University of Tennessee Knoxville Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Nutrition and Public Health Sciences, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences • Knoxville, TN • Campus and Online • $6,966/Semester at 9 or More Credits In-State (Graduate, Public)

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville lists 7 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them are ACEND-accredited:

  • Five-year B.S. and M.S. in Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics concentration (an ACEND graduate program; the direct RD route)
  • B.S. in Nutrition, Dietetics concentration (the ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics)
  • M.S. in Nutrition, Biomedical Nutrition Science and Community Nutrition concentrations (not RD routes)
  • Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences (not an RD route)
  • Community Nutrition Graduate Certificate (14 credits, online) and an M.P.H. with a Public Health Nutrition concentration (not RD routes)
  • B.S. in Nutrition, Biomedical Nutrition Science and Community Nutrition concentrations, and several minors (not RD routes)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
Five-year B.S. and M.S., Clinical Nutrition and DieteticsAbout $74,884 in tuition, fees, and the program fee by the school’s guide (2025-26 basis, derived, in-state)5 years for UTK students; about 2 years for external applicants120 to 121 plus 34
B.S. Nutrition, Dietetics concentration (DPD)$14,024 a year in tuition and mandatory fees (university notice; final approval not confirmed)4 years120 to 121
M.S. Nutrition, Biomedical or Community concentrationGraduate rates apply, $6,966 a semester at 9 or more credits in-state1 to 2 years30 to 33
Ph.D., certificate, and M.P.H.Graduate rates applyVaries72 or 48 (Ph.D.); 14 (certificate); 42 (M.P.H.)

The lead fact is that the RD route is a five-year B.S. and M.S. in which the accredited graduate program covers the senior year and the master’s. Students in the dietetics concentration apply at the end of junior year, and a cohort is capped at 20, including external applicants who first applied in 2025. The accredited program has supervised practice built in and is arranged by the program in the Knoxville area.

The hub’s online community nutrition master’s no longer exists: the university’s online listing says it is no longer offered, and the 2026-27 catalog lists the community nutrition M.S. for the Knoxville campus only.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus; the school says students must be on site in Knoxville, with a limited number of courses offered at a distance. The certificate and the M.P.H. can be online
ACEND AccreditationGraduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics: accredited, term ends December 31, 2032. DPD: accredited, term ends December 31, 2033
RD/RDN EligibilityFive-year B.S. and M.S. with Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics: yes. DPD alone and the other degrees: no
Supervised PracticeAt least 1,147 hours in total, 1,041 at graduate level, arranged by the program at Knoxville-area sites
Entrance ExamsGRE not required
GPA FloorFive-year route: 3.3 in the catalog; external applicants 3.0; DPD upper division 2.8
IntakeFive-year route: apply at the end of junior year for a summer start. External applicants: Graduate School by January 15 and DICAS by February 1
Tuition2026-27: $6,966 a semester in-state and $16,231 out-of-state for graduate students at 9 or more credits
Institutional AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Five-Year B.S. and M.S., Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics

The Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics concentration is a 34-credit coursework-only master’s with no thesis. The school’s guide estimates $55,248 for four undergraduate years and $18,886 for the graduate year in-state, plus a one-time $750 program fee, $74,884 in total (derived on 2025-26 prices); the guide’s four-year figure is below four times the published annual rate, so the total is likely low.

Curriculum and Practice

Graduate courses include clinical nutrition and dietetics sequences, nutrition research, counseling, community nutrition, and a practice-based research poster inside one course. Supervised practice starts in the undergraduate curriculum, with clinical simulation and a food service practicum, and expands to a federally qualified health center clinic network, six Knoxville-area hospitals, and community sites. Students need their own transportation, and are typically not eligible for assistantships because of the practicum load.

