Nutrition Master’s Degree Programs

A master’s degree in nutrition takes one to three years depending on the program, and the title alone does not tell you whether it leads to the registered dietitian credential. The programs on this page come from the 150 schools in 35 states with a profile on this site that offer a master’s-level nutrition or dietetics program. Rather than one long list, they are sorted below by how each program relates to the credential, so you can compare like with like.

Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree to sit for the RD exam. That degree can come from a program that also supplies the supervised practice, from a program that only supplies the degree, or from a program that has nothing to do with the credential. A school can appear in more than one group below because many offer several master’s options.

Choose Your Route First

• Supervised practice built in: one program gives you the master’s and the supervised practice. This is the most direct path, and several require a DPD or its coursework first.
• Master’s only, internship separate: the school gives you the graduate degree, and you complete or apply for the dietetic internship on its own. This fits people who already hold a DPD verification statement.
• Master’s that does not lead to the credential: research, public health, functional, culinary, sports, and clinical master’s degrees, plus degrees designed for people who are already registered dietitians.
• Closed, paused, or unconfirmed: programs that have closed to new students or are paused, 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. Some programs listed under supervised practice built in are new and hold candidacy rather than full ACEND accreditation, and some require a DPD verification statement before you apply, so open the profile before you decide. Each school name links to the full profile with curriculum, admission, accreditation, and cost details.

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Master’s Programs With Supervised Practice Built In

These programs combine the graduate degree with supervised practice. They include coordinated programs, integrated programs, Future Education Model graduate programs, and plans that pair a master’s with the school’s own dietetic internship. Finishing one gives you the degree and the verification statement together or in sequence, without a separate internship match. Check each profile for whether a DPD is required, how the practice sites are assigned, and whether the program holds full accreditation or candidacy.

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Master’s Programs Without Supervised Practice (Internship Separate)

These programs award the master’s degree and expect you to complete a dietetic internship separately, either at the same school under its own application or at another program. They suit applicants who already hold a DPD verification statement, or who will finish DPD coursework alongside the degree. The internship is competitive nationally, so plan that step before you enroll.

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Master’s Programs That Do Not Lead to the RD Credential

These master’s degrees are not dietetics routes. They include research degrees, public health nutrition, functional and integrative nutrition, culinary nutrition, sports nutrition, clinical nutrition degrees without an accredited program behind them, and degrees designed for people who already hold the credential. Many are strong choices for the work they target, but none of them makes you eligible to sit for the RD exam on its own. Topic-specific lists are on the sports nutrition, public health nutrition, functional nutrition, and culinary nutrition pages.

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Closed, Paused, or Unconfirmed Routes

These programs are closed to new students, paused, 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 master’s program in the country. Costs are the figures published on each profile.

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How to Choose a Nutrition Master’s Program

If you do not have a DPD

Look first at the supervised-practice-built-in group. Some programs accept applicants from any bachelor’s degree once prerequisite coursework is complete, and a few are designed for career changers. If you start in the degree-only group instead, you will need DPD coursework and an internship afterward, which usually lengthens the route.

If you already hold a DPD verification statement

Both of the first two groups are open to you. A program with practice built in is simpler to plan, while a degree-only master’s leaves the internship to a separate application. Compare tuition for the combined program against the degree plus the internship fee.

If you are already a registered dietitian

You do not need a route to the credential, so the third group is the relevant one: master’s degrees in clinical, public health, functional, or research nutrition, several of which have tracks built for practicing RDs.

Check accreditation, then cost and delivery

Confirm on each profile whether ACEND lists the program as accredited or in candidacy, and read the term end date. Per-credit prices differ widely between public and private schools and between resident and non-resident rates, and supervised practice is usually in person even when coursework is online. The profiles note which parts require travel.

Thesis and non-thesis options

Research-oriented master’s programs offer a thesis, while practice-oriented programs use a capstone, an applied project, or supervised practice. The profiles state which options each program publishes.