University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies • Chattanooga, TN • Hybrid • $5,896/Semester at 9 or More Credits In-State (Graduate, Public)

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga lists 1 ACEND-accredited nutrition program, and it is a graduate degree, not a bachelor’s:

  • M.P.H. in Public Health, Nutrition and Dietetics concentration (an ACEND Future Education Model graduate program that is also CEPH-accredited; the direct RD route)
  • Minor in Nutrition (18 credits, undergraduate; not an RD route)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
M.P.H. Nutrition and Dietetics$23,584 in tuition and mandatory fees over four semesters (derived, in-state)4 semesters, fall start42, with 1,000 supervised practice hours

The lead fact is that the university has no ACEND-accredited didactic or bachelor’s dietetics program. ACEND records the old Didactic Program in Dietetics as voluntarily closing on June 30, 2021, and the state board’s list of didactic programs that still names the university is out of date. The only live ACEND program is the master’s of public health, which combines 42 credits of coursework with 1,000 hours of supervised practice in one degree.

The program is full time in a cohort, cannot be completed entirely online, and places students at sites within 100 miles of campus. The school says completers receive a verification statement and are eligible for the registration exam.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatHybrid: a combination of online and blended courses, with all supervised practice in person; the catalog says it cannot be completed online
ACEND AccreditationGraduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics: accredited, term ends June 30, 2031
RD/RDN EligibilityYes on completion, per the school
Supervised PracticeAt least 1,000 hours embedded in courses, at sites assigned by the program within 100 miles
Entrance ExamsGRE not required; DICAS application
GPA Floor3.0, with prerequisite courses at B or higher
IntakeFall; application due October 18 each year, with limited places and a later open-enrollment window if any remain
Tuition2026-27: $5,896 a semester in-state and $10,173 out-of-state at 9 or more graduate credits
Institutional AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Master of Public Health, Nutrition and Dietetics

The M.P.H. is 42 credits and non-thesis: 22 in public health and 20 in nutrition. The credits by term are 11, 13, 9, and 9, and supervised practice totals 1,000 hours (200, 200, 240, and 360). A final competency assessment and an integrative learning experience replace a thesis. Because tuition is capped at 9 credits a semester, the 11- and 13-credit terms bill at the 9-credit rate (derived), so four semesters cost $23,584 in-state (derived).

Curriculum

Public health courses cover foundations, community engaged assessment, and an integrative learning experience. Nutrition courses cover orientation to the profession, assessment, metabolism, counseling and education, public health and community nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, food systems management, and clinical nutrition. The school requires a C or better in every program course.

Admissions

  • A bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA and prerequisites at B or higher in human nutrition, life cycle nutrition, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology with lab
  • A DICAS application with essays of up to 750 words, a resume, and three professional references including one from a college professor, followed by a university graduate application after acceptance
  • Notification comes by November 1 and acceptance is due November 10; if places remain, an open-enrollment window runs to March 1
  • Virtual open houses are held several times between October and February, and cohort size was not found
You Should Know

The catalog calls the program full time and not a distance education program, while the schedule page describes online and blended courses and the curriculum page mentions part-time study over three to four years. The program-of-study document on the school’s site is dated January 2022. A separate program fee document requires a sign-in and could not be read, so costs beyond tuition and mandatory fees are not included here.

Tuition

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is public, so residency changes the price.

  • Graduate at 9 or more credits: $5,896 a semester in-state, built from $4,806 maintenance and several mandatory fees, and $10,173 out-of-state
  • Part-time per-credit steps are about $633 in-state and $1,108 out-of-state (derived)
  • Derived: four semesters are $23,584 in-state and $40,692 out-of-state, excluding summer electives, program fees, and supervised practice costs
  • No public health or nutrition differential is listed, and a $56 per credit online fee may or may not apply to this program
  • The school says out-of-state tuition is waived for full-time graduate assistants and offers discounts to some nearby Georgia and Alabama counties; neither was verified here

Be aware that:

Program-specific costs such as background checks, immunizations, and insurance are required before supervised practice. Official figures are on the university’s bursar page.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to career changers and graduates with the prerequisites who want a public health degree and the RD route in one program in Chattanooga.

The dual-accredited degree pairs the ACEND graduate program with an M.P.H. in one 42-credit cohort, with practice arranged by the program. The honest limit is that places are limited, the cohort is full time and fixed, sites can be up to 100 miles away or farther if a placement is lost, and only outcome objectives are published.

If you want an undergraduate dietetics route, the university no longer has one, so look at a DPD elsewhere. If you want public health without the RD credential, the other M.P.H. concentration is a separate option.

Accreditation

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The M.P.H. is also accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, which is separate from ACEND.

ACEND’s live directory for Tennessee lists the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics as accredited, 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’s April 2024 decisions record full and continued accreditation after a site visit; the university’s news release says May 2024.

ACEND’s January 2019 decisions list the Didactic Program in Dietetics as closing on June 30, 2021. The Programs Under Review page lists no University of Tennessee at Chattanooga program. A graduate of the M.P.H. is eligible for the CDR exam.

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