Admissions

  • UTK students apply near the end of junior year with 90 of 120 credits done, 15 nutrition credits, and a 3.3 GPA; a GPA of 3.0 to 3.29 may be conditionally admitted, but graduate credits then count toward the master’s only
  • External applicants need a 3.0 GPA, an extensive list of prerequisites and nutrition courses, a Graduate School application by January 15 for a non-RD concentration, DICAS by February 1, and interviews; notification comes by March 1 and acceptance is due March 15
  • The cohort cap is 20 across internal and external applicants, and the first external cohort was not found
You Should Know

The catalog says a departmental form is due April 1 of junior year, while the guide says a Graduate School application is due May 1. The school’s January 2026 guide revision still contains tracked-change comments, so the July 2025 guide is the stable source. ACEND placed the DPD and graduate program on a reduced term in March 2024 and removed it in January 2025, which the school’s own pages do not mention.

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics Concentration

The DPD is 120 to 121 credits in a degree titled Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Sciences. Upper-division entry needs a 2.8 GPA and a C or better in nutrition courses, and graduates receive a verification statement and then need a graduate degree and a supervised practice place. Tuition and mandatory fees are $14,024 a year in-state under the university’s public notice, with no differential for the college.

Master of Science in Nutrition

The Biomedical Nutrition Science concentration is 30 credits with a thesis or a project, and the Community Nutrition concentration is 30 credits coursework-only or 33 with a thesis. Neither is an RD route, and both are offered on the Knoxville campus. Each has a five-year B.S. and M.S. route.

Ph.D., Certificate, and M.P.H.

  • The Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences is 72 credits after a bachelor’s or 48 after a master’s, in Biomedical Nutrition Science or Community Nutrition, with a comprehensive exam and a 24-credit dissertation
  • The Community Nutrition Graduate Certificate is 14 credits, asynchronous and online, for current graduate students or master’s holders
  • The M.P.H. with a Public Health Nutrition concentration is 42 credits, on campus or by distance, with deadlines of February 1, April 1, and October 1
  • Several nutrition minors exist, and sports nutrition is a single course and a minor rather than a track

Tuition

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is public, so residency changes the price. Out-of-state students may qualify for in-state tuition through an interstate agreement.

  • Graduate at 9 or more credits: $6,966 a semester in-state and $16,231 out-of-state, from $5,734 maintenance plus program, library, technology, facilities, and transportation fees
  • Undergraduate full-time in-state: $7,012 a semester, half of the $14,024 annual figure in the university notice
  • No nutrition tuition differential exists; the differential list covers engineering, nursing, and architecture and design
  • The school’s guide lists a $750 one-time graduate program fee, $10 a year in liability insurance, and a $58 Academy membership
  • The guide’s estimated cost of attendance is $191,364 in-state and $294,824 out-of-state across the five years, including living costs

Be aware that:

The Board of Trustees vote on 2026-27 undergraduate tuition was not confirmed here. Official figures are on the university’s bursar pages.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited to University of Tennessee undergraduates who want a five-year route to the RD credential in Knoxville with practice arranged by the program, and to students who want a research or community nutrition master’s or doctorate.

The five-year route compresses the RD pathway into one year beyond the bachelor’s and places students in a local clinic network early. The honest limit is that the cohort is capped at 20, most places are for UTK students, the practicum load limits assistantships, and the school reports a 100 percent exam pass rate and 97 percent employment for 2022 to 2024 graduates without cohort sizes.

If you want a research degree, the biomedical master’s and Ph.D. fit. If you want public health practice, the M.P.H. concentration is a separate non-RD degree.

Accreditation

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, reaffirmed in 2025. Institutional accreditation matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.

ACEND’s live directory for Tennessee lists the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, with a listed initial date of September 21, 2020 and a term ending December 31, 2032, and the Didactic Program in Dietetics, with initial accreditation on June 1, 1971 and a term ending December 31, 2033. The 2020 date is when the former dietetic internship was reorganized into a Future Education Model graduate demonstration program, and the internship was recorded as closing in December 2022.

ACEND’s decisions show full and continued accreditation for the graduate program after a site visit in April 2025 and for the DPD after a site visit in July 2026. The Programs Under Review page lists no Tennessee program. A graduate of the Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics master’s is eligible for the CDR exam; the DPD alone is not.

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