Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Health and Wellness • Providence, RI • Campus, Hybrid, and Online • $842/Credit (Graduate, Private)
Johnson & Wales University lists 6 nutrition credentials, and 1 of them is a direct RD route, at ACEND candidacy rather than full accreditation:
- M.S., Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics (an ACEND graduate program, in candidacy; Providence)
- B.S., Dietetics and Applied Nutrition (the Didactic Program in Dietetics; Providence)
- B.S., Culinary Nutrition (Providence and Charlotte; non-RD)
- M.S., Nutrition (online; non-RD)
- Sports Nutrition graduate micro-certificate (online; non-RD)
- Nutrition minor (15 credits)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics | $40,416 (48 credits) or $45,468 (54), at $842 (derived) | 16 months, 4 consecutive semesters | 48 with a DPD verification statement; 54 without |
| B.S. Dietetics and Applied Nutrition | $181,632 in tuition over four years at the flat rate (derived) | 4 years | 120 |
| B.S. Culinary Nutrition | $181,632 in tuition over four years at the flat rate (derived) | 4 years | 122 |
| M.S. Nutrition (Online) | $25,260 to $30,312 (30 to 36 credits, derived) | Not clearly stated | 30 (36 with foundations) |
| Sports Nutrition Micro-Certificate (Online) | $7,578 (9 credits, derived) | Not clearly stated | 9 |
Johnson & Wales’s RD route is the master’s in clinical nutrition and dietetics, a Future Education Model graduate program with more than 1,000 supervised hours built in. Its first cohort graduated in December 2025, and ACEND lists it as a candidate with a site visit scheduled for November 8, 2026. The bachelor’s in dietetics and applied nutrition holds the Didactic Program in Dietetics and leads to a verification statement only.
The culinary and sports credentials are separate. The B.S. in Culinary Nutrition has no ACEND statement and no RD claim, and the Charlotte campus offers it as the only nutrition degree there.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Bachelor’s degrees: campus. M.S. Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics: hybrid. M.S. Nutrition and micro-certificate: online |
| ACEND Accreditation | Graduate program: candidate (term to Oct. 23, 2027). DPD: reduced term decisions in July 2025 and July 2026 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S. Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics: yes on completion. Bachelor’s degrees and the online M.S.: no on their own |
| Supervised Practice | More than 1,000 hours in the master’s, at Providence-area sites |
| Entrance Exams | None listed for the master’s |
| GPA Floor | Master’s: 3.0. DPD progression: 3.25 at the end of year two |
| Intake | Master’s: fall only, DICAS priority December 1, 2026 |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $45,408 a year undergraduate; $842 per graduate credit |
| Institutional Accreditation | New England Commission of Higher Education |
Master of Science, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics
The estimated tuition for the M.S. at Johnson & Wales is $40,416 for 48 credits or $45,468 for 54 at $842 per credit (derived), and the 48-credit figure matches an admissions page. It runs 16 months over four semesters, fall to fall, with a cohort model and a fall start. Applicants without a DPD verification statement take two foundation courses first, and whether those add terms was not stated.
M.S. Supervised Practice
- More than 1,000 hours across the program, ending in a three-week specialty rotation and a capstone; sites and preceptors are in the Providence area, and many preceptors are alumni
- Whether the school arranges every placement, and any relocation expectations, were not stated
- Graduates receive the M.S. and a verification statement to sit for the CDR exam
M.S. Admissions
- DICAS, three recommendation letters, a personal statement of up to 1,500 words, a resume, and a finalist interview, with a minimum 3.0 GPA
- Either a nutrition bachelor’s with a signed DPD verification statement, or any bachelor’s plus prerequisites: anatomy or physiology, general and organic chemistry, biology, introductory nutrition (B), microbiology, biochemistry, statistics, and ServSafe
- Fall 2027 deadlines: December 1, 2026 priority, and July 15, 2027 for applicants with a signed verification statement; eight New England colleges have articulation agreements
- Extra costs on the school’s page include DICAS, about $1,000 for a laptop, $1,300 for books, and exam preparation; a Dean’s Scholarship of up to $4,000 a year is available
Bachelor of Science, Dietetics and Applied Nutrition
The B.S. is 120 credits on the Providence campus: 12 culinary foundation, 30 in the major, 27 in related professional studies, 36 core, and electives. The DPD begins in year three, and progression needs a 3.25 GPA and B or better in introductory nutrition and two biology courses. The verification statement needs a 3.0 GPA, C+ or better in 16 core courses, and the 31 knowledge requirements, and JWU does not guarantee an internship.
