Northern Arizona University offers 2 nutrition credentials:
- B.S., Nutrition and Foods
- M.P.H., Nutrition
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $54.5K / $126.5K | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 minimum |
| M.P.H. | $32.4K / $72.8K | 2 years (24 months, published) | 65 |
Northern Arizona University’s defining feature is a 12-seat M.P.H. in Nutrition accredited by both ACEND and the Council on Education for Public Health, which delivers a public health degree and RDN exam eligibility in 24 months with supervised practice built in. The B.S. reaches the RD pathway only through its Dietetics option, an accredited DPD that still requires a graduate program afterward.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | B.S. with a Dietetics (DPD) option or a General option; M.P.H. in Nutrition |
| Format | Campus, Flagstaff, for both. A few M.P.H. summer courses run online |
| Credit Hours | 120 minimum (B.S.); 65 (M.P.H.) |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes, two programs: the B.S. Dietetics option (DPD) and the M.P.H. Nutrition |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes via the M.P.H. The DPD is coursework only; the General option does not qualify |
| Supervised Practice | M.P.H. only: program-placed rotations in the final six months, within an hour of Flagstaff |
| Other Accreditation | M.P.H. also accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) |
| Distinctive Coursework | Culinary and kitchen operations courses in the B.S., including two from the hotel and restaurant school |
| Intake | M.P.H.: fall only, 12 students a year, January 15 priority deadline |
| Entrance Exams | GRE not required for the M.P.H. |
| GPA Floor | M.P.H.: 3.0, reviewed holistically. B.S.: C or better in every major course |
| Tuition | 2026–27 per year: $12,000 / $30,000 undergraduate; $13,582 / $33,800 graduate |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission (HLC) |
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Foods
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Nutrition and Foods at Northern Arizona University is approximately $54,488 for Arizona residents (four years of flat tuition and mandatory fees at $13,622 a year). The program requires 120 units and can generally be completed in 4 years (8 semesters), following NAU’s published progression plan.
B.S. Curriculum
The major takes 83 to 84 units: 29 to 30 in health sciences (biology with anatomy, physiology, and microbiology, two chemistry courses, and statistics), a 39-unit nutrition and food core, and a 15-unit option chosen by the student.
Two options, two different outcomes. The Dietetics option adds four upper-division dietetics courses and a further chemistry course (CHM 360), and it produces a DPD verification statement. The General option replaces those with 15 advisor-approved units, up to 9 of them internship credit, and suits students headed to medicine, physician assistant, or physical therapy programs. The college states plainly that the General option does not qualify graduates for dietetic internships or credentialing exams.
Culinary and foodservice depth. Every student takes two courses through NAU’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management plus Culinary Arts and Food Science for Health, and the DPD’s stated mission emphasizes culinary skill-building in a teaching kitchen. That is more hands-on food production than a typical science-heavy nutrition major.
- NTS 135 Human Nutrition
- NTS 250 Food Is Medicine
- NTS 356 Nutrition and Metabolism
- NTS 415 Nutrition Across the Life Cycle
- NTS 335 Culinary Arts and Food Science for Health
- HA 243 Foundations in Kitchen Operations
- NTS 355 Nutrition Education and Counseling
- NTS 407 Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NTS 456C Nutrition for Community Wellness (senior capstone)
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
- NAU asks Dietetics option students to contact the program director to confirm they are following the correct progression plan.
- Fieldwork or an internship is required in both options, and every major course needs a C or better.
- Students with a non-DPD bachelor’s can earn an NAU verification statement, but must complete equivalents of all upper-level DPD courses and at least 12 upper-division nutrition units at NAU.
- NAU publishes DPD targets, including at least 40 percent of applicants admitted to supervised practice within 12 months, but not actual outcomes. Outcome data is available on request.
Master of Public Health, Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the M.P.H. in Nutrition at Northern Arizona University is approximately $32,388 for Arizona residents (two academic years at $15,204 in tuition and mandatory fees, plus a $495-per-semester program fee). The program requires 65 units and can generally be completed in 24 months as a full-time residential cohort.
M.P.H. Curriculum
The degree combines public health coursework with the dietetics competencies ACEND requires. It runs as a cohort, so every course must be taken exactly as sequenced, and classes typically meet Monday through Thursday in the afternoon or evening. Students cannot skip courses even with a prior dietetics degree, because the program follows different accreditation standards than an undergraduate DPD.
- 27 units of public health coursework, including a 3-unit applied practice experience
- 26 units of nutrition coursework, including a lab course and a course that requires biochemistry
- 12 units of supervised practice (NTS 696)
- An Integrated Learning Experience: an agency-based graduate project presented at the MPH Conference
- Simulation and service-learning projects with local nutrition and public health agencies throughout
More curriculum details are available here.
M.P.H. Supervised Practice
- Built into the degree, so there is no separate dietetic internship match
- Rotations in clinical nutrition, foodservice management, and public health nutrition during the final six months
- Students are placed by the program at sites up to one hour’s drive from Flagstaff
- Listed sites include Flagstaff Medical Center, Tuba City Regional Health Care, Whiteriver Indian Hospital, and Coconino County WIC
- Four courses taken during the summer and the rotation period are delivered online asynchronously
- Total supervised hours are not stated on the program page; the catalog assigns 12 units
Program placement removes the internship match, the step where many dietitian candidates stall. The trade-off is geography: rotations cluster in northern Arizona, including rural and tribal health facilities, so students need reliable transportation and should expect to stay in the Flagstaff area for the full two years.
