Louisiana Tech offers 3 Nutrition and Dietetics credentials:
- B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics, RD Concentration
- Dietetic Internship (with embedded Graduate Certificate in Dietetics)
- M.S., Nutrition and Dietetics
Louisiana Tech also offers a B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics, Non-RD Concentration for students who do not want the registered dietitian credential; it shares the first two years of coursework with the RD concentration but does not carry ACEND accreditation. It is described under the B.S. curriculum section below rather than profiled as a fourth credential.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition (in-state) | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (RD Concentration) | ~$45,600–$49,500 total (derived) | 4 years (12 quarters) | 120 |
| Dietetic Internship | Billed per quarter at the graduate rate; no fixed total published | 15–18 months (5–6 quarters) | 15 (Grad. Certificate) or concurrent with M.S. |
| M.S., Nutrition and Dietetics | ~$11,100–$14,400 total (derived) | About 1 year full-time minimum (3–4 quarters); slower pace common for working students | 30 (thesis) or 36 (non-thesis) |
Louisiana Tech’s defining advantage is structural: it is one of three schools in Louisiana running its own dietetic internship (Nicholls State and Southern University run the other two, though Nicholls’ own pages disagree on whether its internship holds full ACEND accreditation or candidate status, and Southern’s DPD, a separate program from its internship, is on ACEND probationary status). Unlike Nicholls, Louisiana Tech does not publish a numeric admission cap or reserve a pre-select track for its own undergraduates. Undergraduate completion does not guarantee internship admission (each program admits autonomously), so a Louisiana Tech DPD graduate competes for a seat on the same open terms as any outside applicant.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Program Types | B.S. (RD or Non-RD concentration), Dietetic Internship w/ Graduate Certificate, M.S. (thesis or non-thesis) |
| Format | Campus (B.S.); Hybrid (Internship: coursework online/hybrid, rotations in-person); Mostly Online (M.S., per the school’s own description) |
| Credit Hours | 120 (B.S.); 15 (DI Graduate Certificate, Track A); 30–36 (M.S.) |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes: DPD (RD concentration only) and the Dietetic Internship. The Non-RD concentration and the M.S. on its own carry no ACEND accreditation. |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, via the RD concentration DPD plus Louisiana Tech’s own DI plus a graduate degree and the CDR exam. The Non-RD concentration does not lead to RD eligibility. |
| Supervised Practice | 1,200 hours (FNU 5926 taken 3 times, 400 hours each), integrated with either a graduate certificate (15 months) or the M.S. (18 months) |
| Specializations | None formal; RD vs. Non-RD concentration is the main branch point |
| Distinctive Coursework | Medical Nutrition Therapy I–III sequence; Advanced Food Science; Food Systems Management |
| Research Requirement | M.S. thesis (6 SCH, FNU 5513) or non-thesis research project (FNU 5061); both require a comprehensive exam and a defense |
| Entrance Exams | None specified in the school’s current published DI or M.S. admission requirements |
| Intake | Dietetic Internship: single annual Fall cohort, DICAS application due February 15 |
| GPA Floor | 2.85 curriculum GPA for the RD concentration and for DI/Graduate School admission; 2.3 for the Non-RD concentration |
| Tuition | $320/credit (derived, in-state undergraduate); see Tuition section |
| Institutional Accreditation | SACSCOC |
B.S., Nutrition and Dietetics (RD Concentration)
The estimated tuition for the B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics, RD Concentration, at Louisiana Tech is approximately $45,600–$49,500 in-state (120 credits across 12 quarters at the school’s published quarterly rate; derived, see Tuition). The program requires 120 semester credit hours and can generally be completed in about 4 years (12 quarters).
Louisiana Tech runs two admitted concentrations under one Nutrition and Dietetics (BS) degree title, and the split matters. Students apply for upper-division status after 54 hours, and from there the two paths diverge:
B.S. (RD Concentration) Curriculum
The RD concentration is the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). It requires a 2.85 curriculum GPA and no grade below “C” in required courses to earn the ACEND verification statement, a materially higher bar than most general-education gates. The senior-year sequence runs three consecutive Medical Nutrition Therapy courses (diabetes/cancer/heart disease, then GI/renal/nutrition support, then clinical applications), which is a heavier clinical course load than a single combined MNT course would represent.
