Department of Nutrition and Public Health • New York, NY • Hybrid (IPND) and Campus • $470/Credit (Graduate, New York Resident, Part-Time)
Hunter College lists 8 nutrition credentials, and 4 of them lead to RD/RDN eligibility when their entry requirements are met. Hunter has no accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, which closed in 2023:
- M.S., Integrated Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (IPND, an ACEND graduate program)
- Accelerated B.S.-M.S. (built on the IPND)
- M.S., Nutrition, Academic Dietetic Internship track (needs a DPD from another school)
- Dietetic Internship Advanced Certificate (supervised practice for people who hold a master’s)
- M.S., Nutrition, External Dietetic Internship track (non-RD at Hunter)
- M.S., Nutrition, Focused Study (non-RD)
- B.S., Nutrition and Food Science (non-RD)
- B.S., Nutrition and Wellness (non-RD)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Integrated Program (IPND) | About $29.5K resident, including a $7,950 excellence fee (derived) | 2 years full-time; 3 part-time | 53 |
| Accelerated B.S.-M.S. | Not clearly stated | 5 years instead of 6 | Not clearly stated |
| M.S. Nutrition, Academic DI | $16.6K to $16.9K resident (derived) | 3 semesters (1.5 years) | 36 |
| Dietetic Internship Certificate | $5,640 resident; $10,260 non-resident | September to May | 12 |
| M.S. Nutrition, External DI | $14,100 resident (derived) | Not clearly stated | 30 |
| M.S. Nutrition, Focused Study | $16,920 resident (derived) | Not clearly stated | 36 |
| B.S. Nutrition and Food Science | $6,930 a year resident tuition | 4 years | 52 on the page; 54 in the catalog |
| B.S. Nutrition and Wellness | $6,930 a year resident tuition | 4 years | 40 in the major |
Hunter’s RD route is the Integrated Program in Nutrition and Dietetics: a 53-credit master’s that includes about 1,050 supervised hours and a guaranteed placement, so there is no internship match. Hunter has no DPD, so applicants complete the prerequisites and the program supplies the dietetics coursework inside the degree.
Two other master’s routes depend on supervised practice supplied elsewhere. The External Dietetic Internship track leaves the student to match with an outside program, and the Academic track pairs with Hunter’s own internship but requires a DPD verification statement from another school.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | IPND: weekly classes in-class, hybrid, or online, with in-person practice. Other programs: campus |
| ACEND Accreditation | Graduate Program (reorganized May 2018) and Dietetic Internship (initial 1999), both to June 30, 2030 per the directory |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | IPND, Accelerated B.S.-M.S., Academic DI track, and the certificate: yes. External DI, Focused Study, and both B.S. degrees: no |
| Supervised Practice | IPND: about 1,050 hours, program-placed and unpaid. Academic DI: 1,000 hours |
| Entrance Exams | The GRE is not required; scores are also considered |
| GPA Floor | 3.0 preferred; 3.3 in prerequisites, with a 3.3 minimum stated in the FAQ |
| Cohort Size | IPND: up to 35 a year from about 100 applications |
| Intake | IPND: fall only, DICAS by February 15; other master’s: fall, March 1 |
| Tuition | CUNY graduate: $470 per credit part-time, $5,545 a semester full-time resident; non-resident $855 per credit |
| Institutional Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education, reaffirmed 2019 |
Master of Science, Integrated Program in Nutrition and Dietetics
The estimated resident tuition for the IPND at Hunter is about $29,521, which reconciles with Hunter’s own figure of roughly $30,000 and includes the $150 per credit Academic Excellence Fee, or $7,950 for 53 credits. It takes two years full-time or three part-time, with a fall start only, and a fully per-credit bill would be at most $32,860 (derived).
IPND Curriculum
Of the 53 credits, 41 are didactic, including a 3-credit capstone of a research paper and a comprehensive exam or a thesis, and 12 are seminars paired with supervised experiential learning. Classes meet once a week Monday to Thursday, and one class in each summer session is online.
IPND Supervised Practice
- About 1,050 hours: clinical about 450, focused nutrition practice about 300, food service about 200, and community about 100
- Placement is guaranteed and program-arranged, which Hunter says eliminates the matching process
- Rotations are in person in New York City and unpaid, although some sites may offer stipends
IPND Admissions
- DICAS by February 15 (international January 15), decisions by March 1, a statement of 500 words, a resume, and two to three letters
- Thirty-four prerequisite credits finished by the end of July: general chemistry, organic chemistry, two semesters of anatomy and physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, introductory nutrition, introductory food science, statistics, and a social science
- Introductory nutrition and food science can be replaced by Hunter challenge exams at $125 each, next offered December 10, 2026 and February 9, 2027, among other dates
- Selection uses a points system, with others placed on an alternate list
You Should Know
Hunter’s cost text gives the excellence fee as $7,950 and as about $4,690 over two years, and this profile uses $7,950, which equals 53 credits at $150. The FAQ states a 3.3 minimum GPA while the admissions page prefers 3.0 overall, and the FAQ names seven prerequisites against nine on the admissions page. The curriculum page and the older BS-MS still refer to a DPD that closed in 2023.
