Saint Louis University Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Doisy College of Health Sciences • St. Louis, MO • Campus • $1,450/Credit (Graduate, Private)

Saint Louis University lists 3 nutrition degrees, and 1 of them is a direct RD route:

  • M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics with the Dietetic Internship, the combined M.S.-DI (ACEND-accredited internship; the direct RD route)
  • B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics; verification statement only)
  • M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics without the internship (concentrations in culinary entrepreneurship, nutrition therapy, and nutrition and physical performance; not an RD route), also offered as a dual degree with an M.P.H.

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
M.S. Nutrition and Dietetics with Dietetic Internship$43,500 in tuition; $44,430 with fall and spring fees (derived)12 months per the internship page; 15 per the M.S. page30
B.S. Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD)$235,840 in tuition over four years; $239,840 with fees (derived)4 years121
M.S. Nutrition and Dietetics without internship$43,500 for 30 credits; $49,300 for the 34-credit culinary concentration (derived)Not stated30 to 34
M.S. with M.P.H. dual degreeNot publishedNot stated63 to 67 (derived)

The lead fact is that Saint Louis University’s RD route is its master’s combined with the dietetic internship, not a coordinated program. ACEND lists the internship and the Didactic Program in Dietetics as two separate accredited programs and lists no coordinated or graduate program for the school. A student needs the B.S. or another DPD verification statement before entering the combined master’s.

The master’s offers concentrations in culinary entrepreneurship, nutrition therapy, nutrition and physical performance, and pediatric nutrition (the last with the internship only). Freshmen who qualify for the ND Scholars program are guaranteed a place in the combined master’s.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus; ACEND lists both programs as fully in-person, and the internship is taught on campus in the evenings after rotations
ACEND AccreditationDietetic Internship and Didactic Program in Dietetics: both accredited, terms end June 30, 2028 per ACEND’s directory
RD/RDN EligibilityM.S.-DI: yes on completion. B.S. and the M.S. without the internship: no on their own
Supervised PracticeM.S.-DI: about 15 rotations of 1 to 3 weeks in the St. Louis area, at least 1,000 or 1,200 hours depending on the page
Entrance ExamsGRE optional for the M.S.; none for the B.S.
GPA FloorM.S.: 3.0. Internship page: 3.0 overall, 3.5 in the major, 3.0 in science. ND Scholars: 3.5
IntakeM.S.: fall only, deadline July 1 for U.S. applicants. Internship: August start through DICAS; 34 interns a year
Tuition2026-27: $1,450 per graduate credit; $58,960 a year undergraduate
Institutional AccreditationHigher Learning Commission

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics with the Dietetic Internship

The estimated tuition for the M.S.-DI at Saint Louis University is $43,500 (30 credits at $1,450, derived), or $44,430 with the fall and spring university and activity fees. The 30 credits reconstruct from the catalog roadmaps for each concentration, and part-time study is not allowed.

M.S.-DI Curriculum

The core includes physiology and metabolism I and II, a health innovations incubator, and a nutrition capstone. The culinary entrepreneurship concentration adds edible wild foods, culinary medicine, gastronomy, a culinary practicum, and two new-venture business courses. The nutrition and physical performance concentration adds bioenergetics of exercise, exercise testing and prescription, and nutrition for athletic performance, and the nutrition therapy and pediatric concentrations add counseling and pediatric nutrition courses.

  • Supervised practice is about 15 rotations of one to three weeks in St. Louis-area facilities; the placement model and any relocation rules were not found
  • Admission needs a bachelor’s degree with a DPD verification statement, three letters (two academic and one from a supervisor), a DICAS application, a statement of 1,000 words or fewer for each concentration, and a 20 to 30 minute video interview; there is no application fee
  • The pre-select option for Saint Louis University DPD seniors has a January 10 deadline; the exact DICAS deadline for the next cycle was not found
  • Starting from another field, the catalog describes a leveling year ending in a verification statement, but gives no credits or program page
You Should Know

The school’s pages disagree on the basics of this program. Duration is 12 months on the internship page and 15 months in the master’s cost table, supervised practice is at least 1,000 hours in one place and 1,200 in another, and the internship page lists GPA floors of 3.0, 3.5, and 3.0 that the catalog does not. The catalog also calls two concentrations thesis programs, while its course tables show a capstone and no thesis course.

