San Jose State Nutrition Programs

Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging • San Jose, CA • Campus • $8,548/yr Grad Tuition (CSU Flat Rate)

San Jose State offers 3 Nutritional Sciences credentials:

  • B.S., Nutritional Science, Dietetics Concentration (DPD)
  • M.S., Nutritional Science (with a DPD option)
  • Dietetic Internship (open only to SJSU’s own students, not a combined M.S./DI program)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S.$6,838/yr in-state (CSU systemwide)4 years (120-credit bachelor’s norm)Not clearly stated
M.S.$8,548/yr in-state (CSU systemwide)Not clearly statedNot clearly stated
DI~$11.3K/yr in-state (tuition and fees, while enrolled)About 25 weeks, full timeNot applicable (supervised-practice credential, not a degree)

San Jose State’s Dietetic Internship is the most closed pipeline researched in this guide: SJSU’s own program materials state plainly that “this is not a combined MS/DI program,” and admission is limited to applicants connected to SJSU’s own B.S. Dietetics Concentration or M.S. Nutritional Science, with no national DICAS match. Students who complete a DPD elsewhere should look to a different California school for supervised practice.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesB.S. (ACEND DPD); M.S. (with a DPD option);
Dietetic Internship (SJSU students only, not combined with the M.S.)
FormatCampus
Credit HoursNot clearly stated for the B.S. or M.S.
ACEND AccreditationYes — DPD confirmed; the Dietetic Internship is accredited per SJSU’s own statement, not independently cross-checked in ACEND’s directory
RD/RDN EligibilityYes, on completing the Dietetic Internship together with a graduate degree, but reachable only through SJSU’s own B.S./M.S. pipeline
Supervised PracticeMinimum 1,000 hours, about 25 weeks full time, in San Jose and nearby areas
IntakeMaximum 25 interns a year; two application cycles, March 1 (June/July start) and October 1 (January/February start)
PrerequisitesMust hold or be completing a B.S. Dietetics Concentration and/or M.S. Nutritional Science connected to SJSU’s own department (see You Should Know)
Tuition$6,838/yr B.S.; $8,548/yr M.S. (CSU systemwide); SJSU’s own totals with fees run about $9,553/yr B.S. and $11,263/yr M.S.
Institutional AccreditationWSCUC (WASC Senior College and University Commission)

Bachelor of Science, Nutritional Science (Dietetics Concentration)

The estimated tuition for the B.S. at San Jose State is $6,838 per year in-state, the CSU systemwide undergraduate rate, plus mandatory campus fees. The Dietetics Concentration follows the standard four-year, 120-credit bachelor’s timeline; SJSU does not publish a separate total credit count for the concentration itself.

B.S. Curriculum

The Dietetics Concentration is SJSU’s ACEND-accredited DPD, leading to a DPD verification statement on completion.

B.S. Admissions

Admission follows standard CSU freshman and transfer requirements; students declare the Dietetics Concentration to be on the DPD track.

Master of Science, Nutritional Science

The estimated tuition for the M.S. at San Jose State is $8,548 per year in-state, the CSU systemwide graduate rate, plus mandatory campus fees. SJSU does not publish total credits or a typical completion timeline for this degree on the pages available.

M.S. Curriculum

Students without a prior DPD can complete DPD coursework alongside their graduate coursework to earn a DPD verification statement as part of the M.S., rather than needing to go back and complete an undergraduate DPD separately.

M.S. Admissions

Standard SJSU graduate admission requirements apply; the DPD option is elected within the program rather than through a separate application.

Dietetic Internship

SJSU’s Dietetic Internship is a supervised-practice credential, not a degree, and does not carry its own tuition total separate from whatever SJSU program the applicant is already enrolled in. It runs about 25 weeks full time.