M.P.H. Admissions
Admission is small and front-loaded, with 12 seats, one fall intake, and a January 15 priority deadline. The top 25 applicants are interviewed by video.
- Two applications: NAU graduate admission ($65) and the dietetics centralized application, DICAS ($50 for one program)
- Bachelor’s degree in any field with a 3.0 GPA, reviewed holistically with weight on the last 60 units
- Prerequisites: general chemistry, organic chemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, introductory nutrition, food safety or ServSafe, and statistics
- Biochemistry must be finished before the first spring semester
- Up to two prerequisites may be in progress at application; courses older than 10 years may need to be retaken
- Three references, at least one from a faculty member and one from a supervisor; GRE not required
You Should Know
- Applications are accepted until April 1, but NAU says seats typically fill from the January 15 pool.
- Graduate assistantships in the department are scarce. Teaching and research assistant roles pay hourly and carry no tuition waiver.
Tuition
NAU bills a flat annual tuition rather than a per-credit rate, so the per-credit figures here are derived. For 2026–27 on the Flagstaff campus, undergraduate tuition is $12,000 for Arizona residents, about $400 per unit across a 30-unit year. Graduate tuition is $13,582, about $755 per unit across an 18-unit year. Non-residents pay $30,000 as undergraduates (about $1,000 per unit) and $33,800 as graduate students (about $1,878 per unit).
Western Undergraduate Exchange students pay $18,000 as undergraduates, and Western Regional Graduate Program students pay $20,374 as graduate students. Both are 150 percent of the resident rate. Rates are published on NAU’s undergraduate and graduate tuition pages.
| Credential | Resident | WUE / WRGP | Non-Resident |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S., 4 years | $54,488 | $78,488 | $126,488 |
| M.P.H., 2 years | $32,388 | $45,972 | $72,824 |
Totals include tuition and the $1,622 annual mandatory fee. The M.P.H. figures also include its program fee.
Confirmed costs
- Mandatory fees: $1,622 a year on the Flagstaff campus
- B.S. program fee: $150 a semester in the junior and senior years, $600 in total
- M.P.H. program fee: $495 a semester in fall and spring, $1,980 over four semesters
- M.P.H. application fees: $65 to NAU and $50 to DICAS
Be aware that:
- The M.P.H. runs 24 months including summer terms, and summer tuition is billed separately. The totals above cover fall and spring only.
- The M.P.H. program page says WRGP students pay in-state tuition, but NAU’s tuition table lists WRGP at $20,374, which is 150 percent of the resident rate. Budget to the higher figure.
- From fall 2027, eligible non-resident undergraduates move to a Flagstaff Advantage Rate of $16,000 a year in tuition, and WUE benefits also change. A four-year non-resident total at that rate would be about $70,488.
- College fees vary by program and are not included; NAU’s undergraduate estimate uses a median of $500 a year.
For an Arizona resident, the most direct NAU route to RDN eligibility, a DPD bachelor’s followed by the M.P.H., costs about $86,900 in tuition and fees before summer terms. A student who already holds a bachelor’s in another field needs only the M.P.H. prerequisites and about $32,400 in resident tuition and fees. Assistantships are scarce, so most M.P.H. students should plan to self-fund or borrow.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for future dietitians drawn to public health and to rural and tribal communities, who can commit to two years on campus in Flagstaff.
A public health degree that ends in RDN eligibility. The M.P.H. carries both ACEND and CEPH accreditation, so graduates satisfy the graduate degree requirement for the dietitian exam and earn a public health credential at the same time. Supervised practice is placed by the program, which removes the internship match.
A culinary-heavy undergraduate DPD. The B.S. puts more kitchen and foodservice work into the core than most nutrition majors, including courses from the hotel and restaurant school. Dietetics option graduates also become eligible for the NDTR exam, a useful credential to hold while applying to graduate programs.
Where the fit breaks down. Both programs are campus-only, and the M.P.H. admits just 12 students a year. The two degrees are not a streamlined bachelor’s-to-master’s route either: NAU does not waive M.P.H. courses for its own DPD graduates. The verdict is geographic: a strong fit for someone who wants to live and practice in northern Arizona, and a weak one for anyone who needs online or part-time study.
Accreditation
Northern Arizona University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), one of the seven regional accreditors. HLC accreditation covers every degree at NAU and governs credit transfer, graduate admission elsewhere, and eligibility for federal financial aid.
ACEND accredits two NAU programs: the Dietetics option of the B.S. in Nutrition and Foods as a Didactic Program in Dietetics, and the M.P.H. in Nutrition as a Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics. The M.P.H. is also accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.
The General option of the B.S. falls outside ACEND’s scope. That is normal for a pre-health nutrition degree and not a deficiency, but it does not lead toward either dietetics credential.
Graduates of the Dietetics option receive a verification statement and may apply to accredited supervised practice programs; they are also eligible for the nutrition and dietetic technician exam. M.P.H. graduates are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s RDN examination once the degree is conferred. Arizona does not currently license dietitians, so graduates who move should check their new state’s requirements.
Other Nutrition Programs in Arizona
- Arizona State University - Phoenix
- Central Arizona College - Coolidge
- Grand Canyon University - Phoenix
- Paradise Valley Community College - Phoenix
- Phoenix Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- University of Arizona - Tucson