- FNU 2033: Basic Human Nutrition
- FNU 2303 / FNU 2331: Food Fundamentals + Application
- FNU 4023 / FNU 4043: Human Nutrition Biochemistry I & II
- FNU 4033: Community Nutrition
- FNU 4233, 4433, 4633: Medical Nutrition Therapy I, II, III
- FNU 4143: Nutrition Assessment
- FNU 4723: Food Systems Management
- FNU 4802: Nutrition and Dietetics Seminar
More curriculum details are available here.
You Should Know
The B.S. marketing page and the department’s own program-overview page publish two different RD exam pass rates: 96% on the Nutrition and Dietetics (BS) page versus 81% on the School of Biological Sciences program page. Neither page states the reporting period or cohort size behind its figure. Ask the program directly which figure is current before weighing it.
B.S. (Non-RD Concentration)
The Non-RD concentration shares the freshman and sophomore curriculum with the RD concentration but replaces the junior/senior clinical sequence (the three MNT courses, Nutrition Assessment) with 12 hours of directed electives and an approved minor in an area such as family and child studies, gerontology, kinesiology, business, or journalism. It requires only a 2.3 curriculum GPA to enter upper division, and graduates do not receive the ACEND verification statement. This is Louisiana Tech’s Track B pathway: appropriate for students headed toward food industry, wellness, or non-clinical nutrition-adjacent work rather than the RD credential, and its lighter GPA gate and open minor make it a real alternative rather than a fallback.
B.S. Admissions
Admission to the concentrations happens in two stages: general university admission, then a separate upper-division application after 54 semester hours (including 28 hours of required courses).
- RD Concentration: 2.85 curriculum GPA, no grade below “C” in required courses, to apply for upper division and again to graduate
- Non-RD Concentration: 2.3 curriculum GPA, no grade below “C” in required courses, to apply for upper division and to graduate
Dietetic Internship
The Dietetic Internship bills at Louisiana Tech’s published graduate quarterly rate rather than a single fixed total (see Tuition). The program requires a minimum of 15 credit hours of coursework (Track A) or coursework combined with the M.S. (Track B), plus 1,200 hours of supervised practice, and can generally be completed in 15 months (Track A) or 18 months (Track B).
Louisiana Tech’s DI is one of three dietetic internships based in Louisiana: Nicholls State and Southern University run the other two. Nicholls’ own catalog and department pages disagree on whether its internship currently holds full ACEND accreditation or candidate status. Southern’s internship states accreditation without a probationary qualifier, though its own pages disagree internally on the internship’s length and required hours. Louisiana Tech’s own DI is described as fully accredited on the school’s site, with no internal contradiction found. LSU sends its DPD graduates elsewhere for internship, since it runs none of its own. Admission to Louisiana Tech’s DI is separate from and not guaranteed by completing Louisiana Tech’s own undergraduate DPD, and unlike Nicholls, Louisiana Tech reserves no pre-select track for its own graduates.
Dietetic Internship Curriculum
The DI runs two admission tracks depending on whether an applicant already holds a graduate degree:
Track A (DI only, 15 months / 5 quarters). For applicants who already hold a graduate degree, or who will complete one elsewhere by the end of the internship. Students enroll in the Graduate Certificate in Dietetics (15 credit hours: FNU 5043, FNU 5483, two additional 5000-level FNU courses, and one elective) alongside the supervised-practice rotations.
Track B (M.S. + DI, 18 months / 6 quarters). For applicants without a graduate degree. Students enroll concurrently in the M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics and the Graduate Certificate in Dietetics while completing the same supervised-practice requirement.
Both tracks require FNU 5483, FNU 5043, and FNU 5926 (supervised-practice rotations) taken three times. The DI Verification Statement is issued once all DI and degree requirements are complete.
You Should Know
Louisiana Tech states plainly that its three programs (the undergraduate DPD, the DI, and the M.S.) “operate autonomously,” and that finishing the B.S. does not guarantee entry into the DI or the M.S. Apply broadly, including to out-of-state internships, rather than treating Louisiana Tech’s own DI as a default next step.
Dietetic Internship Supervised Practice
- Total hours: 1,200 (FNU 5926, 400 hours per rotation, taken 3 times)
- Delivery: didactic coursework online and hybrid; clinical rotations are in-person by nature and are placed at healthcare facilities
- Placement: interns must meet each assigned facility’s own policies, including vaccination requirements; a facility’s requirements are not waived by the program, and non-compliance can block placement and delay completion
- Only 3 of the credit hours generated across the three FNU 5926 rotations count toward the M.S. degree or Graduate Certificate minimum
At 1,200 hours, Louisiana Tech’s supervised-practice requirement sits above the roughly 1,000-hour standard commonly cited for CDR-accredited programs, reflecting the current combined coursework-and-practice model. Because rotations are facility-assigned rather than student-arranged, an intern’s placement outcome depends on which facilities accept Louisiana Tech interns in a given cycle, not solely on the intern’s own preferences.
