Department of Nutrition, College of Health Sciences • West Chester, PA • Campus (B.S.) and Online (M.S./Internship) • $704/Credit (Graduate Online, In-State)
West Chester University offers 4 nutrition credentials, and 3 of them lead to RD/RDN eligibility with the right sequence:
- B.S., Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration (the Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- M.S., Community Nutrition (online, non-RD)
- M.S., Community Nutrition with Dietetic Internship (online coursework, student-arranged practice)
- Post-Master’s Dietetic Internship Certificate
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Nutrition (DPD) | About $12.1K a year in-state with fees (derived) | 4 years, or 5 accelerated to the M.S. | 120 minimum |
| M.S. Community Nutrition | About $23.2K (33 credits at $704.22, derived) | Not clearly stated | 33 |
| M.S. Community Nutrition with Internship | About $29.6K (42 credits at $704.22, derived) | 2 years | 42 |
| Post-Master’s DI Certificate | About $10.6K (15 credits at $704.22, derived) | 11 months | 15 |
West Chester’s RD route runs through an ACEND Dietetic Internship that is built into an online master’s, with the student finding supervised practice sites where they live. The plain M.S. in Community Nutrition makes no RD claim, and West Chester’s page says only students who complete a dietetic internship, here or elsewhere, are eligible for the credential.
The Didactic Program in Dietetics is the accredited unit on the bachelor’s side. West Chester suggests the DPD followed by the M.S./Internship, and an accelerated B.S.-to-M.S. route shortens six years to five.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | B.S.: campus (ACEND lists in-person plus online). M.S.: online. M.S./Internship: online coursework, in-person practice |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD (initial 1997, term to Dec. 31, 2032) and Dietetic Internship (initial 2018, term to June 30, 2029) per the directory |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S./Internship and Certificate: yes, with CDR exam eligibility. B.S. and plain M.S.: no on their own |
| Supervised Practice | At least 1,000 hours; four 8-week rotations totaling 1,040 per the handbook; student-arranged sites |
| Entrance Exams | No GRE found in any admissions page |
| GPA Floor | M.S./Internship: 3.2 undergraduate; Certificate: 3.25 graduate; M.S.: 3.0 or higher per the catalog |
| Intake | Internship tracks: DICAS and graduate application by January 15; certificate summer only. M.S. rolling |
| Cohort Size | Up to 36 dietetic interns a year |
| Tuition | 2026-27 online graduate: $704.22 in-state, $737.22 out-of-state per credit; standard graduate $761.95 |
| Institutional Accreditation | Middle States Commission on Higher Education |
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration
The B.S. in Nutrition with the Dietetics Concentration is 120 credits minimum, with a C or better required in all nutrition courses, the math course, and the sciences. In-state full-time tuition is $4,169 a semester, and with the $436 technology fee and the $1,430.37 general fee the total is about $6,035 a semester, or $12,070 a year (derived). The out-of-state full-time tuition was not found.
The plan has 24 credits of common nutrition courses, 25 of cognates, 27 in the dietetics concentration, and a capstone, which accounts for about 83 of the 120 credits. A Lifestyle Nutrition concentration is no longer accepting students, so the dietetics concentration is the only bachelor’s route. Seniors on the accelerated path may take four graduate courses, which count as undergraduate electives and are billed at the undergraduate rate. The B.S. has no built-in supervised practice. Retention GPA was not found.
Master of Science, Community Nutrition
The standard M.S. is 33 credits, non-thesis, ending in a capstone paper, and offered 100% online. At the online-category rate that is about $23,239 in-state and $24,328 out-of-state in tuition and per-credit fees (derived); if the standard graduate category applied instead, in-state would be about $25,144 and out-of-state $35,077. The courses are nutrition science (9 credits), applied nutrition (15), capstone (6), and an elective (3).
Applicants without a nutrition degree need C or better in introductory nutrition, anatomy and physiology I and II, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and statistics before applying. Admission is rolling for fall and spring, with two letters (one academic and one professional), a goal statement, and a resume. No GRE was found and the program length is not stated.
Master of Science, Community Nutrition with Dietetic Internship
The estimated tuition for the M.S./Dietetic Internship is about $29,577 in-state or $30,963 out-of-state (42 credits at $704.22 or $737.22, derived at the online-category rate that West Chester itself uses for its internship). It takes about two years, with the internship itself described as full-time and 11 months, and a completion goal of three years.
M.S./Internship Curriculum
The track uses the same core as the plain M.S. plus a 3-credit course (NTD 616) and a 6-credit supervised practice course taken twice (NTD 521), which brings the program to 42 credits. The coursework is online and ends in a capstone.
