Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences • Orangeburg, SC • Campus and Hybrid • $5,530/Semester In-State (Undergraduate, Public)
South Carolina State University offers 3 nutrition degree options, and none leads to RD/RDN eligibility on its own:
- B.S. in Nutrition and Food Management, Nutrition option (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- B.S. in Nutrition and Food Management, Food Management option (not an RD route)
- M.S. in Nutritional Sciences, with a Nutritional Health Care option and a Food and Nutrition option (hybrid; not an RD route)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Nutrition and Food Management, Nutrition option (DPD) | $11,060 a year in tuition and fees; $44,240 over eight semesters (derived, in-state) | 4 to 6 years per the program page | 130 per the catalog heading; the catalog’s own tables add to 127 or 128 |
| B.S. Nutrition and Food Management, Food Management option | $11,060 a year in tuition and fees (derived, in-state) | 4 years | 120 |
| M.S. Nutritional Sciences | $22,920 over four 9-credit semesters (derived, in-state) | Not stated; six-year limit | 36 |
The lead fact is that South Carolina State has one ACEND program, the DPD inside the Nutrition option. It has no dietetic internship, coordinated program, or Future Education Model program, so graduates apply to outside supervised practice. The master’s in nutritional sciences gives DPD graduates a place to earn the graduate degree the CDR now requires, but it is not an ACEND program and has no supervised practice.
The school’s M.S. page describes the degree as accredited by ACEND, which ACEND’s directory and decisions pages do not support, so this profile treats the M.S. as a non-ACEND degree.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | B.S.: campus; ACEND lists the DPD as fully in person and approved to offer distance education. M.S.: the school says hybrid, with some in-person and some online classwork |
| ACEND Accreditation | Didactic Program in Dietetics: accredited, term ends December 31, 2033 per ACEND’s directory |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | No on its own; the DPD gives a verification statement, then an outside internship and a graduate degree |
| Supervised Practice | None; the M.S. includes a clinical experience course that is not an ACEND supervised practice program |
| Entrance Exams | M.S.: GRE General Test or MAT, with a 2.50 GPA minimum in the graduate catalog |
| GPA Floor | DPD upper division: 3.0 curriculum GPA. M.S.: 2.50 |
| Intake | DPD: apply one semester before starting upper-division courses. M.S.: deadlines of June 15, November 1, and April 1 in the 2022-24 catalog |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $5,530 a semester in-state full-time undergraduate; $5,730 a semester for nine graduate credits |
| Institutional Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Management, Nutrition Option
The Nutrition option is the accredited DPD. In-state full-time tuition and fees are $5,530 a semester, $11,060 a year (derived), or $44,240 over eight semesters if a student finishes in four years. The program page gives 130 credits over four to six years, but the catalog’s printed semester totals add to 128 and its course rows to 127.
Nutrition Option Curriculum
Courses include life cycle nutrition, vitamins and minerals, community nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, and a professional portfolio, alongside chemistry, biology, and family and consumer sciences courses. A portfolio is required to graduate and there is no thesis. The school states that every faculty member teaching nutrition and food management is a registered dietitian nutritionist, which this profile could verify only for the program director.
Nutrition Option Admissions
- Students apply to the DPD director one semester before the upper division, after required chemistry, math, biology, and nutrition courses with a minimum curriculum GPA of 3.0
- The program page says no grade below a B is accepted in the required courses, while the 2022-25 catalog says no grade lower than a C, so confirm the current standard
- Graduation needs a B or better in the curriculum, all required knowledge competencies, and a 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Cohort size and a deadline were not found
You Should Know
The ACEND directory lists the DPD with a term to 2033, but the decision that produced it was not found: the decisions pages show only a July 2024 continuation after a progress report, and a Programs Under Review copy lists a site visit on November 16, 2025. The school describes itself as the only historically Black university in the state with an ACEND-accredited nutrition program, which matches ACEND’s South Carolina list.
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Management, Food Management Option
The Food Management option is 120 credits and is not accredited by ACEND. The school says it does not satisfy the courses needed to become a registered dietitian, and it suits food service and management work.
Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences
The M.S. is 36 credits in the 2022-24 graduate catalog: 24 credits of required courses, 6 of thesis or a problems-in-lieu-of-thesis sequence, and 6 of electives. At the in-state full-time graduate rate, four 9-credit semesters cost $22,920 (derived), and the per-credit part-time rate gives $22,932.
- The Nutritional Health Care option includes a 3-credit clinical experience in dietetics course; the Food and Nutrition option includes community nutrition, and neither includes supervised practice
- Admission needs a 2.50 GPA, GRE General Test or MAT scores, two letters of recommendation, an English proficiency exam, and a $25 fee; applications are due June 15, November 1, or April 1
- Applicants with an undergraduate food and nutrition degree are preferred but others are admitted, and a third-party site’s 3.0 minimum is not supported by the school
- The program page advertises a $10,000 a year scholarship for up to four years through an 1890 agriculture program; eligibility terms were not found
- The graduate catalog is the 2022-24 edition, so credits, thesis rules, and the GPA floor may have changed
Tuition
South Carolina State is public, so residency changes the price. These are 2026-27 rates.
- Undergraduate full-time (12 credits): $4,764 tuition plus $766 in fees is $5,530 in-state; $10,109 plus $766 is $10,875 out-of-state
- Graduate full-time (9 credits): $4,964 plus $766 is $5,730 in-state; $10,519 plus $766 is $11,285 out-of-state
- Part-time per credit: $461 undergraduate and $637 graduate in-state, $906 and $1,254 out-of-state, including fees
- Derived: four graduate semesters cost $22,920 in-state and $45,140 out-of-state; four undergraduate years cost $44,240 and $87,000
- Mandatory health insurance of $485 in fall and $661 in spring is waivable, and books are estimated at $800 a semester
- No nutrition program fee was found, and whether hybrid M.S. students pay an online rate was not found
Be aware that:
The nutrition page still links to a 2025-26 fee sheet that no longer loads, so use the current schedule. Official figures are on the university’s financial aid pages.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to South Carolina students who want an ACEND-accredited DPD at a public historically Black university, with an in-house master’s degree available for the graduate step.
The in-house sequence lets a DPD graduate stay for a hybrid master’s in nutritional sciences, and the school advertises a $10,000 yearly scholarship for qualifying students. The honest limit is that the supervised practice step is elsewhere, the master’s is not an ACEND program, several of the school’s credit and grade standards conflict, and only outcome targets are published.
If you want food service or management work, the Food Management option is the better fit. If you want the RD credential, plan an outside internship from the start.
Accreditation
South Carolina State is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Its family and consumer sciences programs also hold accreditation from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, which is separate from ACEND and does not confer RD eligibility.
ACEND’s live directory for South Carolina lists the Didactic Program in Dietetics as accredited, with initial accreditation on July 1, 1973 and a term ending December 31, 2033. ACEND’s July 2024 decisions list continued accreditation after an interim or progress report without a reason, and a Programs Under Review copy lists a site visit on November 16, 2025. No other South Carolina State program appears in the directory.
A graduate of the Nutrition option holds a verification statement only and is not eligible for the CDR exam on that basis.
More Nutrition Degrees in South Carolina
- Clemson University - Clemson
- South Carolina Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- University of South Carolina - Columbia
- Winthrop University - Rock Hill