Ouachita Baptist University Nutrition Programs

Ouachita Baptist University offers two nutrition and dietetics credentials:

  • B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (Didactic Program in Dietetics)
  • M.S., Nutrition and Dietetic Internship

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S. Nutrition and Dietetics$149.4K derived4 years (8 semesters)Not clearly stated
M.S. and Dietetic Internship$27.8K12 months36

Ouachita runs both halves of the dietitian pathway in-house: an accredited didactic program at the undergraduate level and an accredited master’s with the dietetic internship built in. Its own undergraduates receive priority admission to the graduate program.

That structure means a student who starts here as a freshman can reach the credential in five years without a competitive application to an outside internship, which is the step where most people in this field stall.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesBachelor’s with embedded DPD, plus a combined master’s and internship
FormatCampus (B.S.); online coursework with in-person supervised practice (M.S./DI)
ACEND AccreditationYes, covering both the undergraduate DPD and the M.S./DI
RD/RDN EligibilityM.S./DI graduates are eligible. B.S. graduates hold a verification statement only
Supervised PracticeMore than 1,000 hours over 32 weeks, inside the M.S./DI
Placement ModelProgram-maintained network of more than 100 rotation sites
Priority AdmissionUp to nine internship slots reserved for Ouachita DPD graduates
Institutional CharacterPrivate Baptist university; Christian leadership appears in program objectives
Tuition$750 per graduate credit; $18,300 per semester full-time undergraduate
Institutional AccreditationHigher Learning Commission

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics

The estimated tuition for the B.S. at Ouachita Baptist is approximately $149,440 over four years (derived from $18,300 per semester plus $380 in mandatory fees, excluding housing and food). The degree carries an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, so graduates leave with a verification statement.

Program details are on the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics page.

B.S. Curriculum and Outcome

The DPD is embedded in the major rather than being a separate credential, which is standard. What the verification statement does is make the graduate eligible to apply to an accredited supervised practice program. It is not, by itself, a license to practise, and since January 2024 it is not enough for the registration exam either.

The department’s stated mission is preparing students for supervised practice in clinical, foodservice, or community nutrition, and program objectives include Christian leadership and service alongside the clinical goals.

You Should Know
  • The published credit total for the major is not clearly stated on the department’s pages. Ask for the degree plan before comparing against another school’s requirements.
  • Undergraduate tuition is billed as a flat band covering 10 to 18 hours. That works out to roughly $1,220 per credit at 15 hours but about $1,017 at 18, so a heavier load genuinely lowers the per-credit cost. Below 10 hours the published rate is $725 per credit.
  • The four-year figure above is tuition and mandatory fees only. Ouachita’s full federal cost-of-attendance budget, which includes housing, food, books, and transport, is considerably higher and is not a program cost.

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship

The estimated total tuition and fees for the M.S./DI is $27,775, which the university publishes directly (36 credits at $750/credit comes to $27,000, with roughly $775 in fees). The program requires 36 credits and takes 12 months, with June or August entry.

Program details are on the M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship page.

M.S./DI Curriculum

Coursework combines online delivery with in-person supervised training, and the subject range is broader than a purely clinical program: advanced community nutrition, diabetes and weight management, eating disorders, pediatric nutrition, sports nutrition, and nutrition counseling, alongside the two supervised practice courses.

Compressing a 36-credit master’s and a full internship into twelve months is aggressive pacing. It works because the supervised practice carries academic credit rather than sitting alongside the degree, but it leaves little room for outside commitments.

M.S./DI Supervised Practice

  • More than 1,000 hours across a 32-week in-person component
  • A choice of more than 100 rotation sites, primarily across Arkansas with regional sites in Louisiana and Texas
  • Sites include the Arkansas Department of Health, Baptist Health, CHI St. Vincent, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and dialysis providers
  • Rotations cover clinical, community, and administrative practice

The placement model is the practical difference here. The program maintains the site network and the student selects from it, rather than recruiting volunteer preceptors independently. For anyone weighing programs that push the preceptor search onto the student, that distinction is worth more than a few thousand dollars of tuition.