Accelerated B.S.-M.S.
The accelerated route finishes in five years instead of six and is built on the IPND, so it leads to RD eligibility, with only one to five students a year. An older version built on the DPD says it is not currently accepting applications. Its credit total and tuition were not found.
Master of Science, Nutrition, Academic Dietetic Internship
The Academic track is 36 credits (15 required, 12 experiential, and 9 elective) over three semesters, with 1,000 supervised hours of food service (150), medical nutrition therapy (350), and community work (500). It costs about $16,635 at three flat full-time semesters or $16,920 per credit (derived), and it requires a DPD verification statement from another school.
Dietetic Internship Advanced Certificate
The certificate is 12 credits and runs September to May with full-time practice of 35 to 40 hours a week and a weekly evening seminar. It requires a master’s degree or being within six credits of one, plus a DPD verification statement, and costs $5,640 in-state and $10,260 out-of-state in tuition plus $181.90 in fees. Applications go through DICAS by February 15, and credit for prior assessed learning can reach 500 hours. The cohort size was not found.
Master of Science, Nutrition, External Dietetic Internship
This 30-credit master’s (6 core, 21 elective, and 3 culminating) has no Hunter supervised practice, so the student must match with an outside internship. It costs $14,100 resident or $25,650 non-resident (derived), with a March 1 deadline and fall start.
Master of Science, Nutrition, Focused Study
This 36-credit master’s (6 core, 27 elective, and 3 culminating) is not an RD route and suits registered dietitians or science graduates. It costs $16,920 resident or $30,780 non-resident (derived), and its page still says to complete a DPD, which is stale.
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Food Science
The B.S. is 52 credits on the program page and 54 in the catalog, and the page describes it as a general nutrition degree rather than a DPD. It can be entered in fall or spring.
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition and Wellness
The newer B.S. is 40 credits including prerequisites and allied courses, non-clinical, and capped at 35 students a year. It is not a DPD.
Tuition
Hunter’s CUNY graduate rates are $470 per credit part-time and $5,545 a semester full-time for New York residents, and $855 per credit for non-residents. The IPND adds a $150 per credit Academic Excellence Fee, and graduate fees run $153.45 a semester full-time and $90.95 part-time.
- Derived IPND path: three full-time terms at $5,545, three three-credit part-time terms at $1,410, $7,950 in excellence fees, and about $706 in fees, for roughly $29,521 resident, or about $53,265 non-resident before fees
- The standalone certificate is billed as part-time, so it does not qualify for financial aid
- Undergraduate resident tuition is $3,465 a semester or $305 per credit part-time, and non-resident is $620 per credit
- Program estimates include onboarding of about $300, background checks near $300, and about $400 for books
Be aware that:
Hunter’s graduate fee sheet is labeled 2026 without naming the academic year, and CUNY’s graduate rates have not changed since 2019, so the figures are treated as 2026-27. The IPND resident part-time rate is listed as not available, though a three-year part-time path is advertised. Official figures are on Hunter’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to career changers who want a guaranteed-placement master’s at public tuition and can finish a long prerequisite list by the end of July.
If you have no DPD, the IPND is the intended door: it takes any bachelor’s with the prerequisites, builds the dietetics coursework and 1,050 hours into the degree, and skips the match, though it accepts only up to 35 students from about 100 applications. If you already hold a DPD verification statement, the Academic track or the certificate pair the master’s with Hunter’s own internship.
If you plan an external internship, remember that the External track is a master’s only and that the match is yours to win. If you are an undergraduate, the two B.S. degrees do not lead to the credential, and the accelerated route is limited to one to five students a year.
Accreditation
Hunter is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, reaffirmed in 2019 with a self-study for 2027, which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory lists a Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (listed initial date May 14, 2018, M.S. offered) and a Dietetic Internship (initial April 1, 1999), both accredited with terms ending June 30, 2030. The May 2018 date is the decision to reorganize into a Future Education Model graduate program, not a first accreditation. ACEND’s January 2023 decisions list both as fully and continued accredited after a site visit, and its July 2026 decisions continue the internship after a progress report. The 2018 decision also listed the internship as reorganizing, which sits oddly with its separate accreditation, and the decisions pages print no term dates.
Hunter’s Didactic Program in Dietetics voluntarily closed effective May 31, 2023 and is absent from the directory, and Hunter is not on the Programs Under Review page. A graduate of the IPND, the Academic track, or the certificate completes the supervised practice and the master’s and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of either B.S. cannot.
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