Waters College of Health Professions • Statesboro, GA • Campus • $2,805/Semester (B.S., Resident)
Georgia Southern offers 3 Nutritional Sciences credentials:
- B.S., Nutrition and Food Science (Dietetics emphasis, DPD)
- Combined M.S. in Nutrition and Foods and Dietetic Internship
- Dietetic Internship Certificate (for those who already hold a graduate degree)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $2,805/semester resident (USG systemwide rate), plus $767 Statesboro campus fees | 4 years (120-credit bachelor’s norm) | 124 |
| M.S./DI | $3,401/semester resident, plus $767 fees | 20 months, full time, non-thesis | 45 (27 coursework, 18 practicum) |
| DI Certificate | $3,401/semester resident, plus $767 fees | Not clearly stated separately | Not clearly stated separately |
Georgia Southern’s combined M.S./DI places students across the widest geographic footprint of any Georgia program researched for this guide, with rotations in Savannah, Atlanta, Macon, Brunswick, Tifton, and Valdosta alongside Statesboro. The university completed a consolidation with East Georgia State College effective January 1, 2026; this appears not to affect the nutrition program, which remains housed in the Waters College of Health Professions on the original Statesboro campus, though that specific point wasn’t explicitly confirmed anywhere. Several of the program’s own detail pages currently return errors, likely tied to the broader site reorganization from the consolidation, so some structural details below rely on cached content pending re-verification.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus (Statesboro), with supervised-practice rotations across Central and Southeast Georgia |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: 124 (Dietetics, Food Science/Food Systems Administration, or Community Nutrition emphasis); Combined M.S./DI: 45 (27 coursework, 18 practicum); DI Certificate: not clearly stated separately |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes — B.S. DPD confirmed directly; the combined M.S./DI and DI Certificate’s exact ACEND category were not independently confirmed, since the program’s own detail pages currently return errors |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, via the combined M.S./DI, or the DI Certificate for applicants who already hold a graduate degree |
| Supervised Practice | At least 1,000 hours; rotation sites across Statesboro, Savannah, Atlanta, Macon, Brunswick, Tifton, and Valdosta, assigned by student preference and preceptor availability |
| Cohort | About 20 total interns a year: roughly 16 in the combined M.S./DI, 4 in the DI Certificate track (sourced from cached content, not independently reconfirmed) |
| Transfer Credit | Transcripts from other accredited DPD programs are evaluated by Georgia Southern’s own DPD director to determine which courses transfer |
| Institutional Context | Georgia Southern completed a consolidation with East Georgia State College effective January 1, 2026; the combined institution operates under the Georgia Southern name |
| Tuition | B.S.: $2,805/semester resident (USG systemwide rate), plus $767 Statesboro campus fees; M.S.: $3,401/semester resident, plus $767 fees |
| Institutional Accreditation | SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) |
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Food Science
The estimated tuition for the B.S. at Georgia Southern is $2,805 per semester for residents, the USG systemwide rate, plus $767 in Statesboro campus fees. The program requires 124 credits over the standard four-year timeline.
B.S. Curriculum
The major offers three emphases: Dietetics, which is the ACEND-accredited DPD; Food Science/Food Systems Administration; and Community Nutrition. Only the Dietetics emphasis carries DPD accreditation.
B.S. Admissions
Admission follows Georgia Southern’s standard undergraduate admission process; students declare the Dietetics emphasis to be on the DPD track.
Combined M.S. in Nutrition and Foods and Dietetic Internship
The estimated tuition for the combined M.S./DI at Georgia Southern is $3,401 per semester for residents, the USG systemwide graduate rate, plus $767 in campus fees. The program runs 20 months full time, non-thesis, and requires 45 credits.
M.S./DI Curriculum
The 45 credits split into 27 coursework credits and 18 practicum credits, blending classroom teaching, online modules, and hands-on training across the program’s regional rotation sites.
You Should Know
Georgia Southern’s own detailed program pages for this track currently return errors, likely tied to the university’s ongoing reorganization following its January 2026 consolidation with East Georgia State College. The credit breakdown, cohort size, and duration above come from cached versions of those pages rather than a live source, and should be reconfirmed directly with the Waters College of Health Professions before relying on them.
M.S./DI Supervised Practice
- Minimum 1,000 hours
- Rotation sites in Statesboro, Savannah, Atlanta, Macon, Brunswick, Tifton, and Valdosta
- Site assignments based on student preference and preceptor availability
M.S./DI Admissions
- DPD verification statement or an ACEND-accredited DPD degree required
- Transfer applicants from other accredited DPD programs have transcripts evaluated by Georgia Southern’s DPD director
- Exact GPA threshold, DICAS usage, and application deadlines not independently confirmed given the current page errors
Dietetic Internship Certificate
This certificate follows the same USG graduate tuition rate as the combined M.S./DI. Total duration and credits specific to this standalone track were not clearly published separately.
DI Certificate Eligibility
This track is for applicants who already hold a graduate degree and need only the supervised-practice component, sharing the same rotation structure and sites as the combined M.S./DI. About 4 of the program’s roughly 20 annual intern seats go to this track.
Tuition
Georgia Southern uses the standard University System of Georgia (USG) systemwide schedule for Regional Universities, with no separate campus-specific rate, confirmed directly from official Board of Regents tuition documents.
- $187/credit or $2,805/semester flat, undergraduate resident (tuition only)
- $689/credit or $10,335/semester flat, undergraduate nonresident
- $284/credit or $3,401/semester flat, graduate resident
- $1,183/credit or $14,200/semester flat, graduate nonresident
- $767/semester mandatory fees, Statesboro campus
Be aware that:
Combined tuition and fees per semester run approximately $3,572 for resident undergraduates, $11,102 for nonresident undergraduates, $4,168 for resident graduate students, and $14,967 for nonresident graduate students. A separate, unofficial cost-of-attendance search turned up different, unsourced figures that don’t reconcile with these official Board of Regents numbers; disregard those and rely on the official schedule linked below.
Official tuition figures are published in the USG Board of Regents FY2026 undergraduate tuition schedule and the parallel graduate tuition schedule.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want supervised practice placed across a wide regional footprint rather than concentrated in one metro area.
Students who want geographic flexibility during supervised practice get rotation sites spanning six cities beyond Statesboro, rather than being tied to one location for the internship year.
Students who already hold a graduate degree can use the DI Certificate track to add supervised practice alone, without repeating the master’s coursework.
The honest trade-off is that several of Georgia Southern’s own program pages currently return errors, likely tied to its recent consolidation with East Georgia State College, so key structural details rely on cached content rather than a live, current source. Confirm everything directly with the Waters College of Health Professions before applying.
Accreditation
Georgia Southern is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND accredits Georgia Southern’s Didactic Program in Dietetics, confirmed directly on the program’s own page. The combined M.S./DI’s exact ACEND category, and the DI Certificate’s accreditation scope, were not independently confirmed in this research, since the relevant detail pages currently return errors; confirm directly with the department before relying on either.
Graduates of the combined M.S./DI, or the DI Certificate paired with an existing graduate degree, are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam once the graduate degree, accredited coursework, and supervised practice are all complete. Graduates of the DPD alone are not RD-eligible and must complete a Dietetic Internship, at Georgia Southern or elsewhere, plus a graduate degree, to pursue the credential.