Department of Human Nutrition, College of Arts and Sciences • Rock Hill, SC • Online and Campus • $699/Credit Online Master’s (Graduate, Public)
Winthrop University lists 5 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them are ACEND-accredited:
- M.S. in Human Nutrition (online, 30 credits, non-thesis) paired with the Dietetic Internship Graduate Certificate in year two (the direct RD route)
- Dietetic Internship (ACEND-accredited; a graduate certificate of 12 to 13 credits that also counts toward the master’s)
- B.S. in Nutrition, Dietetics (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, 120 credits)
- M.S. in Human Nutrition on its own (online; not an RD route)
- Micro-certificate in Medical Lactation, a minor in human nutrition, and a separate B.S. in Health Sciences (not RD routes)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Human Nutrition with Dietetic Internship | $25,265 in tuition, technology, and activity fees; about $27,800 with itemized fees (derived, in-state) | 2 years | 37 (derived; the school states no total) |
| M.S. Human Nutrition (Online) | $20,970 (30 credits at $699, derived) | 1 to 2 years | 30 |
| B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics (DPD) | $5,856 to $7,320 a semester at 12 to 15 credits (derived, in-state) | 4 years | 120 |
The lead fact is that the RD graduate step is bundled: an online master’s in year one and a supervised practice year in year two, admitted together through DICAS. The accredited internship takes up to 21 interns a year, places them at sites within a set radius of a home base, and does not guarantee a region. The verification statement is issued only after the master’s degree is awarded.
The master’s alone is the graduate-degree prong, not supervised practice. A thesis master’s appears on one school page but not in the catalog or degree list, so this profile does not treat it as a current option.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | M.S.: 100 percent online. Internship year: in-person supervised practice, with Friday seminars on campus or virtual. ACEND lists the internship as fully in person and the DPD as a combination of in-person and online |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD and Dietetic Internship: both accredited, terms end December 31, 2027 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | M.S. with the Dietetic Internship: yes on completion. DPD alone and the M.S. alone: no |
| Supervised Practice | At least 1,000 hours over about 32 to 34 weeks in year two, at over 60 affiliated sites |
| Entrance Exams | No GRE required; considered only if the GPA is lower |
| GPA Floor | Internship: 3.0 overall and 3.2 in DPD courses. M.S.: 3.0. DPD verification: 3.2 in major courses and 3.0 overall |
| Intake | Fall only; internship DICAS deadline February 1, with a binding acceptance by March 15; M.S. deadline July 15 |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $699 per online graduate credit; $521 in-state and $1,004 out-of-state for campus graduate courses at 12 or more credits |
| Institutional Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
Master of Science in Human Nutrition with the Dietetic Internship
The combined program has year one in the online master’s: 25 credits across fall, spring, and summer. Year two is 12 to 13 credits of supervised practice courses in the certificate, and up to 6 of those hours can count toward the master’s. In-state tuition and fees come to $25,265 over two years (derived), and $29,261 out-of-state, from the school’s cost sheet, which is the 2025-26 sheet at rates identical to 2026-27.
- Admission needs a bachelor’s degree, a DPD verification statement or intent to complete one within three years, a 3.0 GPA, a 3.2 DPD GPA, and three references; admitted students then apply to Graduate Studies by June 15
- The cohort is capped at 21, a spring match is used, interviews are by invitation, and Winthrop and Clemson DPD graduates have a preselect route
- Placement is not guaranteed to any region; outpatient and food management rotations are within 70 miles of a home base, and interns pay for transport, meals, and housing
- Itemized extras include $700 a semester in lab fees, a $99 physical exam fee, about $400 in books, and a $58 Academy membership; some sites require vaccination without medical waivers
- Up to four weeks of rotation can be waived for 300 or more hours of paid experience, and existing master’s holders go through prior-learning assessment
You Should Know
The internship page says the master’s is complete in September of year two, while the sample schedule and checklist say December, which affects when the verification statement is issued. The certificate is 12 credits in the degree list and 13 on its own page. The school’s DICAS dates and interview dates differ between pages, so treat the February 1 deadline as the annual cycle.
Master of Science in Human Nutrition (Online)
The online master’s is 30 credits: six 3-credit core courses and 12 credits of electives, with no thesis, at $699 per credit, $20,970 (derived). Admission needs a bachelor’s in nutrition or a related science, prerequisites in anatomy and physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, introductory nutrition, and statistics, a 3.0 GPA, two references, and a personal statement, and F-1 visa holders are not eligible. Seniors may take 6 to 9 graduate credits toward it.
Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics
The B.S. is 120 credits, 74 to 75 of them in the major, and is called Human Nutrition on school pages and Nutrition-Dietetics in the catalog. The verification statement requires a 3.2 in major courses and a 3.0 overall, and students below that can still graduate. Facilities named include a patient simulator, ultrasound, a body composition analyzer, and a mobile teaching kitchen.
- The school’s marketing page also lists a health promotion option that is not in the 2026-27 catalog, where a separate B.S. in Health Sciences appears
- The Medical Lactation micro-certificate carries a $200 program fee, and its credits were not found
- Admission to the major and cohort size were not found
Tuition
Winthrop is public, so residency changes the price for campus-based courses, but the online master’s has one rate.
- Online master’s and doctoral programs: $684 plus a $15 technology fee, $699 per credit for everyone
- Campus graduate: $426 plus fees is $521 per credit in-state at 12 or more credits and $653 under 12; out-of-state $1,004 and $1,258
- Graduate certificate: $653 per credit in-state and $986 out-of-state
- Undergraduate: $371 plus fees is $488 per credit in-state at 12 or more credits, $956 out-of-state, with an opt-out textbook fee
- Derived internship-year costs are $3,918 a semester in-state ($5,916 out-of-state) for six credits; no nutrition tuition differential was found, and the school’s cost sheet is the 2025-26 edition
Be aware that:
Charlotte-area residents in twelve North Carolina counties can get the in-state campus graduate rate. Official figures are on the university’s fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to DPD graduates in the Carolinas who want a master’s and supervised practice as one admission, with an online first year.
The bundled route removes a separate master’s search and gives Winthrop and Clemson DPD graduates a preselect path. The honest limit is that the internship cohort is 21 and highly competitive, the placement region is not guaranteed, the verification statement comes only after the degree, and the school reports 94.9 percent hired within three months over five unnamed years rather than dated results.
If you only need the graduate degree, the online master’s alone is the lower-cost option. If you do not yet have a DPD, start with the B.S. or another school’s DPD.
Accreditation
Winthrop is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.
ACEND’s live directory for South Carolina lists the Didactic Program in Dietetics, with initial accreditation on November 1, 1973, and the Dietetic Internship, with initial accreditation on April 1, 1989 and a master’s degree option, both with terms ending December 31, 2027. ACEND’s decisions show full and continued accreditation for both after a site visit in July 2019 and approval in October 2022 to add a graduate degree to the internship.
The Programs Under Review page lists no Winthrop program, and the terms end within about fifteen months, so confirm renewal status with ACEND. A graduate of the combined program is eligible for the CDR exam; the B.S. alone is not.
More Nutrition Degrees in South Carolina
- Clemson University - Clemson
- South Carolina Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- South Carolina State University - Orangeburg
- University of South Carolina - Columbia