT Health Fort Worth for eight prerequisite courses at C or higher. TCU’s 21-month path adds 22 hours of leveling, and TWU’s Denton track needs a verification statement.
Cost architecture
UT Southwestern’s resident rate is $291 per credit, and UNT Health Fort Worth’s is $350 plus a $50 distance fee. TCU is private at $2,315 per credit, and its 70% scholarship claim is unconfirmed outside one page. TWU Denton’s published estimate is about $17,000 for residents.
Timing
UT Southwestern and UNT Health Fort Worth both use a February 1 deadline for their next cycles, with UNT’s early date on October 1. TCU’s DICAS priority date is October 1 for fall, rolling to July 31, and TWU Denton’s final date is January 15, 2027.
Before applying in Dallas, confirm UNT Health Fort Worth’s candidacy and TWU’s Houston start date with ACEND. Parker University, Baylor, Texas A&M, and other Texas programs are on the Texas nutrition programs page.