You Should Know
The catalog lists organic chemistry and biochemistry as arts and sciences electives, while the DPD handbook treats both as required for the verification statement. The uniform and toolkit fee is $278 on the current page against $242 in the 2024-25 handbook, and it is unclear whether students also pay the $460 culinary college fee.
Bachelor of Science, Culinary Nutrition
The Culinary Nutrition B.S. is 122 credits on campus in Providence and Charlotte: an 18-credit culinary arts or baking and pastry foundation, 31 in the major, a 12-credit advanced internship, and general education. The major includes applied culinary nutrition, therapeutic cuisine, vegetarian cuisine, food science, lifespan nutrition, community nutrition, food safety, and a choice of athletic performance cuisine or health and the harvest.
- Students must pass a food protection exam to graduate, and the internship doubles as the capstone, with hours not published
- The page makes no RD or ACEND statement; students who miss the DPD progression standard can move to this degree
- An undergraduate-to-graduate option allows up to 12 graduate credits with a 3.0 GPA and 90 credits
Master of Science, Nutrition (Online)
The online M.S. is 30 credits, or 36 with foundation courses, at the $842 online graduate rate: $25,260 to $30,312 (derived). The catalog states it does not meet ACEND’s requirements for the RD route. There is no GRE or GMAT, and applicants with a 2.41 to 2.84 GPA may be admitted conditionally.
Sports Nutrition Graduate Micro-Certificate
The online micro-certificate is 9 credits in three courses (NUTR 5100, 5200, and 5400), or $7,578 at the graduate rate (derived). It is not an RD route.
Tuition
Johnson & Wales’s published undergraduate tuition is $45,408 a year at both campuses for 12 to 18 credits a semester, with an equivalent of $1,262 per credit at the top of the band, and graduate courses are $2,526 for three credits, or $842 per credit. It is private, so residents and non-residents pay the same.
- Undergraduate fees: a $476 new-student fee in the first year, $250 a year for student activities, a $460 culinary college toolkit fee, and a $278 dietetics toolkit fee in the first two semesters; optional health insurance is $2,670 a year
- Derived four-year sticker with fees and no aid: about $183,568 for Culinary Nutrition and $183,386 for Dietetics and Applied Nutrition; JWU says more than 98% of on-ground students receive scholarships or grants, so the sticker is not the typical bill
- Master’s extras: a $25 activity fee a semester, a $500 deposit, and the costs listed under admissions
Be aware that:
The published per-credit rate times 18 credits and two semesters is $24 above the published annual figure, which is rounding. Official figures are on Johnson & Wales’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to students who want a culinary arts foundation inside a nutrition degree, and who may add a graduate dietetics route on the same campus.
If you are choosing between the two bachelor’s degrees, the dietetics degree adds the DPD and its 3.25 progression standard, while the culinary degree has no RD route but keeps a place for students who do not meet that standard. If you want the RD credential at Johnson & Wales, the path is the DPD followed by the master’s, whose supervised practice is built in but whose accreditation is still at candidacy.
If you work in food or fitness and already hold a degree, the online M.S. and the sports micro-certificate offer graduate study without the RD route. If you are in Charlotte, the culinary degree is the only nutrition degree offered there.
Accreditation
Johnson & Wales is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, which covers both campuses and online programs and matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s directory for Rhode Island lists the Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation June 1, 2000) as accredited with a term ending June 30, 2030, and lists the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics as a candidate (initial candidacy October 23, 2023, term ending October 23, 2027). ACEND’s decisions show the DPD’s last full accreditation after a site visit in October 2022, candidacy for the graduate program in October 2023, and a reduced accreditation term for the DPD in July 2025 and again in July 2026. The reduced term’s length and end date were not found, so the 2030 date may be out of date. The Programs Under Review page lists the graduate program with a site visit on November 8, 2026. The former Denver DPD voluntarily closed effective January 29, 2021, and the directory lists no ACEND program in North Carolina for the Charlotte campus.
A graduate of the M.S. in clinical nutrition and dietetics completes the degree and supervised practice and, under ACEND’s candidacy rule, can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of either bachelor’s degree or the online M.S. cannot on that basis.