Manchester University Nutrition Degree Programs

College of Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy • Fort Wayne, IN • Mostly Online • $850/Credit (Graduate, Private)

Manchester University offers 1 ACEND program, and it is a direct RD route:

  • M.S. in Nutrition and Nutrigenomics (an ACEND Future Education Model graduate program; online coursework with supervised experiential learning)
  • B.S. in Nutrition Sciences, including an RDN concentration (not ACEND-accredited; a path into RDN-eligible master’s programs)
  • Minor in Nutrition Sciences and two undergraduate certificates, Lifestyle Nutrition and Performance Nutrition (not RD routes)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
M.S. Nutrition and Nutrigenomics$50,490 in tuition and technology fees at 54 credits; $51,425 at the 55 credits the course list adds to (derived)2 years54 stated; 55 by the program page course list
B.S. Nutrition SciencesUndergraduate rates were not researched for this profile4 years53 in the major on the web page; 55 in the catalog

The lead fact is that the master’s earns the degree and the verification statement together, with about 1,040 hours of supervised experiential learning built in, so there is no internship match. ACEND lists it as a Future Education Model graduate program that moved from candidacy in 2022 to full accreditation in April 2026, with a term to June 30, 2033.

The school’s own pages and catalog still describe the program as holding candidate status, and the program page and an older page disagree on timing, so treat the wording on those pages as out of date. Manchester has no ACEND DPD, coordinated program, or dietetic internship, and its undergraduate RDN concentration prepares students for master’s programs rather than awarding eligibility.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCoursework fully online; supervised experiential learning in person where the student is located. An optional one-week, 40-hour genomics lab is held in Fort Wayne in spring break
ACEND AccreditationGraduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics: accredited, term ends June 30, 2033
RD/RDN EligibilityYes on completion, with the degree and verification statement earned together
Supervised PracticeAbout 1,040 hours across seven rotation areas (derived from the program page)
Entrance ExamsGRE not found
GPA FloorA 2.7 cumulative GPA is preferred, not required; 3.0 to graduate
IntakeFall, inferred from the curriculum; DICAS applications accepted through March 1 each year
Tuition2026-27: $850 per credit plus an $85 per credit technology fee
Institutional AccreditationHigher Learning Commission

Master of Science in Nutrition and Nutrigenomics

The M.S. is two years with a capstone instead of a thesis. Courses include human genetics, nutrition informatics, medical nutrition therapy 1 and 2 with a nutrigenomics emphasis, nutrition and omics, biostatistics, and research methods. The credits by term are 13, 12, 7, 12, and 11 on the program page, which add to 55 although the page states 54.

  • Rotations are clinical shadowing for 80 hours, community 128, business 128, food service management 224, sustainability 128, long-term care 96, and clinical 256, for 1,040 hours (derived)
  • Students living in the Fort Wayne area have preceptors arranged within an hour or 150 miles and must live in the area; distance students find their own preceptors anywhere in the country and need a commitment letter before admission
  • Admission needs a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited school, prerequisites at C or better in physiology, chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism, and food preparation (a DPD verification statement substitutes), and an essay through DICAS
  • Graduates need a 3.0 GPA, C or better in every course, and a 4 or higher on every competency in each rotation
  • International students are not eligible, and the cohort of 15 is expanding to 30 after full accreditation, with the affected intake not stated
You Should Know

The school’s published annual budget assumes 24 credits a year, but the actual course load is 32 credits in year one and 23 in year two, so the budget understates year one by about $7,480 (derived). A catalog lists alternate rotation courses with different hour totals, and a stray athletic training heading appears on the program page.

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences and Certificates

  • The traditional route is 53 credits in the major, and the RDN route is stated as 71 but its years add to 75; the school says the RDN route fulfills the academic requirements for applying to its own master’s, though admission is not guaranteed
  • The Lifestyle Nutrition and Performance Nutrition certificates have no accreditation and no stated credits; their listed courses add to about 13 each (derived)
  • The Performance Nutrition certificate includes a sport nutrition course and is the only sports-labelled credential
  • The master’s has no tracks, and nutrigenomics is the program’s identity rather than a track

Tuition

Manchester is private, so one rate applies to every student.

  • Graduate: $850 per credit, with a $765 affiliate rate for alumni, faculty, staff, current students, and family, plus an $85 per credit technology fee
  • Derived program totals: 54 credits is $45,900 plus $4,590, $50,490, and 55 credits is $51,425; year one at 32 credits is $29,920 and year two at 23 is $21,505
  • The optional genomics lab is listed at $935 plus $530 in fees
  • The school lists a $200 CDR exam fee in its block without saying who pays, and immunizations, background check, drug screen, and insurance are extra
  • Assistantship rules were not found, and the school points to Academy Foundation scholarships

Be aware that:

Do not use the published $20,400 yearly tuition as the program price, since it assumes a smaller course load. Official figures are on the university’s graduate admissions page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to career changers and graduates with the prerequisites who want an online-coursework route to the RD credential and can arrange preceptors where they live, or who can live in Fort Wayne.

The built-in practice removes the internship match, and distance students are not tied to one city. The honest limit is that international students are not eligible, distance students must secure their own preceptors before admission, the program is newly fully accredited with no published outcome results yet, and the cost is a private-school rate.

If you want a bachelor’s first, the Nutrition Sciences major prepares for master’s programs but is not itself accredited. If you want a conventional internship route, the state’s other programs are listed on the Indiana page.

Accreditation

Manchester is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.

ACEND’s live directory for Indiana lists the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics as accredited, with a listed initial date of May 9, 2022 and a term ending June 30, 2033. The 2022 date is when candidacy was granted after a site visit, and ACEND’s April 2026 decisions record full and continued accreditation after a site visit. The university’s May 2026 release says full accreditation through 2033.

The Programs Under Review page lists no Manchester program, and no other Manchester entry appears on the decisions pages from 2019 through 2025. A graduate of the M.S. is eligible for the CDR exam.

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