Seven Maryland institutions offer nutrition or dietetics coursework, plus Hood College’s newly accredited graduate program in Frederick. Resident tuition and fees run from about $8,346 at Morgan State to $12,290 at the University of Maryland College Park, where non-residents pay roughly $42,053. UMES’s main-campus Eastern Shore regional rate is $12,178.50; a lower $9,568 rate applies only at UMES’s off-site satellite location, not the main Princess Anne campus.
Maryland is unusually well supplied with supervised practice. Three accredited dietetic internships operate in the state — at UMD College Park, UMES, and the University of Maryland Medical Center — and Johns Hopkins runs a graduate public health degree, accredited as an ACEND Graduate Program, with practice built in; a separate stand-alone Johns Hopkins Dietetic Internship also exists at Bayview for applicants who already hold a DPD and a master’s. Hood College in Frederick adds a fourth pathway, a fully accredited Coordinated Graduate Program. Three universities provide accredited didactic coursework: UMD College Park, UMES, and Morgan State. A program previously listed at Towson University could not be confirmed anywhere on Towson’s own site or in its official accreditation list, and has been removed from this guide pending direct confirmation from Towson.
Nutrition Programs in Maryland — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland, College Park College Park |
BS Dietetics — accredited DPD since 1977 Combined BS/MS (non-thesis) Dietetic internship — separately accredited |
$12,290 in-state $42,053 out-of-state |
Campus | Yes — accredited at both stages |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne |
BS Human Ecology, dietetics — accredited DPD Dietetic internship — DI-only or combined with the MS MS Human Ecology — clinical nutrition, fully online |
$9,366 in-state $12,178.50 Eastern Shore regional (main campus) $20,911 out-of-state |
Campus (BS, DI); Online (MS) | Yes — accredited at both stages |
| Morgan State University Baltimore |
BS Nutritional Sciences — ACEND DPD through June 2031 MS Community Health Nutrition — new, online, DI track unconfirmed |
~$8,346 in-state (BS) | Campus (BS); Online (MS) | Yes, didactic — full accreditation confirmed, past probation resolved |
| Johns Hopkins University / Bayview Medical Center Baltimore |
MSPH, Human Nutrition – Dietitian — ACEND Graduate Program Johns Hopkins Dietetic Internship — separate, for DPD/masters holders |
~$69,984/yr ($1,458/credit) + $10K clinical fee | Campus, private | Yes — practice built into the graduate degree (MSPH), or via the separate JHDI |
| University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore |
Dietetic internship — DI-only, or combined MS/DI via Rutgers or Rosalind Franklin University | $3,000 internship + housing; combined MS tracks add ~$30-31K | Hospital-based | Yes — supervised practice for DPD graduates |
| Anne Arundel Community College Arnold |
Associate — nutrition, arts and sciences transfer | $135/credit in-county; $317 in-state; $459 out-of-state | Campus | No — transfer pathway |
| Hood College Frederick |
MS Nutrition Science, Dietetics Track — ACEND Coordinated Graduate Program, fully accredited through 2033 | Private — verify | Campus, private | Yes — coursework and supervised practice combined |
Public university figures are FY2026 tuition and mandatory fees from University System of Maryland schedules, excluding housing. Morgan State’s figure is derived from published per-semester rates. Verify current rates and accreditation status before applying.
Which Maryland Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose UMD College Park if you want the most established programme with an internship attached. Its accredited undergraduate programme has run since 1977, enrols around 120 students, and the university runs its own dietetic internship. It reports that all alumni taking the registration exam in the past five years passed within a year of first attempt.
Choose UMES if you want both stages at lower cost. It runs an accredited didactic programme, its own internship, and a clinical nutrition master’s, at roughly $9,366 in state. Students from neighbouring Eastern Shore counties pay a regional rate close to the in-state figure rather than full out-of-state.
Choose Johns Hopkins if you want public health alongside the credential. Its MSPH in Human Nutrition – Dietitian is accredited by ACEND as a Graduate Program, so the graduate degree and practice hours arrive together without a separate internship match. Bayview also runs a fully separate Dietetic Internship for applicants who already hold a DPD and a master’s from elsewhere.
Choose Hood College if you want a newly and fully accredited Coordinated Program in a small private setting. Its Dietetics Track combines 42 didactic units with at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning, and it passed its first full-accreditation review in October 2025 after three years on candidate status.
Choose Morgan State if cost is the deciding factor and you’re comfortable arranging supervised practice elsewhere. At about $8,346 a year, it’s the least expensive accredited four-year DPD in this guide, and its 2021 probation period was fully resolved by 2022, reaffirmed with a fresh term through June 2031 in 2024.
