Nevada has two universities offering accredited dietetics — UNLV in Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno — plus a community college transfer route. Both universities run an accredited didactic programme and their own dietetic internship, which is unusually complete coverage for a state with only two.
What Nevada does not have is a coordinated programme. Every route here means accredited coursework followed by a separate internship application, so the match is a step you cannot design around. Nevada also licenses dietitians, with renewal every two years.
Nutrition Programs in Nevada — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas |
BS Nutrition Sciences — accredited DPD through June 2031 Dietetic internship — accredited through June 2027, minimum 1,040 hours MS Nutrition Sciences |
$288.50/credit undergraduate $353.50/credit graduate non-residents add $18,632/year |
Campus in Las Vegas | Yes — didactic and internship, both accredited |
| University of Nevada, Reno Reno |
BS Nutrition, dietetics specialisation — accredited DPD MS Nutrition with dietetics specialisation MS Nutritional Science Dietetic internship — accredited |
$288.50/credit undergraduate $353.50/credit graduate non-residents add $18,632/year |
Campus in Reno | Yes — confirm the current DPD accreditation term |
| Truckee Meadows Community College Reno |
AS Nutrition and Dietetics — transfer | $127.00/credit lower division $208.50/credit upper division |
Campus | No — transfer pathway into a four-year programme |
Rates are 2025–26 registration fees set by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents. Non-resident tuition is charged in addition to registration fees. Non-residents taking distance education courses while living outside Nevada pay a reduced rate of $144.25 per credit. Verify current figures before applying.
Which Nevada Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose UNLV if you want the longest accreditation runway. Its didactic programme has held full accreditation since 2001 and runs through June 2031, and its internship is accredited through June 2027. The internship requires a minimum of 1,040 supervised practice hours, slightly above the national minimum, with some specialty tracks adding a further 120.
Choose UNR if you want dietetics inside an agriculture and natural resources college. Its programme sits in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, and it offers a master’s in nutrition with a dietetics specialisation alongside a research-oriented nutritional science master’s.
Choose Truckee Meadows if you want two cheaper years first. At $127 per credit for lower-division coursework it costs less than half the university rate, and it feeds into the Reno programme in the same city.
Nevada Nutrition Schools
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
UNLV runs dietetics through its Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, and holds two separate ACEND accreditations.
- BS Nutrition Sciences — the accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, with concentration options including one that lets students complete the degree and DPD requirements together
- Dietetic internship — accredited through June 30, 2027, requiring a minimum of 1,040 hours
- MS Nutrition Sciences — applied for after the bachelor’s
UNLV’s DPD received full accreditation in 2001 and currently runs through June 30, 2031 — one of the longer terms among programmes covered on this site, which gives applicants unusual certainty about the coursework stage.
The internship sits above the national minimum at 1,040 hours, with specialty tracks adding roughly 120 more. UNLV is explicit that a master’s is now required before sitting the registration exam and that its own MS in Nutrition Sciences requires a separate application after the bachelor’s — so the three stages are three admissions decisions, not one.
University of Nevada, Reno
UNR houses nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, and like UNLV runs both coursework and supervised practice.
- BS Nutrition, dietetics specialisation — students complete the accredited didactic curriculum within the degree
- MS Nutrition with a dietetics specialisation, and MS Nutritional Science
- Dietetic internship — accredited supervised practice programme
The agricultural setting gives the department a different character from a health sciences school, with more emphasis on food systems and production alongside clinical nutrition.
One point to confirm before applying. UNR’s published dietetics handbook states that its Didactic Program in Dietetics is accredited through June 30, 2024. That date has passed, which most likely means the programme has been reaccredited and the handbook not updated — but it could mean something else, and it is not a question to guess at. Ask the programme director for the current accreditation status and term.
Truckee Meadows Community College
Truckee Meadows in Reno offers the state’s two-year entry point.
- Associate of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics — a transfer degree
It does not produce a verification statement and does not lead to a credential on its own, but at $127 per credit for lower-division coursework it costs well under half the university rate, and it is in the same city as UNR.
Confirm which specific courses UNR or UNLV will accept before enrolling. Being in the same system helps, but the receiving programme still decides what counts toward its dietetics prerequisites.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Nevada
Two universities, two internships, no coordinated route
Nevada has no coordinated programmes, so the internship is always a separate application. The compensation is that both universities run their own, one in the north and one in the south, which is better coverage than many larger states manage. Applying to both, and to programmes outside Nevada, remains sensible.
Nevada publishes tuition four years ahead
The NSHE Predictable Pricing Program sets base registration fees for at least four years in advance, with rates already published through 2028–29. Very few states do this. If you are budgeting a four-year degree plus a graduate step, Nevada removes most of the guesswork, and it is worth looking up the published schedule for the years you expect to be enrolled.
Distance students get a reduced non-resident rate
Non-residents living outside Nevada and taking distance education courses pay $144.25 per credit in non-resident tuition rather than the full rate — a meaningful reduction. Confirm which nutrition coursework is available at a distance before relying on it, since supervised practice is in person regardless.
The master’s requirement changed in 2024
Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree in any field, plus a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited programme, to sit for the RDN exam, with at least 1,000 supervised practice hours. Both Nevada universities offer master’s degrees, but neither combines it with the internship, so plan the two steps in parallel rather than sequentially.
Nutrition Licensure and Credentials in Nevada
Nevada licenses dietitians. UNLV states the sequence directly in its own materials: once the RDN credential is earned, a graduate may apply for a Nevada dietetics licence. The licence is separate from the national credential and required in addition to it.
Nevada licences renew every two years, while CDR registration renews on a five-year cycle requiring 75 continuing professional education units. Confirm current Nevada requirements and fees with the state before relying on them.
Before applying, verify three things directly with the school: the current accreditation status and term of UNR’s didactic programme, since its published handbook shows a date that has passed, whether UNLV’s internship accreditation has been extended beyond June 2027 if you are planning that far out, and how the master’s fits your timeline at either university, since neither combines it with supervised practice. Individual school profiles for these programs are in progress and will be linked here as they publish.