Four Georgia institutions offer nutrition or dietetics degrees, spanning the bachelor’s through the master’s. The University System of Georgia has held in-state undergraduate tuition flat for most institutions in seven of the past ten years, with a typical USG school charging around $6,466 in tuition and mandatory fees for two semesters. Life University is private and sets its own rates.
Three of the four hold ACEND accreditation, and all three supply supervised practice in some form — a coordinated master’s at Georgia State, an accredited internship at UGA, and a combined master’s with internship at Georgia Southern. Georgia requires a licence from the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians to practise.
Nutrition Programs in Georgia — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia State University Atlanta |
BS Nutrition — with a nutrition and wellness track MS Health Sciences, Nutrition — online MS Coordinated Program — accredited, includes supervised practice Graduate DPD — online, in ACEND candidacy |
USG in-state rates — verify with the university | Campus in Atlanta; coordinated program hybrid, graduate DPD fully online | Yes — the coordinated master’s is the most direct route in the state |
| University of Georgia Athens |
BS Nutritional Sciences — accredited DPD Post-baccalaureate DPD coursework MS Nutritional Sciences — community nutrition, online Graduate degree with dietetic internship — fully accredited |
USG in-state rates — verify with the university | Campus in Athens; community nutrition master’s online | Yes — accredited didactic program plus its own accredited internship |
| Georgia Southern University Statesboro |
BS Nutrition and Food Science — accredited DPD Combined MS Nutrition and Foods plus dietetic internship — 20 months Dietetic internship certificate |
USG in-state rates — verify with the university | Statesboro campus; rotations across six Georgia cities | Yes — internship attached to the master’s, or as a standalone certificate |
| Life University Marietta |
BS Nutrition MS Clinical Nutrition — integrative and functional, research, or practitioner tracks |
Private rates — verify with the university | Campus based, private | No — not an accredited dietetics program |
Georgia’s public universities set tuition through the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, and rates vary by institution. Verify the current figure for your school and residency directly, and check what state scholarship support you qualify for, since Georgia residents may have access to programmes that substantially reduce the published cost.
Which Georgia Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose Georgia State’s coordinated master’s if you want the shortest route to eligibility. It combines graduate coursework with supervised practice in one accredited program, and it accepts students who have not yet completed didactic coursework — they simply take additional hours. A hybrid and online version exists, which is rare for a coordinated program.
Choose UGA if you want an accredited internship at the same university as your degree. Its dietetics program and its graduate degree with dietetic internship are both accredited, so a student can complete the whole route in Athens. It also offers post-baccalaureate DPD coursework for people who already hold a degree in something else.
Choose Georgia Southern if you need supervised practice outside a single city. Its combined master’s and internship places students across Savannah, Atlanta, Macon, Brunswick, Tifton, and Valdosta as well as Statesboro, which is the widest geographic spread of any Georgia program.
Choose Life University if you want integrative or functional nutrition. Its Clinical Nutrition master’s runs integrative and functional, research, and practitioner tracks — an emphasis with no equivalent among Georgia’s accredited programs — but it does not lead to the RDN.
Georgia Nutrition Schools
Georgia State University
Georgia State runs nutrition through the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions in downtown Atlanta.
- BS Nutrition — with a nutrition and wellness track
- MS Health Sciences with a nutrition concentration — delivered online
- MS Coordinated Program — ACEND-accredited, combining graduate coursework with supervised practice
- Graduate Didactic Program in Dietetics — fully online, producing a verification statement
The coordinated program is the differentiator, and its structure is unusually accommodating. Students who enter without having completed DPD coursework take additional hours rather than being turned away, so a career changer can enter directly. A hybrid version exists alongside the on-campus one.
Two cautions. Georgia State states plainly that students should not work while enrolled in the full-time coordinated program, which is a significant financial consideration over a multi-year degree. And the Graduate DPD is in ACEND candidacy rather than holding full accreditation — a different status worth confirming directly before you rely on it. The published completion and pass-rate figures attached to the coordinated program are ACEND programme objectives, minimum targets the program commits to, rather than reported results; ask for actual outcome data.
University of Georgia
UGA houses dietetics in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences in Athens.
