Six universities with nutrition programs are spread across Los Angeles County: the University of Southern California and Cal State LA in Los Angeles, Pepperdine in Malibu, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Northridge, and Cal Poly Pomona. Between them they run 15 credentials, from CSU systemwide undergraduate tuition of $6,838 a year at Long Beach, Cal State LA, and Cal Poly Pomona (before campus fees) to about $111,700 in total tuition for USC’s 44-credit master’s. Durations run from about 10 months for Pepperdine’s own bachelor’s students entering its master’s to four years for the bachelor’s degrees.
Every route to the RD credential here runs through a graduate degree, because the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s for exam eligibility since January 2024. USC, Pepperdine, and Cal State Long Beach each bundle coursework and supervised practice into one master’s, Cal State Northridge offers a combined M.S. and Dietetic Internship, and Cal Poly Pomona pairs its bachelor’s DPD with a separate internship. Long Beach’s bachelor’s is not a DPD at all, and Pepperdine’s DPD accreditation date needs confirming. Cal State LA closed its Coordinated Program in 2020 and now offers a DPD plus a new in-house internship that holds ACEND candidacy.
Nutrition Programs in Los Angeles — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California Los Angeles | M.S. Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity — Coordinated Program, 44 credits | $2,539/credit; ~$111.7K before fees (private) | Campus; Hybrid distance track | Yes — Coordinated Program (USC cites accreditation through December 2026) |
| Pepperdine University Malibu | B.S. Nutritional Science — DPD M.S. Nutrition and Health Science — Coordinated Program, 33 credits plus a capstone | M.S. $2,335/credit; ~$77.1K before fees (private); B.S. not published | Campus | Yes — M.S.; confirm the B.S. DPD’s current accreditation |
| Cal State Long Beach Long Beach | B.S. Nutrition and Food Science — 74+ major credits, not ACEND-accredited M.S. Applied Nutrition and Dietetics — ACEND Graduate Program, 50 credits | B.S. $6,838/yr in-state; M.S. $8,548/yr in-state (tuition before campus fees) | Hybrid | Yes — M.S. only |
| Cal State Northridge Northridge | B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science — DPD option Post-Baccalaureate DPD Certificate — 39 credits Combined M.S./Dietetic Internship — about 24 months | B.S. $8,328/yr in-state (tuition and fees); M.S./DI ~$20.1K in-state (derived) | Campus | Yes — combined M.S./DI, or internship-only with a master’s |
| Cal State LA Los Angeles | B.S. Nutritional Science — Dietetics option is the ACEND DPD Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Nutritional Science — DPD for career changers, 35 units M.S. Nutritional Science — 30 or 40 units, issues no verification statement Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Dietetic Internship — 20 units, ACEND candidacy | B.S. $6,838/yr and M.S. $8,548/yr in-state (CSU tuition before fees); DPD certificate $14,000 and internship $10,000 (self-support) | Campus; Online (DPD certificate) | Yes — the DPD, then a master’s and an internship; Cal State LA’s own internship is at candidacy and alumni-only in 2026 |
| Cal Poly Pomona Pomona | B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics Option — ACEND DPD Dietetic Internship — 12 units Online M.S. in Dietetics — 30 units | B.S. $6,838/yr in-state plus ~$1,728 fees; M.S. $825/unit, ~$24,750 | Campus; Online (M.S.) | Yes — the internship plus a graduate degree |
Costs are each profile’s published or derived tuition. CSU figures are systemwide in-state tuition before campus fees unless noted, and non-resident students pay more. Cal State LA’s certificates are billed at self-support rates per unit. Other California programs are on the California nutrition programs page.
Which Los Angeles Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose USC if you want a Coordinated Program with a longevity-research emphasis and can pay private-university tuition. Its 44-credit master’s does not require a DPD verification statement, and a distance track exists for applicants more than 100 miles from Los Angeles, though supervised practice stays in person.
Choose Pepperdine if you want the shortest planned timeline among the county’s all-in-one master’s programs. Its Coordinated Program runs about 10 months for its own bachelor’s students and about 13 for outside applicants, with 1,048 supervised-practice hours and rotations within 60 miles of Malibu.
Choose Cal State Long Beach if you want a master’s that builds in at least 1,000 supervised-practice hours at CSU graduate rates. It admits any bachelor’s holder who clears the prerequisites, starts only in January, and takes a cohort of about 20.
Choose Cal State Northridge if you hold a bachelor’s in another field and want the DPD coursework and the internship at one campus. Its 39-credit post-baccalaureate certificate pairs with a combined M.S. and Dietetic Internship of about 24 months, and an internship-only route of about 12 months exists if you already hold a master’s.
Choose Cal State LA if you want the DPD and an in-house internship at public-university prices, including an online DPD route for career changers who live in California. Its new Dietetic Internship holds ACEND candidacy and its first cohort admits only Cal State LA alumni, and the M.S. here issues no verification statement.
Choose Cal Poly Pomona if you want to keep the master’s and the internship separate. Its online M.S. in Dietetics is a self-support program at $825 a unit and cannot be completed at the same time as its 12-unit Dietetic Internship.
Los Angeles Nutrition Schools
University of Southern California
Los Angeles; Leonard Davis School of Gerontology; campus-based, with a distance track.