Dietetic Internship Admissions
Louisiana Tech runs a single annual application cycle for a Fall-quarter start; there is no spring or off-cycle entry point.
- Applications submitted through DICAS (Dietetic Internship Centralized Application System)
- Deadline: February 15, for Fall-quarter admission
- DPD Verification Statement or Letter of Intent
- Minimum undergraduate curriculum GPA of 2.85
- Three recommendation forms (two academic, one work-related)
- Personal statement of professional goals
- Resume, city-preference form, and DPD course list as supplemental materials
More admissions details are available here.
M.S., Nutrition and Dietetics
The estimated tuition for the M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics at Louisiana Tech is approximately $11,100–$14,400 in-state (30–36 credits at the school’s published quarterly graduate rate; derived, see Tuition). The program requires 30 semester credit hours (thesis) or 36 (non-thesis) and can generally be completed in about 1 year full-time at minimum, though most students pace it more slowly alongside the DI or while working.
The M.S. is a standalone research/coursework degree; on its own it carries no ACEND accreditation. It becomes part of the RD pathway only when paired with the DI under Track B, at which point it satisfies the CDR’s post-2024 graduate-degree requirement while the DI supplies supervised practice.
M.S. Research Requirements
- Thesis option (30 SCH): FNU 5043, FNU 5383 (or HIIM 5053), FNU 5053 (or HIIM 5053), FNU 5513 (Research & Thesis, 6 SCH), plus 15 hours of approved electives
- Non-thesis option (36 SCH): the same three core courses, FNU 5061 (Non-thesis Research Project), plus 24 hours of approved electives
- Both options require a comprehensive exam and a defense of the thesis or research project
You Should Know
The catalog’s own program description states the non-thesis option “for a total of 30 SCH” in one sentence, but the program’s official total, listed separately, is 36 SCH. Reconstructing the course list (3 required courses at 3 hours each, plus a variable-credit research project, plus 24 elective hours) sums to 36, matching the official total rather than the mid-paragraph figure; treat 36 as correct.
Although most M.S. coursework is delivered electronically, Louisiana Tech’s own catalog explicitly states the program “is not considered an on-line program.” Courses may require synchronous online meetings, and the research committee may request face-to-face meetings during the thesis or research project process. Students concurrently enrolled in the DI also take some courses in traditional face-to-face format. Confirm current expectations with the program before assuming a fully asynchronous schedule.
M.S. Admissions
Admission runs through the LA Tech Graduate School.
- Minimum GPA of 2.85 for Graduate School admission
- Students combining the M.S. with the DI (Track B) apply to both programs; DI admission is not automatic
Tuition
Louisiana Tech’s published undergraduate in-state rate is $662 per credit hour at 1–3 credit hours, rising on a sliding scale to a flat institutional total of $1,851 tuition (plus $1,992 in mandatory fees, for $3,843) at 12 or more credit hours per quarter. Dividing that 12-hour flat-rate total by the 12-credit billing cap derives an effective rate of about $320 per credit for a full-time undergraduate. Louisiana Tech operates on a quarter calendar, not semesters, so these are per-quarter figures rather than per-semester ones.
Graduate in-state tuition follows the same sliding-scale structure: $730 per credit at 1 hour, reaching a flat institutional total of $2,004 tuition plus $1,891 fees ($3,895) at 12 or more credit hours per quarter.
These institutional totals exclude several mandatory add-ons Louisiana Tech bills separately: a $27/credit-hour Bulldog Bundle fee (undergraduate), a $10/credit-hour Energy Surcharge, a $5/credit-hour Technology Fee, and an Applied & Natural Sciences college fee ($47–$52). Louisiana Tech’s own “at-a-glance” table bundles most of these and shows a fully-loaded in-state undergraduate quarterly total of $4,125 (or $4,449 with the Bulldog Bundle) at 12+ hours, and a fully-loaded in-state graduate quarterly total of $4,177 at 12+ hours.