M.S./Internship Supervised Practice
- At least 1,000 hours, and four 8-week rotations of 256, 256, 264, and 264 hours total 1,040 (derived from the handbook): community, foodservice management, inpatient clinical, and outpatient clinical
- Interns find their own preceptors and sites where they live, and new sites need an affiliation agreement
- A three-day on-site orientation in late August; fieldwork is unpaid and travel is the intern’s cost
M.S./Internship Admissions
- A DPD verification statement by the start of the internship, or a declaration of intent plus acceptance to the M.S.; a 3.2 undergraduate GPA, and a 3.0 to stay in the M.S.
- The graduate application and DICAS with three recommendations, a personal statement of up to 1,000 words, and a resume; deadline January 15, with virtual interviews in February, notification by March 1, and acceptance by March 15
- Up to 36 interns a year; accelerated students may apply by Early Decision with 72 credits and a 3.5 GPA
You Should Know
The internship handbook (August 2024) says the program is “currently granted candidacy,” while ACEND lists it as fully accredited since 2018, so the handbook wording is stale. The credit total appears as 42 in the catalog and 42 to 48 in the handbook and calendar, and the standalone M.S. page says it is “Accredited by ACEND” although ACEND accredits the DPD and the internship, not that master’s. The accelerated-entry requirement also differs, at 72 credits and 3.2 GPA on one page and 60 credits and 3.0 on another.
Post-Master’s Dietetic Internship Certificate
The certificate is 15 credits (NTD 521 twice and NTD 616), about $10,563 in-state or $11,058 out-of-state (derived at the online-category rate), over 11 months with a completion goal of 16.5 months. It is for applicants who already hold a graduate degree with at least a 3.25 GPA and a DPD verification statement, with summer-only admission and a January 15 deadline. Delivery matches the master’s track: online coursework and in-person practice at student-arranged sites. It earns a verification statement, not a degree.
Tuition
West Chester’s 2026-27 bursar data show graduate tuition of $557 per credit in-state, plus a $52 technology fee and part-time fees, for $761.95 per credit in the standard category (derived), and $704.22 in the online category. Out-of-state rates are $1,062.95 standard and $737.22 online. West Chester is a Pennsylvania state system university, and its internship cost page states that its tuition uses an MBA program rate similar to the online M.S./Internship.
- Derived program totals at the online-category rate: M.S. $23,239 in-state and $24,328 out-of-state; M.S./Internship $29,577 and $30,963; Certificate $10,563 and $11,058
- Internship extras: background checks of $50 to $400, liability insurance of $30 to $100, a lab coat and shoes of $75 to $125, textbooks of $200 to $500, an online system fee of $90, and Academy membership of $58 a year, plus orientation travel
- Graduate assistantships carry a tuition waiver and stipend; the rules were not found
Be aware that:
West Chester’s own internship cost page is dated to 2025-26 and shows $670 in-state and $701 out-of-state per credit (about $28,140 and $29,442 for the 42-credit track), and the printed graduate catalog repeats 2025-26 rates. No bursar statement assigns the standalone M.S. to the online category. Full-time terms bill a flat general fee, so actual bills may differ from the per-credit arithmetic. Official figures are on the bursar cost calculator.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for Pennsylvania students who want a public-university route through the whole RD sequence, with online coursework and the freedom to complete supervised practice near home.
The cost picture is the draw: for an in-state student the M.S./Internship comes to roughly $29,600 in tuition and per-credit fees at the online rate, at a public-university price. The trade-off is that interns must arrange their own sites and preceptors, which shifts the search work, travel, and clearance costs onto the student, and the program takes up to 36 interns a year.
If you already hold a master’s, the 15-credit certificate is the shortest route to the internship. If you need only the master’s, the plain online M.S. does not carry the credential.
Accreditation
West Chester is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which lists it as accredited since 1946 with a 2021 reaffirmation and the next evaluation in 2028 to 2029 (read from a search snippet). Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory lists a Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation July 1, 1997, B.S. offered, term ending December 31, 2032) and a Dietetic Internship (initial June 11, 2018, M.S. offered, term ending June 30, 2029). ACEND’s decisions pages show full and continued accreditation of the DPD after a site visit in April 2025, a distance education change in October 2023, and, for the internship, full and continued accreditation after a site visit in January 2022, a denied enrollment increase in March 2024, and an approved increase in July 2024. West Chester is not on the Programs Under Review page.
The standalone M.S. in Community Nutrition is not itself ACEND-accredited. A graduate of the M.S./Internship or the certificate completes the supervised practice and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the B.S. or the plain M.S. needs the internship, a master’s where applicable, and the exam.
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