M.S./DI Admissions

  • Bachelor’s degree in nutrition or a related field from a regionally accredited institution
  • DPD or Foreign Dietitian Education verification statement obtained within the last five years
  • 2.5 minimum GPA, statement of purpose, and three references
  • Two application rounds, closing 15 October and 15 February, with rolling submission from 5 August
  • Up to nine slots reserved for Ouachita DPD graduates under the pre-select option
You Should Know
  • A verification statement older than five years does not disqualify you, but it adds three hours of clinical dietetics and three hours of administrative dietetics before you start.
  • Applicants who already completed an accredited internship and passed the CDR exam within five years may transfer up to 18 of the 36 hours. That halves the degree for a credentialed RD who needs the master’s to meet current requirements, and it is the least advertised useful feature of this program.
  • An older departmental page advertises a 100% registration exam pass rate and describes the internship as holding candidacy rather than full accreditation. Both are superseded. Current pages state full ACEND accreditation and publish ACEND objectives rather than achieved results, so treat the pass-rate claim as unverified and request outcome data from the program.

Tuition

Graduate tuition is $750 per credit hour, published. Undergraduate tuition is billed as a flat $18,300 per semester for a 10 to 18 hour load, with $725 per credit below that threshold, so the effective undergraduate per-credit rate depends on how many hours you take.

ComponentRateBasisTotal
M.S./DI, tuition and fees$75036 credits$27,775 published
Undergraduate, per semester$18,30010 to 18 hours$18,680 with fees
Undergraduate, four yearsFlat band8 semesters$149,440 derived
Undergraduate, part-time$725Under 10 hoursVaries

Be aware that:

  • Mandatory fees are a $240 general fee and a $140 technology fee per semester. Laboratory and course fees are charged on top and are common in a science major.
  • The $27,775 graduate figure is described as tuition and fees for the full programme. Supervised practice costs, including travel to rotation sites across three states, sit outside it.
  • Published undergraduate figures are list price. Private institutions discount heavily through institutional aid, and the four-year total above is not what a typical student pays.
  • The combined five-year route is priced as four undergraduate years plus the graduate year, not as a discounted package unless the university states otherwise. Ask directly.

The graduate programme is the better value of the two on published numbers: $27,775 for a master’s degree and an accredited internship in twelve months compares well against paying for a master’s and an internship separately. The undergraduate sticker price is a different conversation entirely, and nobody should rule Ouachita in or out on it without a written aid offer.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for three distinct groups, and it is worth knowing which one you are in.

Students starting from scratch who want the internship secured. Entering the department as a freshman puts you in line for one of nine reserved graduate slots, turning the field’s most common failure point into an internal progression. Five years to the credential at one institution, with the rotation network already built, is a materially different proposition from finishing a DPD elsewhere and entering the national match.

Outside DPD holders and already-credentialed dietitians. An external applicant with a current verification statement competes for the remaining seats and gets the same twelve-month structure. A working RD who completed an internship certificate before the graduate requirement took effect can transfer 18 hours and finish the master’s at roughly half cost. The honest drawbacks apply to everyone: a small private university in a town of under eleven thousand, a faith-integrated programme that will not suit every applicant, and an undergraduate list price among the highest in the state.

Accreditation

Ouachita Baptist University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, which governs credit transfer, graduate admission elsewhere, and federal financial aid eligibility.

The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics accredits both the undergraduate Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics and the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetic Internship. The two accreditations do different work. DPD graduates receive a verification statement making them eligible to apply to an accredited supervised practice program, which since January 2024 must be paired with a master’s degree to reach the registration exam. M.S./DI graduates complete both requirements together and are eligible to sit for the Commission on Dietetic Registration examination. Arkansas licenses dietitians through its own board, so state authorisation is a further step after the national exam.

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