Texas State University Nutrition Degree Programs

Nutrition and Foods Program, School of Family and Consumer Sciences • San Marcos, TX • Campus • $464/Credit (Graduate, Texas Resident, Derived)

Texas State University offers 4 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them are routes toward RD/RDN eligibility:

  • B.S.F.C.S., Nutrition and Foods, Dietetics concentration (the Didactic Program in Dietetics)
  • B.S.F.C.S., Nutrition and Foods (non-RD)
  • M.S., Human Nutrition (non-RD on its own)
  • Combined M.S./Dietetic Internship (M.S. in Human Nutrition with the internship)

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S.F.C.S. Dietetics (DPD)$49.0K in-state, $100.4K out-of-state (eight 15-credit semesters, tuition and fees, derived)4 years (8 semesters, derived)120 (handbook says 122)
B.S.F.C.S. Nutrition and FoodsSame as above (derived)4 years120
Combined M.S./Dietetic Internship$22.7K in-state, $38.5K out-of-state (program’s Fall 2025 estimate, including $2,628 in extras)22 months (non-thesis)39 non-thesis
M.S. Human NutritionNot clearly stated; depends on the planNot clearly stated39 non-thesis or 33 thesis

Texas State has exactly two ACEND programs, a Didactic Program in Dietetics and a Dietetic Internship. The internship is delivered together with the M.S. in Human Nutrition, so a student who is admitted completes the master’s, more than 1,000 supervised-practice hours, and the internship verification statement with no separate match afterward. ACEND lists it as a Dietetic Internship, not as a Coordinated Program or Future Education Model program.

The route in is narrow: early decision is open to Texas State dietetics-track undergraduates, M.S. students, and recent alumni, while the program says it takes only two to three applicants a year through DICAS. The M.S. in Human Nutrition on its own does not lead to RD eligibility.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatCampus. ACEND lists in-person plus online coursework, rotations are in person, and some graduate courses may be online or hybrid
Credit HoursB.S.: 120; M.S./Internship: 39 non-thesis or 33 stated for thesis; M.S. Human Nutrition: 39 or 33
ACEND AccreditationDPD (initial 1976) and Dietetic Internship (initial 1996), both accredited with terms to June 30, 2029
RD/RDN EligibilityM.S./Internship: yes, then the CDR exam. Dietetics concentration: verification statement only
Supervised PracticeOver 1,000 hours (1,000 to 1,200 on one page), integrated, assigned by the director, Tuesday to Friday
Entrance ExamsNone. The GRE is not required
GPA FloorInternship: 3.25 overall. M.S.: 3.0 overall or in the last 60 hours
IntakeEarly decision and DICAS deadlines of January 1; rotations start in July
TuitionFall 2026 graduate resident $4,514.49 for 9 credits and $5,875.32 for 12; non-resident $8,363.49 and $11,008.32
Institutional AccreditationSACSCOC, per Texas State’s provost page

Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences, Dietetics Concentration

The estimated cost of the Dietetics concentration is about $49,036 for a resident and $100,396 for a non-resident (eight 15-credit semesters at the Fall 2026 totals, derived). The catalog lists 120 credits, including 36 advanced hours, while the handbook says 122 for the DPD plan.

This is the Didactic Program in Dietetics. Graduation needs a 2.75 GPA, and the verification statement requires 70% on each knowledge assessment. Graduates then face a separate, competitive internship match, and the handbook notes the statement also opens eligibility for the dietetic technician exam. Costs beyond tuition include about $150 for dress, a $36 ServSafe card, $190 to $250 in health requirements, and $75 in memberships.

You Should Know

Students in the M.S. without a DPD can take combined undergraduate and graduate courses with the DPD director to earn the statement. The program’s pages also name an accelerated B.S./M.S./Internship, but its page returned an error, so it is unverified. The ACEND directory lists a non-degree internship option for a verification statement only, which no Texas State page mentions.

Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition and Foods

The non-dietetics Nutrition and Foods degree has no ACEND link and no RD path, and a teacher-certification version prepares for grades 8 to 12 in hospitality, nutrition, and food sciences. A nutrition minor is also offered.

Combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship

The program’s own estimate for the combined M.S./Dietetic Internship, at Fall 2025 rates for 39 credits, is $20,107 for a resident and $35,902 for a non-resident in tuition and fees, or $22,735 and $38,530 with $2,628 in extras. A derived 2026-27 resident total is about $19,522, which is about $585 below the program’s figure and has not been reconciled. The non-thesis track takes 22 months.

M.S./Internship Curriculum

The non-thesis plan is a 21-credit M.S. core (NUTR 5305, 5306, 5350, 5364, 5366, 5367, and 5372), 15 internship credits (NUTR 5362, 5360 twice, 5363, and SPAN 5322), and 3 elective credits. Students can take the internship first, starting in July of year one, or the master’s first, starting in August, and both finish around May of year three. Spanish for Nutrition Professionals is required unless a student passes the final exam at 80%. The thesis version is stated as 33 credits.

