School of Human Ecology, College of Agriculture and Human Ecology • Cookeville, TN • Campus and Online • $602/Credit In-State plus Fees (Graduate, Public)
Tennessee Technological University lists 3 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them are ACEND-accredited:
- M.S. in Community Health and Nutrition with the Experiential Learning Track (an ACEND-accredited Future Education Model graduate program; the direct RD route, 42 credits)
- M.S. in Community Health and Nutrition, degree-only pathway (30 credits, online, no supervised practice; not an RD route for most applicants)
- B.S. in Human Ecology, Nutrition and Dietetics concentration (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics, 120 credits)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.S. Community Health and Nutrition, Experiential Learning Track | $29,434 on the program page’s on-campus fee stack; about $31,500 if didactic courses are billed as online (derived, in-state) | 22 months, fixed sequence | 42 (30 didactic and 12 practicum) |
| M.S. Community Health and Nutrition, degree-only | About $22,650 if billed as online courses at $755 per credit (derived, in-state) | Part time allowed | 30 |
| B.S. Human Ecology, Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) | $12,596 a year in tuition and fees (derived, in-state) | 4 years | 120 |
The lead fact is that Tennessee Tech has two ACEND programs and a dietitian can finish at one school. The online master’s with the Experiential Learning Track is an ACEND graduate program that builds in supervised practice, so the school is not didactic only. The same degree without that track does not make a graduate eligible for the RD exam unless the student is already a registered dietitian.
The master’s is framed around rural community health. Didactic courses are online, but the 12 credits of practicum are in person at sites the program arranges, typically within an hour of the student’s home, with travel or lodging at the student’s cost beyond about 100 miles of Cookeville.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | M.S.: coursework online, practicum in person. DPD: campus; ACEND lists it as fully in person |
| ACEND Accreditation | DPD: accredited, term ends June 30, 2029. Graduate program: accredited, term ends June 30, 2031 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Experiential Learning Track: yes on completion. DPD and the degree-only M.S.: no on their own |
| Supervised Practice | Four practicums of at least 162 hours each, 648 hours in total (derived), about 40 hours a week |
| Entrance Exams | No GRE found |
| GPA Floor | M.S. and DPD upper division: 3.0 |
| Intake | Experiential track: fall, with DICAS opening August 5 and an October 1 deadline; spring only if the cohort of 10 is not full |
| Tuition | 2026-27: $602 per credit in-state plus a program service fee of $140 per credit capped at $838 a term, or a $153 per credit online course fee |
| Institutional Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges |
Master of Science in Community Health and Nutrition
The Experiential Learning Track is 42 credits over 22 months: 30 didactic credits and four 3-credit practicums, with a capstone and no thesis. The program page lists $6,256 per 9-credit term in-state, which gives $29,434 over four 9-credit terms and a 6-credit summer (derived). If the online didactic courses are billed with the $153 online fee instead, the total is about $31,500 (derived), and the bursar does not say which applies.
- Admission to the track needs a DPD verification statement or intent to complete, or prerequisites in organic chemistry, microbiology or biochemistry, and a food preparation or food service course, a virtual interview, and 300 work or volunteer hours preferred
- DICAS opens August 5; the fall deadline is October 1 with notification by November 1, and spring applications are considered February 1 only if the cohort of 10 is not full
- The program arranges placements, mostly in the Upper Cumberland region plus Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville, and up to 80 hours can be replaced through prior learning
- The degree-only pathway admits applicants with a bachelor’s in nutrition, health, nursing, psychology, or similar, a 3.0 GPA, two references, and a 1,200-word statement, and it is open to registered dietitians directly
- One graduate assistantship is advertised, and its tuition terms were not found
You Should Know
The track page shows 30 credits in some headers while its listed courses add to 42, and the school’s graduate list says 30 to 42. Its web pages say only that the program is accredited, while ACEND’s decisions show candidacy granted in June 2020 and full accreditation after a site visit in January 2024. The graduate admissions page quotes a 30-credit program starting at $21,000, which matches neither figure above.
Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology, Nutrition and Dietetics Concentration
The DPD is a concentration inside a 120-credit Human Ecology degree. Full-time in-state tuition is $5,460 plus an $838 program service fee, $6,298 a term, $12,596 a year (derived). Upper-division entry needs a B or higher in two early human ecology courses, a C or higher in chemistry and biology, and a 3.0 GPA, applied for by email to the director.
- Courses include community nutrition, quantity food production, nutrition and disease, medical nutrition therapy, clinical dietetics, and nutritional biochemistry
- The verification statement needs a 3.0 GPA, no grade below B in required dietetics courses, and at least 21 upper-division food and nutrition hours at Tennessee Tech
- Students apply to internships or graduate programs through DICAS, and cohort size and a verification statement fee were not found
Tuition
Tennessee Tech is public, so residency changes the price. These are 2026-27 rates.
- Graduate: $602 per credit in-state, with $140 added per credit for domestic out-of-state students and $726 for international students
- Program service fee: $140 per credit capped at $838 per fall or spring term and $798 in summer; it is not charged on fully online courses, which carry a $153 per credit online fee instead
- Program-page totals: $6,256 per 9-credit term in-state, $7,516 out-of-state, and $12,790 international, with $4,410, $5,250, and $8,766 for the 6-credit summer
- Undergraduate full-time: $5,460 tuition plus $838 is $6,298 a term in-state and $8,398 out-of-state
- Extras listed for the practicum include a background check, a tracking system fee, a $58 Academy membership, and travel and fuel costs
- The 2026-27 per-term cost is about 10.9 percent above the 2025-26 handbook estimate (derived)
Be aware that:
The bursar does not say which fee line applies to this online master’s, so budget a range. Official figures are on the university’s bursar pages.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited to students in Tennessee who want an online-coursework route to the RD credential with practice arranged near home, and to community health professionals who want a rural-health-focused master’s.
The two-program school lets a DPD graduate stay for the graduate program or lets a career changer with prerequisites enter the track directly. The honest limit is that the cohort is about 10, courses run once a year so a missed course delays a year, the billing basis is unclear, and only outcome objectives are published.
If you already hold the credential, the degree-only pathway is a lower-credit option. If you want the RD credential, make sure you apply to the Experiential Learning Track.
Accreditation
Tennessee Tech 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 Tennessee lists the Didactic Program in Dietetics, with initial accreditation on October 1, 1976 and a term ending June 30, 2029, and the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, with a listed initial date of June 8, 2020 and a term ending June 30, 2031. The June 2020 date is when candidacy was granted, and ACEND records full and continued accreditation for the graduate program after a site visit in January 2024.
ACEND’s decisions also show full accreditation for the DPD after a site visit in April 2022 and a progress report decision in July 2024 with no reason published. The Programs Under Review page lists no Tennessee Tech program. A graduate of the Experiential Learning Track is eligible for the CDR exam; the DPD and the degree-only master’s are not.
More Nutrition Degrees in Tennessee
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