Nutrition Bachelor’s Degree Programs

A bachelor’s degree in nutrition usually takes four years and goes by several names: dietetics, nutrition science, human nutrition, food and nutrition, or a nutrition emphasis inside a health, food science, or exercise degree. The programs on this page come from the 138 schools in 35 states with a profile on this site that offer a bachelor’s-level nutrition or dietetics program. They are sorted below by what each program does for the registered dietitian credential, because the degree title rarely tells you.

A bachelor’s degree no longer leads to the registered dietitian credential on its own. Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree as well as ACEND-accredited coursework and supervised practice. An accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) gives you the coursework and a verification statement, and you then need a graduate degree and supervised practice. Some schools bundle the steps, and others have nutrition degrees that are not dietetics programs at all. A school can appear in more than one group below.

Choose Your Route First

• Accredited dietetics bachelor’s (DPD): the standard first step toward the credential. You finish with a verification statement, then complete a master’s and supervised practice elsewhere or at the same school.
• Bachelor’s and master’s combined: five-year, accelerated, 4+1, 3+2, or coordinated plans that bundle the bachelor’s with a master’s and, in some cases, the supervised practice.
• DPD coursework for people who already have a degree: post-baccalaureate certificates and graduate plans for career changers who hold a bachelor’s in another field.
• Nutrition degrees that are not RD routes: nutrition science, wellness, culinary, food management, public health, and pre-health options.
• Closed, closing, or unconfirmed: programs closed to new students or closing, or where the school’s pages and ACEND’s records did not settle the route.

Sorting is based on what each profile documents, program by program. At many schools only one track inside a broader nutrition degree holds the DPD, so a school may appear under both the DPD group and the not-an-RD-route group. Open the profile to see which option you would be applying to.

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Accredited Dietetics Bachelor’s Programs (DPD)

These bachelor’s programs include an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics. Completing one earns a verification statement, which you need for the credential but which does not make you an RD by itself. Plan the graduate degree and the supervised practice before you enroll, since both are competitive. Many schools run the DPD as a track or emphasis with its own application or GPA standard after the first year.

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Bachelor’s and Master’s Combined

These plans bundle the bachelor’s with a master’s so the graduate requirement is built in. Some are coordinated programs that also include the supervised practice, and others are accelerated or dual-degree plans that save a year but still need an internship. Several admit only the school’s own undergraduates, and a few are paused or limited, so check each profile for eligibility and status.

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DPD Coursework for Applicants Who Already Hold a Degree

If your bachelor’s is in another field, these programs let you complete the required dietetics coursework without a second bachelor’s. They take the form of post-baccalaureate certificates or graduate plans with a DPD track. Each leads to a verification statement, after which you still need the supervised practice and a master’s degree if you do not hold one.

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Nutrition Bachelor’s Programs That Are Not RD Routes

These degrees are not accredited dietetics programs. They prepare students for wellness, food industry and product development, research, public health, culinary nutrition, or entry to a health professions school, and many lead into a master’s in nutrition or a related field. A graduate of one still needs an accredited route, such as a post-baccalaureate DPD, before the credential is possible.

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Closed, Closing, or Unconfirmed Programs

These programs are closed to new students, closing, or could not be confirmed as a complete route from the school’s pages and ACEND’s records. They are listed so you can see them in context, not as recommendations. Confirm the current status with the school before relying on any of them.

The tables list only schools with a profile on this site, so they are not every bachelor’s program in the country. Costs are as published on each profile, and each school name links to the full profile with curriculum, admission, accreditation, and cost details.

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How to Choose a Nutrition Bachelor’s Program

If you want to become a dietitian

Start with the accredited DPD group, then check on the profile which bachelor’s option holds the DPD. Ask whether the school offers a coordinated or bundled graduate route, a master’s paired with its own dietetic internship, or neither. The master’s degree programs page shows which graduate routes build the supervised practice in.

If you are not aiming for the RD

A non-DPD nutrition degree can lead to wellness, food industry, public health, or research work, or prepare for health professions school. If you change your mind later, a post-baccalaureate DPD is the route back.

If you already have a bachelor’s in another field

You do not need a second bachelor’s. Look at the post-baccalaureate group, or at graduate programs that accept applicants with prerequisite coursework.

Check admission and progression

Dietetics tracks often have their own GPA standards or a separate application after the first year. Each profile lists the published requirements, and the profiles note where the school’s own pages disagree.

Compare cost and format

Public schools charge different resident and non-resident rates, and some programs publish a flat annual price instead of a per-credit rate. The Format column shows whether a program is campus-based, online, or hybrid. If you are starting at a community college, see the associate degree programs page for transfer options.