Choose the UMMC internship if you hold a verification statement but no master’s. UMMC runs two named combined-degree tracks with partner universities, Rutgers and Rosalind Franklin University, both fully online, alongside a DI-only track for applicants who already hold a master’s in any field, which resolves the 2024 requirement without leaving it to the applicant to arrange independently.
Choose Anne Arundel if you want two cheaper years first. Its transfer associate is built to feed accredited dietetics bachelor’s programmes including UMD College Park, UMES, Morgan State, and Howard University.
Maryland Nutrition Schools
University of Maryland, College Park
UMD runs dietetics through the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, and it is the state’s longest-established accredited programme.
- BS Dietetics — ACEND-accredited didactic programme, running since 1977, with approximately 70 students enrolled
- Combined BS/MS in Dietetics — non-thesis, adds about one year
- Dietetic internship — separately accredited, national DICAS match, up to 12 interns a year
Having the didactic programme and an internship in one department means UMD students are not obliged to leave the university for supervised practice, though admission to the internship is separate and competitive. The department notes that graduates also move into medical, dental, pharmacy, and physician assistant school, so the degree serves more than one destination.
UMD reports that of alumni who sat the national registration exam in the past five years, 100 percent passed within a year of first attempt. That is a reported outcome rather than an ACEND objective, which makes it more meaningful than most published figures — but ask for the current period and cohort size when you enquire.
Full University of Maryland, College Park profile
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
UMES in Princess Anne is a public HBCU on the Delmarva Peninsula, running dietetics through its Department of Human Ecology.
- BS Human Ecology, dietetics concentration — accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Dietetic internship — based in the same department
- MS Human Ecology — clinical nutrition concentration
UMES covers all three stages of the route at the lowest cost of any Maryland university with an internship. Students combine classroom work with field experiences in clinical, food service, and community settings, and the department recommends additional field experience beyond the minimum.
Two points UMES makes directly. Completing the didactic programme and receiving a verification statement does not guarantee acceptance into an internship, including its own — up to 6 slots are pre-selected for UMES’s own DPD graduates, with the rest going through the national DICAS match. And students who complete the ACEND knowledge requirements without entering an internship qualify to sit the Nutrition and Dietetic Technician exam — a genuine fallback rather than a dead end. UMES’s Clinical Nutrition MS track is delivered fully online, unlike the campus-based BS and internship.
Full University of Maryland Eastern Shore profile
A program previously listed here for Towson University could not be confirmed on Towson’s own site, in its official accreditation list, or in Wayback Machine archives, and has been removed from this guide pending direct confirmation from Towson.
Morgan State University
Morgan State in Baltimore is Maryland’s largest HBCU and runs nutrition through its School of Community Health and Policy.
- BS Nutritional Sciences — recognised by ACEND as a Didactic Program in Dietetics
At roughly $8,346 in resident tuition and fees, Morgan State is the least expensive four-year accredited option in Maryland, and graduates complete the coursework needed to apply for a dietetic internship.
Morgan State’s programme page directs readers to consult the programme director for an explanation of probationary status. Here is the resolution: ACEND placed the DPD on probation in April 2021 for non-compliance, removed it from probation in January 2022, granted full and continued accreditation in July 2022, and reaffirmed it with a fresh 7-year term through June 30, 2031 following a January 2024 site visit. The program is not currently on probation. Morgan State also now offers a new MS in Community Health Nutrition, 30 units, fully online, with a Dietetic Internship track whose own ACEND status was not independently confirmed — verify directly before relying on it.
Full Morgan State University profile
Johns Hopkins University and Bayview Medical Center
Johns Hopkins offers dietetics through a public health degree rather than a conventional nutrition programme.
- MSPH, Human Nutrition – Dietitian — accredited by ACEND as a Graduate Program (not formally a Coordinated Program, though it functions similarly)
The graduate degree and the supervised practice arrive together in one accredited credential, so there is no separate internship match, though practicum rotations follow completion of coursework rather than running concurrently. The public health framing also distinguishes it from clinically oriented routes, suiting students heading toward policy, population health, or research. Bayview separately runs its own stand-alone Johns Hopkins Dietetic Internship (JHDI) for applicants who already hold both a DPD and a master’s from elsewhere — a different credential from the MSPH, not an alternate entry into it.
It is graduate entry and private, so expect both prerequisites and cost to differ substantially from the public universities above. The standard Bloomberg School rate runs about $1,458 per credit, plus a separate $10,000 clinical training fee in year two.
Full Johns Hopkins University profile
University of Maryland Medical Center
UMMC in Baltimore runs a hospital-based internship rather than a degree programme.