DI Structure and Eligibility

SJSU’s own Dietetic Internship FAQ states directly that “this is not a combined MS/DI program.” Applicants must either be currently enrolled in SJSU’s M.S. in Nutritional Science or have already completed a graduate degree, and SJSU’s dietetic internship page separately states that applicants must have received, or be receiving, a B.S. Dietetics Concentration and/or M.S. Nutritional Science from SJSU’s own department.

You Should Know

SJSU’s own pages describe this eligibility gate slightly differently. One page ties eligibility to holding SJSU’s own B.S. Dietetics Concentration and/or M.S. Nutritional Science specifically. A separate FAQ instead allows a graduate degree “at SJSU or elsewhere,” provided the applicant is otherwise connected to the department. Either way, the internship is closed to applicants without an SJSU nutrition undergraduate or graduate connection, and it does not use the national DICAS match that some other California schools rely on. Confirm your specific eligibility directly with the department before assuming either version applies to you.

DI Supervised Practice

  • Minimum 1,000 hours, about 25 weeks full time
  • Placement sites in San Jose and nearby areas
  • Maximum 25 interns admitted a year

At 1,000 hours, SJSU’s total matches the national ACEND standard exactly, delivered through a local placement network tied closely to the university rather than a broad regional or national one.

DI Admissions

  • Connection to SJSU’s own B.S. Dietetics Concentration and/or M.S. Nutritional Science required (see You Should Know above)
  • No national DICAS match; not open to DPD graduates of other schools
  • Two application cycles a year: March 1 for a June/July start, October 1 for a January/February start
  • Maximum 25 interns admitted a year

Tuition

CSU campuses bill a flat systemwide semester rate rather than a true per-credit price. Divided across a typical 30-unit academic year, the graduate rate works out to approximately $285 per unit (derived, for comparison only, not how SJSU actually bills).

  • $6,838/year in-state tuition for the B.S., the CSU systemwide undergraduate rate
  • $8,548/year in-state tuition for the M.S., the CSU systemwide graduate rate
  • About $2,715/year in mandatory SJSU campus fees, added on top of either tuition figure
  • Nonresident students add $471 per unit on top of the systemwide rate

Be aware that:

The $6,838 and $8,548 figures often quoted for CSU programs are tuition only. SJSU’s own bursar page adds roughly $2,715 a year in mandatory campus fees on top, for combined totals closer to $9,553 a year for undergraduates and $11,263 a year for graduate students.

Because the Dietetic Internship itself carries no separate tuition, its true cost is whatever SJSU program the intern is already enrolled in during that period, rather than an added cost on top.

Official tuition figures are published on SJSU’s tuition and fees page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for students who plan to stay at San Jose State from the bachelor’s through the internship, rather than students hoping to transfer in from another school’s DPD.

Students committed to SJSU’s own pipeline get continuity: the same department carries them from the DPD-accredited B.S. through an optional DPD-integrated M.S. and into the internship, all in San Jose.

Compared to San Francisco State’s internship, which recruits nationally through the DICAS match, SJSU’s is closed to applicants without an SJSU nutrition connection. DPD graduates of other schools should look to San Francisco State, Fresno State, or Sacramento State instead of SJSU for supervised practice.

The honest trade-off is that SJSU’s own pages describe the internship’s eligibility requirement inconsistently, and applicants without a clear SJSU connection should confirm their specific situation with the department before assuming they qualify.

Accreditation

San Jose State is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the campus.

ACEND accredits San Jose State’s Didactic Program in Dietetics, within the B.S. Dietetics Concentration, and SJSU states that its Dietetic Internship is separately ACEND-accredited; that specific claim rests on SJSU’s own statement, since ACEND’s own program directory could not be independently queried in this research. The M.S. in Nutritional Science carries a DPD option for students without a prior DPD but is not itself an ACEND-accredited degree.

Graduates of the Dietetic Internship are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam once the graduate degree, ACEND-accredited coursework, and supervised practice are all complete. Graduates of the DPD alone are not RD-eligible and must complete a Dietetic Internship, at SJSU (if eligible) or elsewhere, plus a graduate degree, to pursue the credential.

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