- BS Nutritional Sciences — the dietetics route is the accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Post-baccalaureate DPD coursework — for degree holders seeking a verification statement without a second bachelor’s
- MS Nutritional Sciences — community nutrition concentration, delivered online
- Graduate degree with dietetic internship — fully accredited
Having both an accredited didactic program and an accredited internship in the same department means UGA students are not obliged to enter the national match as outside applicants. The post-baccalaureate route is the quieter advantage: someone holding a degree in another field can obtain a verification statement through DPD coursework alone.
UGA is explicit about the sequence and about Georgia’s requirements. Completing the DPD, a graduate degree, an accredited supervised practice program, and the CDR exam makes a graduate eligible to apply for Georgia licensure — the licence is a separate step, not automatic.
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern offers nutrition through its College of Health Professions, with the dietetics programs headquartered on the Statesboro campus.
- BS Nutrition and Food Science — accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Combined MS in Nutrition and Foods plus Dietetic Internship — full-time, 20 months, non-thesis
- Dietetic internship certificate — supervised practice for those who already hold a graduate degree
The geographic spread is what sets it apart. Graduate coursework and some supervised practice happen at Statesboro, but rotation sites extend across Central and Southeast Georgia — Savannah, Atlanta, Macon, Brunswick, Tifton, and Valdosta. Site assignments are based on student preference and preceptor availability, and the program blends classroom teaching, online modules, and hands-on training.
Transfer students from accredited didactic programs elsewhere have their transcripts evaluated by the DPD director, who determines which dietetics courses transfer and which remain. Allow time for that review. Note also that Georgia Southern and East Georgia State College have been approved for consolidation, so confirm which institution and campus your program will sit under.
Life University
Life University is a private institution in Marietta, north of Atlanta, offering nutrition outside the dietetics accreditation system.
- BS Nutrition
- MS Clinical Nutrition — with integrative and functional nutrition, research, and practitioner tracks
The integrative and functional emphasis is genuinely distinct in Georgia, and suits students heading toward wellness practice, health coaching, supplement and food industry roles, or further graduate study. The research track supports doctoral preparation.
Neither degree is ACEND-accredited, so neither produces a verification statement or leads to the RDN, and neither satisfies Georgia’s licensure requirement on its own. If the credential is the goal, confirm what accredited coursework would still be needed.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Georgia
All three accredited schools supply practice hours
This is unusual and it simplifies the decision. Georgia State offers a coordinated master’s, UGA an accredited internship attached to a graduate degree, Georgia Southern a combined master’s with internship plus a standalone certificate. In many states DPD graduates compete nationally for placement; in Georgia the three accredited universities each provide a route, so the question is which structure and location suits you.
Online and hybrid options are real here
Georgia State delivers its Graduate DPD fully online and offers a hybrid coordinated program; UGA runs its community nutrition master’s online. Supervised practice remains in person everywhere, but the coursework flexibility is better than in most states. Confirm the accreditation status of any online option specifically, since Georgia State’s Graduate DPD is in candidacy rather than fully accredited.
Cost is set at system level
Georgia’s public universities set tuition through the Board of Regents, which has held in-state undergraduate rates flat for most institutions in seven of the last ten years. That means the price difference between the three accredited universities is modest for residents, and the decision should turn on program structure and geography instead. Non-residents and private-school applicants face a wider spread and should compare directly.
The master’s requirement changed in 2024
Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree in any field, plus a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited program, to sit for the RDN exam, along with supervised practice of at least 1,000 hours. Georgia’s programs have restructured around this, which is why all three accredited routes now run at graduate level.
Nutrition Licensure and Credentials in Georgia
Georgia requires a licence to practise dietetics, issued by the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians. Both UGA and Georgia Southern state this directly in their programme materials: the licence is a separate step after the national credential, not a consequence of it.
The CDR requirements apply alongside it — an ACEND verification statement, a master’s degree, supervised practice hours, and a passing exam score. Graduates become eligible to apply for Georgia licensure once those are complete. Confirm current licensure requirements and fees with the Board before relying on them.
Before applying anywhere in Georgia, verify three things directly with the school: the accreditation status of the specific program you are entering, particularly Georgia State’s Graduate DPD which is in candidacy rather than fully accredited, the current tuition figure for your residency since system-level rates vary by institution, and — if you are considering Georgia Southern — how the consolidation with East Georgia State College affects your programme. Individual school profiles for these programs are in progress and will be linked here as they publish.