College of Graduate Studies • Portland, OR • Online • $641/Credit (Graduate, Private)
The University of Western States offers 3 nutrition credentials, all online, and none of them leads to RD/RDN eligibility:
- M.S., Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine
- Graduate Certificate, Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine
- Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine | $35,896 in tuition (derived); about $41.6K with fees | 9 quarters per the catalog; 2 years per the web page | 56 quarter credits (about 37 semester) |
| Graduate Certificate | $19,230 in tuition (derived); about $23.0K with fees | 6 quarters per the catalog; 3 to 7 per the web page | 30 quarter credits (about 20 semester) |
| Doctor of Clinical Nutrition | $51,935 in tuition (derived); about $57.0K with fees | 8 quarters, fixed sequence | 65 quarter credits (about 43 semester) |
Western States has no ACEND program of any type, and its pages say none of these degrees is an RD route. The M.S. was renamed in fall 2026 from Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine to Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine, and it is run with the Institute for Functional Medicine. The school’s FAQ says the M.S. satisfies the master’s-degree step for people who already hold an ACEND-accredited dietetics bachelor’s, who would still need an ACEND verification statement and supervised practice elsewhere.
The M.S. is designed to meet the coursework requirements for the Certified Nutrition Specialist exam. It is not accredited by ACNPE, the nutrition accreditor, and the 1,000 supervised practice hours the CNS requires are completed outside the degree.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Online, 100% asynchronous; no in-person training required |
| ACEND Accreditation | None; no Oregon directory listing and no decisions-page entry |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | No on its own; the M.S. satisfies only the graduate-degree step for people with a DPD |
| Supervised Practice | None required; mentorship electives publish no hours |
| Entrance Exams | None listed |
| GPA Floor | M.S.: 2.75. Certificate and DCN: 3.0 graduate GPA |
| Intake | M.S. and certificate: fall (October) and spring (April). DCN: fall only |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $641 per credit (M.S. and certificate), $799 (DCN), plus $632 a term in fees |
| Institutional Accreditation | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities |
Master of Science, Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine
The estimated tuition for the M.S. at Western States is $35,896 (56 quarter credits at $641, derived), or about $41,584 with the $632 per-term student services fee across nine quarters. The catalog standard length is nine quarters, the web page says two years, and pacing is flexible, though the catalog warns that financial aid may shrink if a student is slower than standard.
M.S. Curriculum
The core covers principles of functional medicine, clinical biochemistry and laboratory assessment, evidence-based nutrition, whole food nutrition and supplementation, gastrointestinal imbalances, detoxification, immune and autoimmune disease, hormone and neurotransmitter balance, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, nutrition through the life cycle, meal planning, and one 3-credit sports nutrition and exercise metabolism course. Two 2-credit electives are chosen from about 12, and the capstone is described as a practical demonstration of clinical readiness, with no thesis.
M.S. Admissions
- A bachelor’s or first professional degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75
- Prerequisites at C or better: biology, anatomy and physiology, biochemistry (within 8 years), and a nutrition course; a student without biochemistry can be admitted conditionally and take a 2-credit course in the first term
- Two letters of recommendation, a resume, a personal statement, an interview, and a $50 application fee
- Fall (October) and spring (April) entry; the fall 2026 deadline has passed, and if the nutrition programs follow Western States’ published quarter schedule, the next entry is spring 2027 with a March 15, 2027 deadline
You Should Know
Older fact sheets list 52 quarter credits, while the current page and catalog sequence both total 56. The M.S. page names only “an accredited institution” while other pages name the accreditor. Western States calls the M.S. the only accredited graduate program in functional medicine in the world, but no programmatic accreditor is named for it and none appears on the school’s accreditation page, so that claim is not repeated here.
Graduate Certificate, Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine
The certificate is 30 quarter credits, or $19,230 in tuition (derived), with eight core courses and one 2-credit elective. It is online, and most coursework transfers into the M.S. with no second application fee. It does not meet the academic requirements for the CNS exam. The page says it requires a master’s or doctoral degree in a health field with a 3.0 GPA, while the catalog description says first professional degree, so confirm eligibility with admissions.
Doctor of Clinical Nutrition
The DCN is 65 quarter credits at $799, or $51,935 in tuition (derived), taught as a fixed eight-quarter cohort sequence with fall entry only. It requires a master’s degree in nutrition with a 3.0 GPA and one course each in macro- and micronutrients, whole food nutrition, supplementation, meal planning, and functional medicine. The capstone is a publication-style clinical case report, and quarter 8 includes a 4-credit remote clinic internship with no published hours. The page says the DCN meets the educational requirements for the Diplomate of the American Clinical Board of Nutrition exam and says nothing about the CNS.
Tuition
Western States’ published 2026-27 rates are $641 per credit for the M.S. and the certificate and $799 for the DCN, with a student services fee of $632 per term. It is private, so residents and non-residents pay the same, and an older page listed the M.S. at $592 per credit.
- Derived: M.S. $35,896 in tuition ($41,584 with fees over nine quarters); certificate $19,230 ($23,022 over six); DCN $51,935 ($56,991 over eight)
- One-time costs: a $50 application fee and a $300 deposit applied to first-term tuition
- Whether the $632 fee is charged in every quarter, including summer, was not found, so the fee totals are estimates
Be aware that:
Books are not included, and the 1,000 supervised hours needed for the CNS are a separate cost and arrangement. Official figures are on Western States’ tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to health practitioners and graduates in related fields who want a fully online functional medicine approach to clinical nutrition and are not seeking the dietitian credential.
The credential value is the CNS route: the M.S. is designed to meet the coursework requirements, but graduates still need 1,000 supervised hours, an exam, and the board’s individual review. The stackable ladder runs from the certificate into the M.S. and then the doctorate, with most certificate credits transferring.
If you want to become a registered dietitian, none of these degrees is that route. Choose an ACEND program, and treat the M.S. here as at most the master’s step for someone who already holds a dietetics bachelor’s.
Accreditation
Western States is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid. Its accreditation page lists programmatic accreditations for counseling, chiropractic, occupational therapy, and sport and performance psychology, and none for nutrition.
ACEND’s live directory for Oregon lists four programs, at Oregon State and Oregon Health and Science University, and none at Western States. ACEND’s decisions pages for 2019 through 2026 and its Programs Under Review page contain no Western States entry. The ACNPE list of accredited programs does not include Western States either, so the M.S. reaches the CNS through the board’s coursework route and not through an accredited program.
A graduate holds a master’s or doctoral degree in clinical nutrition and is not eligible for the CDR exam on that basis.