Temple University Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Barnett College of Public Health • Philadelphia, PA • Campus • $1,249/Credit (Graduate, Pennsylvania Resident)

Temple University offers 1 nutrition credential that leads to RD/RDN eligibility:

  • Master of Public Health (MPH) in Nutrition (an ACEND Future Education Model graduate program)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
MPH Nutrition$59,952 (48 credits at $1,249, derived); about $62.4K with fees21 months (cap of 32 months)48

Temple’s only RD-eligible program is the MPH in Nutrition, a 48-credit graduate program that combines the dietetics coursework, 1,000 hours of supervised practice, and a public health master’s in one degree, with no separate internship match. ACEND accredits it as a graduate program under the Future Education Model, not as a Didactic Program, internship, or Coordinated Program, and Temple has no undergraduate nutrition major.

Temple also lists an 18-credit undergraduate Nutrition minor and a 12-credit graduate Nutrition certificate. Neither leads to RD eligibility, and the certificate does not appear in the 2026-27 graduate bulletin, so its current status could not be verified.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatIn person on Main Campus with some summer online courses; ACEND lists in-person plus online
ACEND AccreditationGraduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (Future Education Model), term to Dec. 31, 2031 per the directory
RD/RDN EligibilityYes, with a verification statement and CDR exam eligibility on completion
Supervised Practice1,000 hours integrated, sites assigned across greater Philadelphia
Entrance ExamsNo GRE listed among the required materials
GPA Floor3.0 cumulative; B- minimum in required courses
IntakeFall only; Early Action November 1, regular March 1
PrerequisitesAll required before starting: 2 chemistry, 2 biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, A&P, nutrition
Tuition2026-27: $1,249 per credit resident, $1,711 non-resident
Institutional AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education; Public Health: CEPH

Master of Public Health, Nutrition

The estimated tuition for the MPH in Nutrition at Temple is $59,952 for Pennsylvania residents (48 credits at $1,249) and $82,128 for non-residents (48 credits at $1,711), derived from the 2026-27 bursar schedule. The program is described as 21 months, with a cap of 2 years and 8 months in the bulletin and handbook.

MPH Curriculum

The 48 credits are 8 nutrition courses plus the MPH core. Nutrition courses include nutritional biochemistry, medical nutrition therapy, nutrition through the lifecycle, cultural and community nutrition, food preparation and management I and II (with a capstone meal, and ServSafe Manager required beforehand), public health nutrition, dietetics experiential learning, and two fieldwork courses. A B- is the minimum in required courses.

The capstone is an MPH project carried through the fieldwork courses, with an evaluative paper and a final oral defense, and there is no thesis.

MPH Supervised Practice

  • 1,000 hours: 140 foodservice in spring of year one, 420 public health fieldwork over the summer and fall, 80 community hours, and 360 clinical in spring of year two
  • The program assigns sites across greater Philadelphia and says first choices cannot be guaranteed; students are not required to find their own
  • Sites are unpaid, students pay their own travel and parking, and Temple provides liability insurance

MPH Admissions

  • A bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and all prerequisites complete before starting: two semesters each of chemistry and biology, and one each of organic chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, and nutrition
  • Two recommendation letters, a 500 to 1,000 word goals statement, transcripts, and a resume through DICAS; TOEFL 79 or IELTS 6.5 for international applicants
  • A fall start only, with Early Action on November 1 and a regular deadline of March 1 each cycle, and an in-person orientation in mid-August
  • Onboarding costs of about $118 for clearances, plus HIPAA training, a physical, vaccinations, and Academy membership; cohort size was not found
You Should Know

Temple’s pages disagree on the hours: the fieldwork page and handbook total 1,000 (360 clinical), while the bulletin lists 280 clinical, 140 foodservice, and 500 public health, a total of 920. They also differ on the time limit (three academic years on the program page, 32 months in the bulletin and handbook), on the course sequence, and on who directs the program. The handbook lists $1,204 and $1,649 per credit, which are the prior year’s rates.

Tuition

Temple’s 2026-27 graduate schedule lists Barnett College of Public Health tuition at $1,249 per credit for Pennsylvania residents and $1,711 for non-residents, up about 3.7% and 3.8% from the year before. Temple is a state-related university; residency requires 12 continuous months in Pennsylvania before enrolling. The separate online public health rate of $1,225 does not apply to this in-person program.

  • Year one is 21 credits ($26,229 resident) and year two 27 credits ($33,723), for $59,952 in total (derived)
  • University Services Fee: $549 for fall and spring terms at 9 or more credits, and $276 for a summer term at 9 or more credits; adding four fall and spring fees and the summer fee gives about $62,424 to $62,479 resident and $84,600 to $84,655 non-resident (derived)
  • Handbook costs: Exxat $37, books and supplies of $300 to $500 a semester, clearances near $118, an exam fee of $250, and optional student membership of $58 a year
  • No nutrition tuition differential or program fee was found

Be aware that:

The range in totals reflects an unconfirmed rule on whether the two summer sessions are charged the services fee separately. Temple describes departmental tuition remission for research, teaching, and internship appointments, but whether MPH Nutrition students are funded was not found. Official figures are on Temple’s graduate rate schedule.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to career changers with their science prerequisites already finished, who want the dietetics sequence and a public health master’s in a single fall-start degree in Philadelphia.

The dual credential is the difference in kind: one 48-credit degree supplies the ACEND-accredited training, the graduate degree the exam requires, and a public health master’s from a CEPH-accredited college, which suits students aiming at community, policy, or urban health work. The placement model removes the search for sites, since Temple assigns them across the region, though the sites are unpaid and cannot be chosen.

The honest limits are the prerequisite load, which must be complete before the first fall, the single yearly intake, and a program that began in 2020, so published outcomes are targets only; actual rates are available on request.

Accreditation

Temple is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, reaffirmed in 2020 with the next evaluation visit in 2027 to 2028, which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid. Temple states that the college and the MPH are also accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, which was not checked independently.

ACEND’s directory lists Temple’s Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics as accredited with a term ending December 31, 2031, and its initial accreditation date as December 14, 2020. ACEND’s 2020 decisions show that date as the grant of candidacy for a Future Education Model graduate program, and its July 2024 decisions list full and continued accreditation after a site visit, so full accreditation dates from 2024, not 2020. The 2019, 2021 through 2023, 2025, and 2026 decisions pages have no Temple entry, the decisions pages print no term dates, and Temple is not on the Programs Under Review page.

Temple has no Didactic Program, Dietetic Internship, or Coordinated Program. A graduate of the MPH completes the dietetics coursework, supervised practice, and graduate degree, receives a verification statement from the program director, and can sit for the CDR exam; state licensure requirements vary.

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