Food and Nutrition Department, Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions • Evansville, IN • Campus • $299.19/Credit In-State (Undergraduate, Public)
The University of Southern Indiana offers 1 ACEND program, and it does not lead to RD eligibility on its own:
- B.A. or B.S. in Food and Nutrition, Dietetics specialty (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- B.A. or B.S. in Food and Nutrition, Nutrition and Wellness specialty (not an RD route)
- Nutrition minor (18 to 19 credits), Human Lactation Certificate (9 credits), and Restaurant Management Certificate (9 credits)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and Nutrition, Dietetics specialty (DPD) | About $10,676 a year in tuition and fees at 15 credits a semester; $43,178 over four years (derived, in-state) | 4 years | 120 |
| Food and Nutrition, Nutrition and Wellness specialty | The same tuition basis (derived, in-state) | 4 years | 120 |
| Minor and certificates | Undergraduate rates apply | Not stated | 18 to 19 (minor); 9 (each certificate) |
The lead fact is that the degree is titled Food and Nutrition, not dietetics. The accredited DPD is a specialty inside it, and the university has no master’s, dietetic internship, or coordinated program, so graduates apply to an internship and complete a graduate degree elsewhere.
The school publishes dated outcome tables, which show 100 percent internship acceptance in three-year windows since 2018 to 2020 but recent first-attempt RD exam pass rates of 57 to 100 percent in small groups.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus; ACEND lists the DPD as a combination of in-person and online coursework and approved for distance education, while the school says no program is completely online |
| ACEND Accreditation | Didactic Program in Dietetics: accredited, term ends December 31, 2030 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | No on its own; the DPD gives a verification statement, then an outside internship and a graduate degree |
| Supervised Practice | None; the optional practicum is 1 to 6 credits, and typical supervised practice elsewhere runs 6 to 12 months |
| Entrance Exams | None for the DPD |
| GPA Floor | 2.0 to enter as pre-dietetics; 2.9 overall for the formal dietetics application |
| Intake | Spring and fall; the next starts are January 11 and August 16, 2027 |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $299.19 per credit in-state and $727.23 non-resident, plus per-semester fees |
| Institutional Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission |
Food and Nutrition, Dietetics Specialty
The Dietetics specialty is 120 credits: a 39-credit core, a 22-credit food and nutrition core, and a 46-credit specialty by the bulletin. Courses include nutrition and health assessment, human metabolism, medical nutrition therapy I and II, counseling and education, quantity food production, food science, community nutrition, and a leadership course. There is no thesis.
- After admission as pre-dietetics, students apply to the major with a 2.9 GPA and a C or better in biology, chemistry, and two nutrition courses, plus psychology, English, communication, and math; no deadline or cohort size was found
- A C or better is required in core nutrition, dietetics, biology, and chemistry courses, with two attempts allowed
- The program estimates about $350 over its length for uniforms, lab fees, exams, and health items
- The bulletin says a graduate degree, an accredited supervised practice program, and the CDR exam follow
You Should Know
The school’s credit splits differ: 22 plus 46 in the bulletin, 26 plus 38 in the handbook, and 42 plus 39 on the program page, though 120 holds in all of them. Its program page headline cites 88 percent pass rates since 2001, while its annual tables show 2021 through 2025 first-attempt rates between 57 and 92 percent apart from a two-person 2025 group. The three-year average shown for 2023 to 2025 is 65 percent, which is 9 of 14, or 64 percent.
Nutrition and Wellness, Minor, and Certificates
- The Nutrition and Wellness specialty is 120 credits in a mix of wellness, public health, and exercise nutrition courses with an optional practicum, and is aimed at the CHES exam rather than the RD credential
- The Nutrition minor includes nutrition for fitness and sport as one course, and no sports, public health, or clinical track exists
- The Human Lactation Certificate and Restaurant Management Certificate are 9 credits each and are not RD routes
- A Food Service Management specialty appears in a search snippet and is absent from the 2026-27 bulletin
Tuition
The University of Southern Indiana is public, so residency changes the price.
- Per credit: $299.19 for Indiana and Kentucky reciprocity residents, $727.23 non-resident, and $349.19 non-resident online
- Fees per semester: $30 university services, $100 student activity, $80 counseling, $200 comprehensive learning at 12 or more credits, $240 athletics, and $200 college fee, about $850 in total, plus one-time new student and enrollment fees of $475
- Derived: 12 credits a semester is $4,440.28, or $8,880.56 a year, and 15 credits is $5,337.85 a semester; the school’s cost of attendance page prints $10,512 for 30 credits, which does not match either
- Tuition is by level and residency with no dietetics differential, and the textbook bundle is $24 or $27 per credit depending on the page
Be aware that:
The $9,036 figure that circulates is not published on the school’s rate pages and cannot be rebuilt from them. Official figures are on the university’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to southwestern Indiana students who want an accredited DPD in a small program, with a food and nutrition degree that has a second, non-RD specialty and certificates.
The small DPD publishes dated internship acceptance and pass rates, and tuition has no program differential. The honest limit is that it stops at the verification statement, the school offers no master’s or internship, and recent exam pass rates are in small groups and below the program’s own 80 percent objective in several years.
If you want the RD credential, plan an internship and a master’s elsewhere. If you want wellness or restaurant management work, the other specialty and the certificates are open.
Accreditation
The University of Southern Indiana 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 Didactic Program in Dietetics as accredited, with initial accreditation on February 24, 2010 and a term ending December 31, 2030. ACEND’s decisions show full and continued accreditation after a site visit in April 2023 and continued accreditation after a progress report in July 2025, with no reason published.
The Programs Under Review page lists no Southern Indiana program. A graduate holds a verification statement only and is not eligible for the CDR exam on that basis.
More Nutrition Degrees in Indiana
- Ball State University - Muncie
- Indiana Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Indiana University Bloomington - Bloomington
- Indiana University Indianapolis - Indianapolis
- Manchester University - Fort Wayne
- Purdue University - West Lafayette
- University of Indianapolis - Indianapolis