Estimated Totals by Credential (in-state, derived)
- B.S., RD Concentration (120 credits / 12 quarters): approximately $45,600 using the base institutional rate ($3,843/quarter × 12), or approximately $49,500 using the fully-loaded at-a-glance rate ($4,125/quarter × 12)
- M.S. (30 credits, thesis, roughly 3 quarters at a 10-credit pace): approximately $11,100, using the published 10-credit-hour graduate row ($3,700/quarter × 3)
- M.S. (36 credits, non-thesis, roughly 3–4 quarters depending on pace): approximately $11,700–$14,400
- Dietetic Internship: not reducible to a single total from published figures; billed per quarter at the graduate rate above across 5 (Track A) or 6 (Track B) quarters, plus professional costs below
Additional Dietetics-Specific Costs
- Liability insurance: approximately $40/year
- Professional association dues (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics + state affiliate): approximately $68/year
- Lab coat, scrubs, shoes, patches, name tag: approximately $200
- Field trips/field experience expenses: approximately $250/year
- Medical testing (TB, drug screening) and background checks: approximately $100
- DI-specific: RD exam preparation course, approximately $400
Be aware that:
The state hub’s cited figure of roughly $11,400 in resident tuition and fees for Louisiana Tech corresponds closely to the base institutional rate ($3,843/quarter × 3 quarters ≈ $11,529), which excludes the Bulldog Bundle, Energy Surcharge, Technology Fee, and college fee. The fully-loaded at-a-glance rate used above runs closer to $12,375–$13,347 per year once those are included. Both are legitimate depending on which fee lines a reader wants counted, but they are not the same number, and a per-quarter billing structure means the annual total also depends on whether a student enrolls in a Summer quarter.
For a self-funded student, the quarter system means tuition is assessed three or four times a year rather than twice, which can smooth cash flow but also means missing a single quarter’s enrollment threshold changes the total more often than at a semester school. Louisiana Tech’s own tuition and fees schedule and Net Price Calculator are the authoritative sources for a specific enrollment plan.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want the entire RD pathway, from prerequisite chemistry through supervised practice, handled at one Louisiana university without a separate internship search.
Choose Louisiana Tech if you want an open-admission internship with no numeric cap. LSU runs no internship of its own, so its DPD graduates compete nationally for a supervised-practice slot elsewhere. Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State both run their own ACEND-accredited DI, but Louisiana Tech does not publish an intake cap or reserve pre-select slots for its own undergraduates the way Nicholls does (a published 14-student annual limit), so an admitted student stays in Ruston for the entire pathway with a graduate degree already built into the timeline.
Choose the Non-RD concentration if you want nutrition coursework without the clinical bar. A 2.3 GPA gate, an open minor, and no verification statement requirement make it a genuinely different program from the RD concentration, not a consolation prize. It suits students aiming at food industry, wellness, or community work rather than clinical dietetics.
Choose the M.S. alone only if you already have a supervised-practice plan. On its own, Louisiana Tech’s M.S. is a research/coursework degree with no ACEND accreditation and no path to RD eligibility. It only functions as part of the RD pathway when paired with the DI under Track B, or after supervised practice completed elsewhere.
The honest trade-off: Louisiana Tech’s own materials warn that its three programs operate autonomously and that undergraduate completion guarantees nothing about DI or M.S. admission. A prospective student choosing Louisiana Tech for the “one-stop” pathway should still apply to internships elsewhere as a backup, exactly as the program itself advises.
Accreditation
Louisiana Tech University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which governs the university’s authority to award degrees, the transferability of its credits, admission to its graduate programs, and eligibility for federal financial aid. This institutional accreditation covers every program at the university, including all of the nutrition and dietetics credentials described here.
Programmatic accreditation is narrower and comes from the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), the only accreditor relevant to RD eligibility. ACEND accredits two named programs at Louisiana Tech: the undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics, which is delivered through the B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics, RD Concentration, and the Dietetic Internship, the post-baccalaureate supervised-practice program.
Two credentials profiled here fall outside that ACEND scope: the B.S., Non-RD Concentration, and the M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics taken on its own. This is standard for a research-and-coursework master’s and for a non-clinical undergraduate track, not a shortcoming; ACEND accredits didactic and supervised-practice programs specifically, not every nutrition-adjacent degree a department offers.
Graduates of the RD concentration DPD may apply to ACEND-accredited supervised-practice programs, including but not limited to Louisiana Tech’s own DI. On completing supervised practice together with a graduate degree, meeting the current Commission on Dietetic Registration requirements, graduates are eligible to sit for the CDR’s national RDN examination. Graduates of the Non-RD concentration or the M.S. alone are not RD-eligible on that credential; they may pursue non-RD credentials such as the Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) where their coursework and experience qualify, subject to that board’s own requirements.
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