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics

The B.S. is 121 credits over four years and is the accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics. At $58,960 a year in tuition it is $235,840 over four years (derived, assuming a flat rate), or $239,840 with $1,000 a year in fees; the school describes heavy scholarship use, so this is a sticker price. It has a two-semester hospital clinical practicum, a culinary-heavy core that includes baking and pastry and world cuisines, and a student-run café and farm. There is no capstone or thesis.

  • No program GPA floor was found; continuation requires a 2.5 GPA each semester and a C- or better in required courses
  • ND Scholars needs a 3.5 cumulative GPA, an application by December 1 of senior year of high school, a personal statement, and two recommendation letters; the conditions for keeping the guaranteed master’s place were not found
  • The school’s accreditation sentence on the B.S. pages names the master’s and internship rather than the DPD

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics without the Internship

Without the internship the M.S. is 30 credits for the nutrition therapy and nutrition and physical performance concentrations and 34 for culinary entrepreneurship, and the catalog states a range of 30 to 35. It can be taken full or part time, and the catalog says only the internship leads to RD eligibility. The tuition is the same $1,450 per credit, so $43,500 or $49,300 for the culinary concentration (derived).

  • Admission needs a bachelor’s in nutrition or a related field, a 3.0 GPA, prerequisites in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, nutrition, and medical nutrition therapy, three letters, a résumé, and an interview
  • The deadline is July 1 for U.S. applicants and May 1 for international applicants; the assistantship deadline is March 31 in one place and February 1 in another
  • Start is fall only, and cohort size was not found

Dual Degree: M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics and M.P.H.

The M.S. can be paired with a Master of Public Health in the Public Health Practice concentration, which is 42 credits with up to 9 shared with the M.S. The combined total is 63 credits, or 67 with the culinary concentration (derived). Separate applications go to each college, a 3.0 GPA is needed, and the page gives no duration, deadlines, delivery, tuition, or statement on whether the internship is included. The M.P.H. is accredited by CEPH, which is separate from ACEND.

Tuition

Saint Louis University is private, so one rate applies to every student. The cost-of-attendance page lists $1,450 per graduate credit for 2026-27, with no nutrition differential shown.

  • Graduate fees are $435 per term for the university fee plus $30 for graduate activities, so $930 over fall and spring (derived as 2 times $465); an $80 technology fee per term appears on one fee page only
  • If the summer credits bill at the $1,400 rate listed for Summer 2026, the M.S.-DI is about $43,100 in tuition (derived); the summer 2027 rate was not found
  • Program costs include a $105 drug screen and background check, $85 to $150 in immunizations, a $100 internship fee, $250 to $400 for a dietetics meeting, about $1,500 in transportation, $909 per semester in health insurance, and $7,000 to $9,500 in off-campus living
  • Undergraduate tuition is $58,960 a year and fees are $1,000; the page also lists $28,480 per term, which would total $56,960, so the two figures disagree by $2,000

Be aware that:

The master’s page estimates $43,969 to $48,714 for a 15-month program, using an older $1,130 rate, and a separate internship document shows $52,015 at $1,370 per credit. At today’s $1,450 rate the same cost items come to roughly $53,800 at the low end (derived), so the older estimates understate the cost. Official figures are on the university’s cost of attendance page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to students who want a master’s-plus-internship route to the RD credential in St. Louis, with a culinary, performance, therapy, or pediatric concentration.

The built-in internship removes the separate match step for students who enter the combined master’s, and ND Scholars gives qualifying freshmen a guaranteed place. The honest limit is that it is campus-only and full-time, supervised practice is in the St. Louis area, the school’s own pages disagree on duration, hours, and cost, and no outcome results are published, only objectives.

If you want a culinary career without the RD credential, the non-internship culinary entrepreneurship concentration fits. If you cannot relocate to St. Louis, choose a program with a distance internship.

Accreditation

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

ACEND’s live directory for Missouri lists the Dietetic Internship, with initial accreditation on January 1, 1934, and the Didactic Program in Dietetics, with initial accreditation on December 1, 1997, both accredited with terms ending June 30, 2028. The school gives no term dates. ACEND’s decisions pages, read through archived copies for some years, show full and continued accreditation after a site visit for both in January 2020 and no other Saint Louis University entry from 2019 through 2026. The Programs Under Review page lists no Saint Louis University program.

A graduate of the combined M.S.-DI completes the degree and supervised practice and is eligible for the CDR exam. A graduate of the B.S. holds a verification statement only, and a graduate of the M.S. without the internship is not eligible on that basis.

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