Two schools with nutrition programs serve the Oklahoma City area: the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Between them they run 8 credentials. Resident undergraduate costs at UCO run about $9,356 a year in tuition and mandatory fees, and OU’s 68-credit Coordinated Program runs about $29,240 in tuition and program fee. Durations run from about 6 to 8 months for OU’s stand-alone internship to four years for UCO’s bachelor’s degree.
Both schools reach the RD credential, by different structures. OU describes its Coordinated Program as Oklahoma’s only one: it integrates coursework and supervised practice into a single master’s, and OU also offers internship routes for applicants who already hold a verification statement. UCO holds an accredited bachelor’s DPD and its own internship, designed to finish alongside its master’s in 12 months. OU’s stand-alone M.S. and certificate and UCO’s bachelor’s on its own do not lead to RDN eligibility.
Nutrition Programs in Oklahoma City — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Oklahoma City | M.A. Dietetics — ACEND Coordinated Program, 68 credits Combined M.S./Dietetic Internship — 34 credits Dietetic Internship — stand-alone, for applicants with a master’s M.S. Nutritional Sciences — 34 credits, non-RD Applied Nutrition Certificate — 12 credits, non-RD | Coordinated Program ~$29.2K resident, ~$77.4K non-resident (tuition and program fee); internship ~$9.3K resident, ~$13.5K non-resident; M.S. ~$13.2K resident (derived) | Campus; certificate online | Yes — Coordinated Program, or the internship with a graduate degree |
| University of Central Oklahoma Edmond | B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Management — ACEND DPD, 124 credits M.S. Nutrition and Food Science — 32 credits Dietetic Internship — integrated with the M.S., 12 months | B.S. $311.86/credit resident, $687.46 non-resident (about $9.4K and $20.6K a year); graduate tuition not found; internship program fee $2,000 | Campus | Yes — the DPD, then UCO’s own internship and M.S. |
Costs are each profile’s published or derived totals, resident first. Oklahoma State, Northeastern State, and Tulsa Community College are on the Oklahoma nutrition programs page.
Which Oklahoma City Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose OU Health Sciences if you want supervised practice built into the degree from the first term. Its 68-credit Coordinated Program can start from 87 to 90 credit hours instead of a finished bachelor’s, admits fall only, and has an ACEND site visit dated October 25, 2026.
Choose UCO if you want the bachelor’s DPD, the internship, and the required master’s on one campus. Resident undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees run about $9,356 a year, and the internship pairs with an M.S. to finish in 12 months.
Oklahoma City Nutrition Schools
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Oklahoma City; Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Allied Health; campus-based. OU now brands the campus OU Health Campus.
- M.A. Dietetics Coordinated Program — 68 credits over six terms, $247 per credit resident plus a $183 program fee
- Combined M.S./Dietetic Internship — 34 credits, 22 months, a bachelor’s plus a verification statement required
- Stand-alone Dietetic Internship — $7,150 program fee, for applicants who already hold a master’s
- M.S. Nutritional Sciences — 34 credits, non-RD; Applied Nutrition Certificate — 12 credits, online
OU’s own pages state supervised-practice hours three different ways (1,000 plus, 1,040, and 1,200 plus) and give conflicting accreditation end dates. Full OU Health Sciences profile.
University of Central Oklahoma
Edmond; Department of Human Environmental Sciences; campus-based.
- B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Management — a single-track degree housing the ACEND DPD, 124 credits
- M.S. Nutrition and Food Science — 32-credit minimum, food-science tracks or a dietetics focus
- Dietetic Internship — 1,000 supervised-practice hours, ranked admission, $1,000 program fee each fall and spring
UCO publishes no outcome results, and its pages cite no partnership with OU. Its internship takes a limited, unpublished number of students a semester. Full University of Central Oklahoma profile.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Oklahoma City
Which programs carry the credential
OU’s Coordinated Program carries the credential on its own. OU’s internship routes and UCO’s internship reach it with a graduate degree, and OU’s stand-alone M.S. and certificate, plus UCO’s bachelor’s alone, do not.
Bundled or in steps
OU’s Coordinated Program is one admission to the whole pathway. UCO builds it in stages: DPD, then an internship ranked on a point system, with the master’s finished alongside.
Cost architecture
The two schools’ costs are not directly comparable. OU’s program fee adds $183 per credit to Coordinated Program tuition, and its internship carries a flat $7,150 fee. UCO’s published rates are undergraduate, and its graduate tuition was not found.
Accreditation timing
OU’s Coordinated Program and internship are both on ACEND’s Programs Under Review page with a site visit dated October 25, 2026, and no decision has been published. UCO’s DPD and internship were last continued after an interim report in July 2024.
Before applying in Oklahoma City, confirm OU’s accreditation status after its October 25, 2026 site visit, OU’s supervised-practice hours, and UCO’s graduate tuition and internship seat count. Oklahoma requires dietitian licensure, so passing the national exam is not the last step. For other Oklahoma programs, see the Oklahoma nutrition programs page.