Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences • Chicago, IL • Hybrid (M.S.) and Campus (B.S.) • $616/Credit (Graduate, In-State, 12-Credit Semester, Derived)
The University of Illinois Chicago offers 4 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them lead to RD/RDN eligibility:
- M.S., Nutrition, Coordinated Program
- Accelerated M.S./Coordinated Program (for UIC Nutrition Science graduates)
- B.S., Nutrition, Nutrition Science Concentration (the Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- M.S., Nutrition, Traditional (non-RD)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Coordinated Program | About $44.3K in tuition plus differential over six semesters (derived) | 6 semesters; about 2.5 years per UIC | 36 |
| Accelerated M.S./CP | Not clearly stated | 12 to 15 months | Not clearly stated |
| B.S. Nutrition Science (DPD) | About $11.7K a year in base tuition before differential and fees (derived) | 4 years (8 semesters) | 120 |
| M.S. Nutrition, Traditional | About $44.3K over six semesters at the same billing (derived) | Not clearly stated; 2 years per UIC’s page | 36 |
UIC’s RD route is a master’s-level Coordinated Program: coursework, the master’s degree, and supervised practice in one admission, with no separate internship match. ACEND approved removing the program’s undergraduate track in 2021, so applicants now enter with a bachelor’s in any field. UIC’s own Nutrition Science graduates have a second door, an accelerated route with 18 reserved spots.
The traditional M.S. is a research and professional master’s that does not carry the credential, and the B.S. is the accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, which yields a verification statement but no supervised practice.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | M.S.: hybrid with in-person practice. B.S.: campus. ACEND lists the Coordinated Program as in-person plus online |
| ACEND Accreditation | Coordinated Program (initial 1971) and DPD (initial 2003), both accredited to June 30, 2033 per the directory |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Coordinated Program and Accelerated M.S./CP: yes. DPD and Traditional M.S.: no on their own |
| Supervised Practice | Hours not published for the 36-credit program; the accelerated route cites a 1,000-hour internship |
| Entrance Exams | None. The GRE is not required |
| GPA Floor | 3.0 on the last 60 semester hours; 3.5 for any graduate work |
| Intake | Fall only; December 15 deadline via DICAS plus a UIC application |
| Prerequisites | 13 courses at C or better, at least 3 sciences done at application and within 5 years |
| Tuition | 2026-27 graduate: $6,748 in-state, $14,063 out-of-state base per semester, plus a $640 nutrition differential |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission, reaffirmed July 2024 |
Master of Science in Nutrition, Coordinated Program
The estimated tuition for the Coordinated Program at UIC is about $44,328 in-state, which is six semesters at $6,748 base plus the $640 differential, billed at 12 or more credits (derived). Fees and assessments of about $2,409 a semester add roughly $14,454, and the real bill depends on credits per term. The program requires 36 credits and takes six semesters, usually described as about two and a half years.
Coordinated Program Curriculum
The 36 credits are a 15-credit supervised practice course (HN 455), a 1-credit instructional practicum (HN 581), and at least 20 credits of 400- and 500-level electives, at least 9 of them in 500-level nutrition courses, so electives are a floor rather than a free choice. There is no comprehensive exam. A project (HN 597) is optional and may extend the timeline, and the thesis option belongs to the traditional track.
Coordinated Program Supervised Practice
- HN 581 comes first, then rotations that cover all 50 ACEND competencies, starting in spring of year two
- The first practice term is 2 days a week on site and 3 in class, and the next two terms are 40 hours a week on site
- Rotations include inpatient and outpatient clinical, community, and foodservice; ACEND approved remote supervised practice in 2021
- Total hours and whether sites are assigned or arranged were not found
Coordinated Program Admissions
- A bachelor’s in any field with a 3.0 on the last 60 semester hours (3.5 for graduate work), and no GRE
- Thirteen prerequisites at C or better: English composition I and II, speech, algebra or higher, introductory psychology and sociology, foods with lab, general nutrition, cell biology with lab, inorganic chemistry with lab, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and two anatomy and physiology courses with labs
- At least 3 science prerequisites complete at application, sciences within 5 years, and no survey courses; online courses are reviewed case by case
- A December 15 deadline for an August start (December 15, 2026 for August 2027), with DICAS, a concurrent UIC application, written interview questions, two recommendations, and a personal statement
- UIC accepts 20 to 30 students a year across its master’s programs; a cohort size for this program alone was not found
You Should Know
UIC’s pages describe the length as six semesters, as about two and a half years, and as 2.5 to 3 years across both M.S. tracks, and six fall and spring semesters alone would be three academic years. The Applying page still carries the prior year’s deadline as its example.
