Two Birmingham universities award nutrition credentials: the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Samford University. Between them they run 11 credentials, from a 16-credit graduate certificate at UAB to Samford’s 128-credit bachelor’s degree. Published program costs span roughly $10,300 for UAB’s Nutrition for Community Health certificate at the in-state rate to about $176,500 for Samford’s four-year B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics, with durations running from three semesters to four years.
Both schools carry students all the way to the registered dietitian credential, which is unusual for one city, but neither does it through a bachelor’s degree. Every route to RDN exam eligibility here is a graduate route, because the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree for exam eligibility since January 2024. Samford holds three ACEND accreditations and UAB holds two, with a third UAB program in candidacy.
Nutrition Programs in Birmingham — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Public |
B.S., Nutrition Sciences — 123–125 cr U.G. Certificate, Nutrition and Dietetics — 130 cr with the B.S. M.S., Nutrition Sciences — 30–58 cr, five tracks Grad Certificate, Dietitian Education — 37 cr Grad Certificate, Nutrition for Community Health — 16 cr Ph.D., Nutrition Sciences — 72 cr |
$52.1K res / $129.9K non-res $55.4K res / $138.1K non-res $22.3K–$43.2K flat $27.5K flat $10.3K res / $25.5K non-res $46.5K res / $114.9K non-res |
B.S. Campus U.G. Certificate Campus M.S. Online or Hybrid by track Grad Certificate Hybrid Community Certificate not stated Ph.D. Campus |
Yes, by three graduate routes. The B.S. certificate is a DPD in candidacy |
| Samford University Private |
B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics — 128 cr B.S., Culinary and Wellness Nutrition Management — 128 cr M.S., Nutrition — 33–34 cr M.S., Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration — 48 cr Post-Bacc Certificate, Dietetic Internship — 25 cr |
$176.5K flat $175.2K flat $32.2K–$33.2K flat $51.1K flat $24.4K flat |
Both B.S. Campus M.S. Nutrition Online Dietetics Concentration Hybrid Internship Hybrid |
Yes, by two separate graduate routes. Neither bachelor’s confers it alone |
Which Birmingham Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose UAB if you are arriving with something already finished. Its M.S. sorts applicants into five tracks by prior credential rather than by career goal, and one of them, the 30-credit Clinical Track/Prior Learning Option, exists for people who already completed a dietetic internship and now need the master’s that CDR requires. UAB is also the only school in the city offering a doctorate, so it is the one option here that continues past the master’s.
Choose Samford if you want the dietetics track from the start and can pay for a private campus degree. Its B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics carries a fully accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, where UAB’s undergraduate equivalent is a certificate holding candidacy accreditation. Samford also runs the newer ACEND graduate model, a Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics that embeds supervised practice in the degree and removes the internship application entirely.
The choice is closest for a career changer with a non-nutrition bachelor’s. Both schools take you: UAB through the Lifestyle Management track plus the Dietitian Education Certificate, Samford through its Dietetics Concentration. UAB’s stacked route runs 73 credits at $744 each, about $54,300, against roughly $51,100 for Samford’s 48-credit Dietetics Concentration once its program fees are included. That puts the two within a few thousand dollars despite the public and private labels.
Birmingham Nutrition Schools
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham. The Department of Nutrition Sciences runs the widest credential ladder in the city, from a campus bachelor’s through two graduate certificates to a research doctorate, supported by two NIH-funded centers on site.
- B.S., Nutrition Sciences — $52.1K in-state, 123–125 credits, 4 years, Campus
- M.S., Nutrition Sciences — $22.3K–$43.2K, 30–58 credits, 3–5 semesters, Online or Hybrid
- Graduate Certificate, Dietitian Education — $27.5K, 37 credits, Hybrid
- Ph.D., Nutrition Sciences — $46.5K in-state, 72 credits, Campus
The defining feature is entry-point triage. Which of the five master’s tracks you can apply to is decided by what you already hold: a DPD verification statement, a completed internship, five prerequisite sciences, or a science degree for the thesis track. The Dietitian Education Program is also location-independent, with coursework online and practicum arranged wherever the student already lives.
UAB accepts no transfer credit into the Dietitian Education Program at all, and California residents cannot enroll in its online programs.
Full University of Alabama at Birmingham profile
Samford University
Birmingham. The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics is a private, campus-centered program running both ACEND graduate architectures side by side, with a culinary emphasis that no other Alabama school offers.
- B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics — $176.5K, 128 credits, 4 years, Campus
- B.S., Culinary and Wellness Nutrition Management — $175.2K, 128 credits, 4 years, Campus
- M.S., Nutrition — $32.2K–$33.2K, 33–34 credits, 3–4 semesters, Online
- M.S., Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration — $51.1K, 48 credits, 2 years, Hybrid
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Dietetic Internship — $24.4K, 25 credits, 16 months, Hybrid
Running both graduate models is the real distinction. The Dietetics Concentration folds supervised practice into the degree so there is no match to face, while the traditional Dietetic Internship takes twenty interns a year alongside a separate master’s. Which one you enter decides whether you compete for a seat.
Samford accepts no transfer credit toward the Dietetics Concentration and no credit for prior experience.
Full Samford University profile
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Birmingham
Which programs actually carry the credential
Both schools offer degrees that do not lead to the RD credential alongside ones that do, and the names do not tell you which is which. At UAB the Research Track, the Ph.D., the Community Health certificate, and the Lifestyle Management track taken alone all fall outside ACEND’s scope. At Samford, neither bachelor’s confers eligibility on its own, and the M.S. in Nutrition is separate from the Dietetics Concentration that does.
Cost architecture, which is not what the public and private labels suggest
At undergraduate level the gap is enormous: roughly $52,100 in-state at UAB against about $176,500 at Samford. At graduate level it nearly closes, because UAB bills online graduate courses at a flat $744 per credit regardless of residency while Samford charges $976. An Alabama resident actually pays $98 per credit more to study online at UAB than on campus, while an out-of-state student saves $852 per credit on the same course.
Where the supervised practice happens
Both schools offer nationwide placement on one route and constrained placement on another. UAB’s Dietitian Education Program lets practicum happen anywhere in the United States, while its Clinical Track/Dietetic Internship uses four Alabama sites: Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery. Samford’s Dietetics Concentration also arranges experiential learning in Birmingham or nationwide, so relocation is avoidable at either school if you pick the right route.
What you are bringing with you
Your starting position narrows the list faster than any preference does. A completed dietetic internship points to UAB’s 30-credit Prior Learning Option; an accredited DPD verification statement opens UAB’s 48-credit Clinical Track or Samford’s internship; a non-nutrition bachelor’s points to UAB’s Lifestyle Management track or Samford’s Dietetics Concentration. Check prerequisite lists early, since UAB’s own pages disagree on whether its Dietitian Education Program requires one introductory nutrition course or the equivalent of a full minor.
Licensure in Alabama
Alabama licenses dietitians and protects the titles. Under the Dietetics/Nutrition Practice Act of 1989, only a licensed or otherwise authorized person may practice dietetics or nutrition, use the title dietitian or nutritionist, or use the letters L.D. or L.N.
An out-of-state license does not transfer, though reciprocity is available where the other state’s standards are no lower. Requirements and applications are handled by the Alabama State Board of Examiners for Dietetics/Nutritionists.
Before applying anywhere in Birmingham, confirm three things in writing: the current ACEND status of the specific program you are entering rather than the school, the prerequisite list as the department applies it this cycle, and which tuition rate your practicum credits are billed at. All three have moved recently, and all three change what the degree costs or whether it qualifies you.