M.S./Internship Supervised Practice

  • Over 1,000 hours, integrated, with the director placing interns and no separate match; rotations run Tuesday to Friday with classes on Monday over about 10 months
  • Clinical 10 to 16 weeks, community 10 weeks, foodservice 4 weeks, and specialty rotations of 3 to 6 weeks in pediatrics, eating disorders, sports nutrition, or research
  • Sites lie along the I-35 corridor between Round Rock and San Antonio, with Houston and the Rio Grande Valley possible, and interns drive 12,000 to 15,000 miles
  • Stipends are occasional and tied to specific rotations

M.S./Internship Admissions

  • A 3.25 overall GPA and a DPD verification statement or an intent-to-complete letter; the M.S. itself needs 3.0 overall or in the last 60 hours and prerequisite sciences, with an interview and three letters; no GRE
  • Early decision, through the Graduate College portal rather than DICAS, is open to Texas State dietetics-track undergraduates, M.S. students, alumni within five years, and admitted non-Texas State students; the deadline is January 1, with interviews through February 1 and a $70 fee
  • DICAS: January 1 with a $50 payment, decisions by March 1, and confirmation by March 10; applicants must also apply to the M.S. separately, and the program takes two to three DICAS applicants a year
  • Cohort size and early-decision seat counts were not found
You Should Know

Texas State’s pages disagree on points that change eligibility, credits, and cost. The Graduate College page gives a February 15 DICAS date and a 3.25 GPA in the last 60 hours for early decision, while the internship site and manual say January 1 and a 3.25 overall. The thesis track is stated as 33 credits, but its required courses add up to about 45, and the costs page says it may exceed 33. Cost estimates differ between the internship site ($22,735 and $38,530) and the policy manual ($22,692 and $38,682), and mileage is 12,000 on one and 15,000 on the other.

Master of Science, Human Nutrition

The stand-alone M.S. in Human Nutrition is 39 credits non-thesis (21 core plus 18 electives) or 33 credits with a thesis (24 core, 3 electives, 6 thesis). It is not an ACEND program and not an RD route by itself, though the program says the coursework can help meet verification-statement requirements and gives M.S. students preference for the internship. The application fee is $55 ($90 international), and its deadlines are on the Graduate College site.

Tuition

Texas State’s Fall 2026 graduate rate works out to about $464 per credit for hours one to nine for a Texas resident and about $454 above nine (derived), and $892 and $882 for non-residents, each with flat fees on top. The published totals are $4,514.49 for 9 credits and $5,875.32 for 12 as a resident, and $8,363.49 and $11,008.32 as a non-resident, and Spring 2027 totals are identical.

  • Undergraduate Fall 2026: 12 credits $4,989.96 resident and $10,125.96 non-resident; 15 credits $6,129.45 and $12,549.45
  • Program estimate for the combined M.S./Internship, 39 credits at Fall 2025 rates: $20,107 resident and $35,902 non-resident, plus $2,628 in extras (dress, books, meetings, Academy membership, health costs, immunizations, and orientation)
  • Derived 2026-27 non-thesis total: about $19,522 resident and $36,202 non-resident, using a summer 2026 rate as a proxy
  • Orientation costs of $150, including liability insurance, a pediatric nutrition guide, and exam preparation

Be aware that:

No nutrition or College of Applied Arts differential was found, but the rate page says rates can vary by program. The thesis track’s cost depends on research progress and was not found, and assistantship tuition rules were not found. The internship site mentions an extra $150 registration fee for distance coursework that is not on the bursar page. Interns also drive 12,000 to 15,000 miles during rotations.

Official figures are on Texas State’s graduate rates and undergraduate rates pages.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for Texas State dietetics students and alumni who want an integrated master’s and internship at public-university rates in Central Texas, and who can accept a car-dependent, in-person schedule.

The cost verdict is favorable on paper: the program’s own estimate is about $22,700 for a resident, including extras, for a master’s, 1,000-plus practice hours, and the internship, with no separate match. The estimate uses Fall 2025 rates, and it excludes the mileage, which runs 12,000 to 15,000 miles.

The trade-off is access. Early decision is limited to Texas State’s own students and alumni, and the program takes two to three outside applicants a year through DICAS. Applicants without a DPD from Texas State should have a backup plan.

Accreditation

Texas State is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), per its provost page, at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. That matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.

ACEND’s directory lists a Texas State Didactic Program in Dietetics (initial accreditation 1976, B.S. offered) and a Dietetic Internship (initial 1996, M.S. offered), both accredited with terms ending June 30, 2029. ACEND’s decisions pages show full and continued accreditation of both after a site visit in January 2020, with no Texas State entry in any other year from 2019 through 2026. Texas State is not on the Programs Under Review page, and no probation or reduced term appears.

The handbook states the dietetics program is accredited until June 30, 2029, which matches the directory for the DPD, and the internship’s pages give no date. ACEND lists no Coordinated Program or Future Education Model program. A graduate of the combined M.S./Internship completes the degree and supervised practice and can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the Dietetics concentration holds a verification statement and still needs a master’s degree, an internship, and the exam.

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