- M.S. Nutrition, Healthspan and Longevity — Coordinated Program, 44 credits, about 21 months full time, $2,539 per credit
USC’s only nutrition credential combines accredited coursework and supervised practice, so graduates are exam-eligible on completion with no internship match. It requires no DPD verification statement but does require an 11-course prerequisite grid and 40 hours of shadowing a registered dietitian. USC cites ACEND accreditation through December 2026, so confirm the renewal. Full USC profile.
Pepperdine University
Malibu; Natural Science Division, Seaver College; campus-only.
- B.S. Nutritional Science — a DPD; tuition not separately published
- M.S. Nutrition and Health Science and Supervised Practice Experience — Coordinated Program, 33 credits plus a capstone, $2,335 per credit
The M.S. packs 1,048 supervised-practice hours into one accelerated cohort, and Pepperdine’s own page cites its accreditation through January 30, 2030. The B.S. page shows a DPD accreditation date that has already passed, so confirm that status directly. Full Pepperdine profile.
Cal State Long Beach
Long Beach; Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; hybrid.
- B.S. Nutrition and Food Science, Option in Nutrition — 74-plus major credits, not ACEND-accredited, $6,838 a year in-state tuition
- M.S. Applied Nutrition and Dietetics — ACEND Graduate Program, 50 credits, 19 months, $8,548 a year in-state tuition
The M.S. replaced Long Beach’s former DPD and dietetic internship, which no longer accept applicants. The bachelor’s alone does not lead toward RD eligibility. Full Cal State Long Beach profile.
Cal State Northridge
Northridge; Department of Family and Consumer Sciences; campus-based.
- B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics Option — ACEND DPD, $8,328 a year in-state with fees
- Post-Baccalaureate DPD Certificate — 39 credits, for bachelor’s holders in any field
- Combined M.S./Dietetic Internship — about 24 months, with an internship-only track of about 12 months
The internship carries 1,216 supervised-practice hours and takes about 12 to 14 interns a year, with a January 15 deadline through DICAS. The certificate’s own ACEND status was not separately confirmed on CSUN’s pages. Full Cal State Northridge profile.
Cal State LA
Los Angeles; Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services; campus-based, with an online post-baccalaureate certificate.
- B.S. Nutritional Science — Dietetics option is the ACEND DPD, $6,838 a year in-state tuition
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Nutritional Science — DPD for career changers, 35 units, $14,000
- M.S. Nutritional Science — 30 or 40 units, issues no verification statement
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Dietetic Internship — 20 units, $10,000, at least 1,000 practice hours
Cal State LA’s Coordinated Program closed effective December 11, 2020, after a 2019 admission hold and 2020 probation. The internship was granted ACEND candidacy in April 2026, and its fall 2026 cohort admits only Cal State LA alumni. Full Cal State LA profile.
Cal Poly Pomona
Pomona; Department of Nutrition and Food Science; campus-based, with an online master’s.
- B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics Option — ACEND DPD, $6,838 a year in-state tuition plus about $1,728 in campus fees
- Dietetic Internship — separately accredited, 12 units, up to 15 interns a year, February 1 deadline
- Online M.S. in Dietetics — 30 units, $825 per unit, about $24,750
M.S. graduates can apply to the internship the year they finish. Cal Poly Pomona’s own page describes the M.S.’s ACEND status inconsistently, so confirm its scope with the department. Full Cal Poly Pomona profile.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Los Angeles
Which programs carry the credential
Every RD route here runs through a graduate degree. Long Beach’s bachelor’s is not a DPD, Cal Poly Pomona’s online M.S. includes no supervised practice, Cal State LA’s M.S. issues no verification statement, and a bachelor’s DPD at Cal State LA, Northridge, Cal Poly Pomona, or Pepperdine leads to the credential only with a graduate degree and an internship.
Cost architecture
The county splits into private and CSU pricing. The all-in-one master’s at USC and Pepperdine runs about $111,700 and $77,100 before fees, against a derived $16,600 in-state for Long Beach’s 19-month M.S. and $20,100 for Northridge’s combined program. Cal Poly Pomona’s online master’s is billed as self-support at $825 a unit, not at the CSU graduate rate. Cal State LA’s online DPD certificate ($14,000) and internship certificate ($10,000) are also self-support.
Bundled or separate
USC, Pepperdine, and Long Beach put practice inside the degree, so admission to the program is admission to the whole pathway. Northridge bundles it in its combined track, while Cal Poly Pomona keeps the internship separate and competitive, with up to 15 seats a year. Cal State LA’s new internship is also separate, and its first cohort admits only Cal State LA alumni.
Delivery and intake
USC offers a distance track, Cal Poly Pomona’s M.S. is online, and Cal State LA’s post-baccalaureate DPD certificate is described as online, but supervised practice stays in person everywhere. Intake windows are narrow: USC is fall-only with a January 15 deadline, Long Beach starts in January, Northridge’s internship deadline is January 15, and Cal Poly Pomona’s is February 1.
What you are bringing with you
USC and Long Beach admit applicants without a DPD verification statement once prerequisites are done. Northridge’s certificate is built for bachelor’s holders in other fields, and Cal Poly Pomona’s and Cal State LA’s internships require a verification statement. Cal State LA’s online DPD certificate is open to domestic applicants only if they are California residents.
Before applying in Los Angeles, confirm four things directly: USC’s accreditation term, which its page lists as running through December 2026; Pepperdine’s B.S. DPD accreditation date, which its own page shows as already passed; which billing model applies to Cal Poly Pomona’s online master’s; and Cal State LA’s internship candidacy status. For other California programs, see the California nutrition programs page.