- Dietetic internship — supervised practice for holders of a didactic verification statement
The useful detail is its handling of the graduate requirement. UMMC runs two named combined-degree tracks with partner universities — Rutgers University School of Health Professions and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, both fully online — alongside a DI-only track for applicants who already hold a master’s in any field. For a didactic graduate who has not yet done a master’s, that removes a sequencing problem without leaving the arrangement to chance.
A hospital-based internship also means clinical exposure inside an academic medical centre, which a university department cannot always match. UMMC is the flagship hospital of the University of Maryland Medical System, so the case mix is broader than most community placements offer.
Because it is an internship rather than a degree programme, you apply after completing accredited didactic coursework elsewhere. That makes it a natural destination for graduates of Morgan State or an out-of-state didactic programme.
Full University of Maryland Medical Center profile
Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel in Arnold offers Maryland’s clearest two-year entry point.
- Associate — nutrition, arts and sciences transfer
The college describes a newly developed curriculum grounding students in biology, physical sciences, chemistry, and health and wellness, explicitly built to feed accredited dietetics bachelor’s programmes at UMD College Park, UMES, Morgan State, and Howard University. Students do not need to apply separately to Health Sciences or attend an information session.
Confirm which specific courses your destination university will accept before enrolling, since articulation terms change and the receiving programme decides.
The saving is substantial in Maryland. Community college rates run well below the four-year universities, and Anne Arundel’s Arnold campus sits between Baltimore and Annapolis, within commuting distance of several transfer destinations. For a student who is undecided about dietetics specifically, the arts and sciences framing also leaves room to change direction without losing the credits.
Full Anne Arundel Community College profile
Hood College
Hood College in Frederick runs its Nutrition Science graduate program through the Ruth Whitaker Holmes School of Behavioral & Health Sciences.
- MS Nutrition Science, Dietetics Track — ACEND Coordinated Graduate Program, 42 didactic units plus at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning
- MS Nutrition Science, Nutrition Science Track — for practicing RDs, not an initial RD pathway
- MS Nutrition Science, Sustainable Nutrition Track — community and population health, not an initial RD pathway
This is a young program: ACEND granted candidacy status in 2022 and full, continued accreditation in October 2025, valid through June 30, 2033. Tuition and program length were not published on the pages reviewed; confirm directly with the school.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Maryland
Three internships is a real advantage
UMD College Park, UMES, and UMMC all run accredited supervised practice, and Johns Hopkins builds it into a graduate degree. Compared with states running a single internship, Maryland students have genuine options, and two of those internships sit at universities that also teach the didactic coursework.
Confirm accreditation at the concentration level
UMES houses dietetics inside human ecology, not a stand-alone dietetics major. Morgan State’s DPD carries a documented history: placed on ACEND probation in 2021, removed in 2022, and reaffirmed with a fresh 7-year term through June 2031 in 2024 — resolved, not a current concern, but worth knowing. A program previously listed at Towson University could not be confirmed on Towson’s own site or its official accreditation list and has been removed from this guide. In every case the degree title alone is not sufficient evidence — ask what the accreditation covers and when the current term expires.
Cost varies more than in most states
The gap between Morgan State at roughly $8,346 and UMD College Park at $12,290 is meaningful for the same verification statement, and the out-of-state spread is dramatic — $42,053 at College Park against $20,911 at UMES. Students from Eastern Shore counties should check UMES’s regional rate, which is close to in-state.
The master’s requirement changed in 2024
Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree in any field, plus a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited programme, to sit for the RDN exam. Maryland’s didactic programmes all sit at bachelor’s level, so the graduate step has to be planned separately — unless you use the Johns Hopkins route or earn the master’s during the UMMC internship.
Nutrition Licensure and Credentials in Maryland
Maryland regulates dietetic practice, and as in most states the licence is separate from the national RDN credential and required in addition to it. Programmes here direct graduates to confirm requirements with the state rather than assuming national credentialing is sufficient.
The CDR requirements apply regardless: an ACEND verification statement, a master’s degree, supervised practice hours, and a passing exam score. Confirm current Maryland licensure rules and fees with the relevant state board before relying on them.
Full profiles for eight Maryland schools are linked above: UMD College Park, UMES, Morgan State, Johns Hopkins, UMMC, Anne Arundel Community College, and Hood College. A program previously listed for Towson University could not be confirmed on Towson’s own site, its official accreditation list, or in Wayback Machine archives, and has been removed pending direct confirmation from Towson. Before applying anywhere in Maryland, confirm current tuition, admissions cycles, and accreditation terms directly with the school, since these details change.