Accelerated M.S./Coordinated Program
UIC Nutrition Science students can finish the master’s and a 1,000-hour internship in 12 to 15 months. The route reserves 18 spots, applications are due June 1 for a January or May start, and preference goes to a 3.4 GPA in prerequisite and DPD courses, prerequisites taken mostly at UIC, and food or nutrition experience. Its credit count and tuition were not found, and the 2025-26 information packet now returns an error.
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Nutrition Science Concentration
The B.S. is 120 credits, with 59 in general education and pre-nutrition courses, 38 required, and 23 electives, and it holds the ACEND DPD. Two elective courses are recommended only for students who want to become dietitians. The verification statement is required to apply to a dietetic internship or to the Accelerated M.S./CP.
Base tuition is $5,826 a semester in-state and $14,176 out-of-state for the 2026-27 entering cohort, guaranteed for four years. In-state, that is $11,652 a year before the nutrition differential and fees (derived), and the differential value could not be confirmed. Transfer students need at least a 2.5 GPA, and the DPD cohort size and verification statement fee were not found.
Master of Science in Nutrition, Traditional
The traditional M.S. is 36 credits at the 400 and 500 level, hybrid, with no required prerequisites and no GRE. It is aimed at practicing dietitians and doctoral applicants, and it satisfies the graduate-degree step only for people who are already registered dietitians. The catalog offers a thesis, a project, or coursework only, while the track page says a project and no thesis.
Tuition
UIC’s 2026-27 graduate tuition is $6,748 a semester in-state and $14,063 out-of-state for 12 or more credits, plus a $640 nutrition differential, which works out near $616 per credit in-state for a 12-credit semester (derived). Smaller loads are billed in tiers, and a 6 to 11 credit semester costs $7,123 in-state in total.
- Per semester at 12 or more credits: $9,797 in-state and $17,112 out-of-state, including $1,020 in fees, $636 in assessments, and $753 for Campus Care insurance, which can be waived with proof of coverage (derived)
- Annual: $19,594 in-state and $34,224 out-of-state (derived, two semesters)
- Optional CTA U-Pass of $163 a semester; international students pay a further $130 a semester
Be aware that:
The department’s landing page cites about $44,328, which is tuition plus differential only. The $640 differential was read from a text extraction of UIC’s rate sheet, though the fee stack reconciles with its cost-of-attendance page. Assistantship waivers were not researched. Official figures are on UIC’s cost of attendance page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to people with a bachelor’s in any field who can finish a long list of science prerequisites and want the master’s and supervised practice in a single Chicago admission.
If you are a career changer, apply to the Coordinated Program: it takes any major, though it needs organic chemistry, biochemistry, and two anatomy and physiology courses, with sciences under five years old. If you are an undergraduate at UIC, the Nutrition Science DPD leads to the accelerated route, which is faster but limited to 18 spots.
If you only need a master’s, the traditional M.S. does not carry the credential. If timing matters, note that the program starts only in August and that rotations run 40 hours a week for two terms, which is hard to combine with a job.
Accreditation
UIC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, reaffirmed in July 2024 with the next comprehensive review in 2033 to 2034. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory lists a Coordinated Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation 1971, M.S. offered) and a Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial 2003, B.S. offered), both accredited with terms ending June 30, 2033. ACEND’s decisions pages, read partly through archived copies, show full and continued accreditation of both after site visits in January 2018 and January 2026, and an April 2021 change that eliminated the Coordinated Program’s undergraduate track and added remote supervised practice. No UIC entry appears in 2019, 2020, or 2022 through 2025, the decisions pages print no term dates, and UIC is not on the Programs Under Review page in the archived copy read.
UIC’s catalog still says the DPD is “currently granted initial accreditation,” which is out of date against ACEND. A graduate of the Coordinated Program completes the master’s and supervised practice and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the B.S. holds a verification statement and still needs the master’s, the practice, and the exam.
More Nutrition Degrees in Illinois
- Benedictine University - Lisle
- Chicago Nutrition & Dietetics Programs
- Dominican University - River Forest
- Illinois Institute of Technology - Chicago
- Illinois Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Loyola University Chicago - Chicago
- Rush University - Chicago