University of Maryland, College Park Nutrition Programs

Department of Nutrition and Food Science • College Park, MD • Campus • $12,290/yr In-State Tuition

UMD College Park offers 3 Nutritional Sciences credentials:

  • B.S., Dietetics (DPD)
  • Combined B.S./M.S. in Dietetics (non-thesis)
  • Dietetic Internship (a separate ACEND-accredited credential)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S.$12,2904 years
(120-credit bachelor’s norm)		Not clearly stated
B.S./M.S.Undergraduate years at the B.S. rate;
About 5 years total
(4-year B.S. plus about 1 year)		Not clearly stated
DI$8,550 44 weeksNot a credit-bearing degree

UMD’s DPD has run since 1977, and the department publishes an unusually specific reported outcome: 100 percent of alumni who sat the national registration exam in the past five years passed within a year of first attempt, a self-reported figure rather than an ACEND-audited objective. UMD also runs a non-thesis combined B.S./M.S. that satisfies the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s 2024 graduate-degree requirement in about one extra year, and a separately accredited Dietetic Internship that recruits nationally through DICAS rather than pre-selecting UMD’s own graduates.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
Program TypesB.S. (ACEND DPD); combined B.S./M.S. (non-thesis); Dietetic Internship (separate ACEND accreditation)
FormatCampus
Credit HoursNot clearly stated for the B.S. or combined B.S./M.S.
ACEND AccreditationYes — DPD accredited since 1977; Dietetic Internship separately accredited through December 31, 2032, per UMD’s own page (not independently cross-checked in ACEND’s directory)
RD/RDN EligibilityYes, on completing the Dietetic Internship together with a graduate degree (UMD’s combined B.S./M.S. or one from elsewhere)
Supervised PracticeHours not separately published; the Dietetic Internship runs 44 weeks at 32 to 40 hours a week
IntakeDietetic Internship: up to 12 interns a year via the national DICAS match; first-round deadline January 15, rolling second round through April 15; $40 supplemental fee
Reported OutcomeUMD states 100% of alumni who sat the national exam in the past five years passed within a year of first attempt (self-reported; exact cohort years not specified)
Tuition$12,290/yr in-state B.S.; $42,053/yr out-of-state; Dietetic Internship: $8,550 plus personal expenses
Institutional AccreditationMSCHE (Middle States Commission on Higher Education)

Bachelor of Science, Dietetics

The estimated tuition for the B.S. at UMD is $12,290 per year in-state, or $42,053 per year out-of-state (FY2026 tuition and mandatory fees, excluding housing). The program follows the standard four-year, 120-credit bachelor’s timeline.

B.S. Curriculum

UMD’s Dietetics DPD has been ACEND-accredited since 1977, making it the state’s longest-established accredited program. UMD’s own page states the program prepares graduates for medical, dental, pharmacy, and physician assistant school as well as dietetics, so the degree serves more than one destination.

You Should Know

UMD’s own page states approximately 70 students are enrolled in the program, a smaller cohort than the roughly 120 sometimes cited elsewhere.

B.S. Admissions

Admission follows UMD’s standard undergraduate admission process; students declare Dietetics to be on the DPD track.

Combined B.S./M.S. in Dietetics

UMD’s undergraduate years in the combined track are billed at the standard B.S. rate; the added graduate year’s tuition was not separately published on the pages reviewed. The combined, non-thesis track adds about one year to the standard four-year B.S. timeline.

B.S./M.S. Curriculum

This non-thesis combined degree satisfies the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s 2024 graduate-degree requirement in roughly one extra year beyond the bachelor’s, rather than requiring a separate master’s application afterward.

You Should Know

It was not confirmed whether this combined track admits external applicants directly or is limited to students already enrolled in UMD’s own Dietetics B.S. Confirm eligibility directly with the Department of Nutrition and Food Science.

B.S./M.S. Admissions

Contact the Department of Nutrition and Food Science directly for current admission requirements and timing for this combined track.

Dietetic Internship

The estimated cost for UMD’s Dietetic Internship is $8,550 in program tuition, plus personal expenses, separate from undergraduate tuition. The program runs 44 weeks full time.

DI Curriculum and Structure

UMD’s Dietetic Internship is a stand-alone, separately accredited credential, not combined with a master’s degree into one program. It recruits through the national DICAS system rather than being restricted to UMD’s own DPD graduates, so applicants from other accredited DPD programs can apply on equal footing.

DI Supervised Practice

  • 44 weeks full time, 32 to 40 hours a week of supervised experience and class days
  • Total required hours not separately published on the pages reviewed

DI Admissions

  • DPD verification statement and food/nutrition experience required
  • Application via DICAS; first-round deadline January 15, rolling second round through April 15
  • $40 supplemental application fee, paid directly to the program
  • Up to 12 interns admitted a year

Tuition

UMD bills undergraduate tuition as a flat annual rate rather than per credit: $12,290 a year in-state, $42,053 a year out-of-state, covering tuition and mandatory fees before housing.

  • $12,290/year in-state tuition and mandatory fees (FY2026, University System of Maryland schedule)
  • $42,053/year out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees
  • $8,550 in program tuition for the Dietetic Internship, separate from undergraduate tuition, plus personal expenses

Be aware that:

The $12,290/$42,053 figures are UMD’s general undergraduate tuition schedule, not a dietetics-specific rate. The added graduate year’s cost for the combined B.S./M.S. track was not separately published, so budget for an additional year at whatever UMD’s current graduate tuition rate is when you apply.

Official figures are published on the University System of Maryland’s FY2026 UMD tuition and fees schedule.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for students who want the state’s longest-running accredited DPD and a nationally competitive, rather than internally pre-selected, path into supervised practice.

Students focused on outcomes data get an unusually specific reported figure from UMD itself: a 100 percent one-year exam pass rate among recent alumni, though the exact cohort years behind that number aren’t specified.

Students who want the graduate-degree requirement solved quickly can use the combined, non-thesis B.S./M.S. to add roughly one year rather than applying to a separate master’s program later.

The honest trade-off is that UMD’s Dietetic Internship is genuinely competitive and national, not a guaranteed next step even for UMD’s own DPD graduates, and the program’s enrollment (about 70 students) is smaller than sometimes reported.

Accreditation

UMD College Park is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.

ACEND accredits UMD’s Didactic Program in Dietetics, continuously since 1977, and separately accredits its Dietetic Internship, currently through December 31, 2032 per UMD’s own page. The combined B.S./M.S. inherits the underlying DPD’s accreditation rather than carrying a separate program-type accreditation of its own.

Graduates of the Dietetic Internship are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam once the graduate degree, ACEND-accredited coursework, and supervised practice are all complete. Graduates of the DPD alone are not RD-eligible and must complete a Dietetic Internship, at UMD or elsewhere, plus a graduate degree, to pursue the credential.

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