Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion • Mississippi State, MS • Campus • $5,547.50/Semester (Resident)
Mississippi State offers 3 Nutritional Sciences credentials:
- B.S., Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, Food and Nutrition Concentration (DPD)
- M.S., Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, Nutrition Concentration
- Dietetic Internship (combined with the M.S., or a shorter track for those who already hold a master’s)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. | $5,547.50/semester resident (~$11,095/yr) | 4 years (120-credit bachelor’s norm) | Not clearly stated total for the concentration |
| M.S. | $5,547.50/semester resident (~$11,095/yr) | Not clearly stated as a fixed duration | 30-31, thesis and defense required |
| DI | Billed via the M.S. or prior-master’s enrollment; DI page’s own cost table cites a rate inconsistent with MSU’s current Controller rate | ~23 months (DI/M.S. combined) or ~11 months (DI with a prior master’s) | 15, for the prior-master’s track |
Mississippi State is the only Mississippi school with both the DPD and an ACEND-accredited internship on the same campus. Since the 2024 CDR graduate-degree rule, there is no longer a true standalone DI here: every intern completes either the combined DI/M.S. track or a shorter DI track for those who already hold a master’s and a DPD. The internship recruits nationally through DICAS, with no confirmed pre-select track for Mississippi State’s own DPD graduates, contrary to a “limited enrollment” framing sometimes associated with this program, which appears to actually describe Michigan State University’s dietetics page instead, a different school sharing the same “MSU” abbreviation.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: not clearly stated total for the Food and Nutrition concentration; M.S.: 30-31, thesis and defense required; DI with a prior master’s: 15 |
| ACEND Accreditation | Yes — B.S. DPD; Dietetic Internship separately accredited (exact term end date not independently confirmed) |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, via the combined DI/M.S. track, or the DI-with-prior-master’s track for those who already hold a master’s and a DPD |
| Supervised Practice | 1,064 hours |
| Intake | National DICAS and D&D Digital match, November 15 to February 15 application window; decisions by March 1, accept or decline by March 15; no confirmed pre-select track for Mississippi State’s own DPD graduates |
| Admissions | DPD entry: 3.0 GPA, C or better in required science courses, 60-plus completed credits, DPD Eligibility Form |
| Tuition | $5,547.50/semester resident (about $11,095/yr), the same full-time band for undergraduate and graduate students; nonresident $15,043.00/semester (about $30,086/yr) |
| Institutional Accreditation | SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) |
Bachelor of Science, Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion (Food and Nutrition Concentration)
The estimated tuition for the B.S. at Mississippi State is $5,547.50 per semester for residents, about $11,095 a year. The program follows the standard four-year bachelor’s timeline; a specific total credit count for the concentration itself was not clearly published.
B.S. Curriculum
The Food and Nutrition concentration is Mississippi State’s ACEND-accredited DPD, housed within the broader Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion major. Note that internal MSU pages name this concentration inconsistently: the DPD-specific page calls it “Food and Nutrition,” while the college’s general major listing labels it simply “Nutrition” for the same program.
B.S. Admissions
- 3.0 GPA minimum
- C or better in required chemistry, biology, and statistics courses
- 60 or more completed credits and a DPD Eligibility Form before entering the DPD sequence
You Should Know
A claim that “enrollment in the dietetics major is limited” is sometimes associated with this program, but no numeric enrollment cap or cohort limit was found on Mississippi State’s own pages. That specific claim traces instead to Michigan State University’s dietetics page, a different school that shares the “MSU” abbreviation. Don’t assume Mississippi State’s DPD is enrollment-capped without direct confirmation from the department.
Master of Science, Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion (Nutrition Concentration)
The estimated tuition for the M.S. is the same $5,547.50 per semester resident rate as the undergraduate program, about $11,095 a year. The degree requires 30 to 31 credits, including a thesis and a final defense.
M.S. Curriculum
This M.S. is research-oriented, built around two graduate-level biochemistry courses, a graduate statistics course, and a personalized study plan, with at least 12 credits at the 8000 level. It does not itself include supervised practice; that comes from the separate Dietetic Internship, either combined with this degree or completed afterward if the student already holds a different master’s.
M.S. Admissions
Standard Mississippi State graduate admission requirements apply; students pursuing the RD pathway typically pair this degree with the Dietetic Internship, described below.
Dietetic Internship
Mississippi State’s Dietetic Internship does not carry a separate tuition line; it is billed through whichever track a student follows, either combined with the M.S. above or as its own shorter sequence for students who already hold a master’s degree. The combined DI/M.S. track runs about 23 months; the DI-with-prior-master’s track runs about 11 months across 3 semesters, at 15 graduate credits.
DI Structure and Eligibility
Since the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s 2024 graduate-degree rule, Mississippi State no longer offers a true stand-alone internship independent of graduate coursework. Applicants either complete the combined DI/M.S. track from the start, or, if they already hold a master’s degree and a DPD verification statement, complete a shorter 15-credit track alongside the internship.
You Should Know
Mississippi State’s own Dietetic Internship page publishes a per-credit cost figure that is inconsistent with the university Controller’s current published rate for the same semester, an unresolved internal discrepancy. Confirm the exact current cost directly with the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion rather than relying on either published figure alone.
DI Supervised Practice
- 1,064 total hours
DI Admissions
- DPD verification statement required
- 3.0 overall GPA; a 3.25 nutrition GPA is recommended, not required
- Application via DICAS, national D&D Digital match; window runs November 15 to February 15
- Admission decisions by March 1; accept or decline by March 15
Tuition
Mississippi State bills a flat per-semester rate for full-time enrollment rather than a strict per-credit price, identical for undergraduate and graduate students carrying a full-time load.
- $5,547.50/semester resident, full-time (about $11,095/year)
- $15,043.00/semester nonresident, full-time (about $30,086/year)
Be aware that:
A commonly cited ~$10.1K/year in-state figure for Mississippi State understates the current rate; the university’s own 2026-27 Controller schedule shows resident full-time tuition closer to $11,095 a year. Separately, the Dietetic Internship’s own cost page cites a per-credit rate that does not match the Controller’s current published rate, so confirm current DI-specific costs directly with the department.
Official tuition figures are published on Mississippi State’s Controller tuition page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for students who want an accredited internship on the same campus as their degree, removing some of the geographic uncertainty DPD graduates elsewhere face.
Students without a prior graduate degree can move directly into the combined DI/M.S. track, completing both the graduate-degree requirement and supervised practice in about 23 months.
Students who already hold a master’s and a DPD get a shorter, roughly 11-month track focused on the internship itself, at 15 credits.
The honest trade-off is that this internship is fully competitive through the national DICAS match, with no evidence of a reserved track for Mississippi State’s own DPD graduates, and the department’s own published cost figures for the internship don’t agree with the university’s official tuition schedule.
Accreditation
Mississippi State is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND accredits Mississippi State’s Didactic Program in Dietetics, within the Food and Nutrition concentration, and separately accredits its Dietetic Internship. The M.S. in Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is a research degree and is not itself ACEND-accredited; it satisfies the graduate-degree requirement when paired with the internship’s supervised practice.
Graduates of the combined DI/M.S. track, or the DI-with-prior-master’s track, are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam once the graduate degree, accredited coursework, and supervised practice are all complete. Graduates of the DPD alone are not RD-eligible and must complete a Dietetic Internship, at Mississippi State or elsewhere, plus a graduate degree, to pursue the credential.
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