University of Texas at Austin Nutrition Degree Programs

Department of Nutritional Sciences, College of Natural Sciences • Austin, TX • Campus (B.S., ICPD, in-residence M.S.) or Online (Online M.S.) • $750/Credit (Online M.S.)

The University of Texas at Austin offers 6 nutrition credentials, and 2 of them are routes toward RD/RDN eligibility:

  • B.S., Nutrition (Didactic Program in Dietetics, Nutritional Sciences, and Public Health Nutrition tracks)
  • B.S.A., Nutrition
  • Integrated Coordinated Program in Dietetics (B.S. plus M.S., current UT students only)
  • M.S., Nutritional Sciences (in residence, thesis or report)
  • M.S., Nutritional Sciences (online)
  • Ph.D., Nutritional Sciences

Program Tracks Overview

ProgramEst. TuitionEst. DurationCredit Hours
B.S. and B.S.A. Nutrition$47.1K in-state, $179.9K out-of-state (8 semesters at the 12-hour flat rate, derived, tuition and mandatory fees)4 years (8 semesters, derived)126 (B.S.), 120 (B.S.A.)
Integrated Coordinated ProgramNot clearly stated; summer rate unpublished5 semesters150 per the catalog (plan totals 152)
M.S. Nutritional Sciences (in residence)About $18.4K in-state, $36.3K out-of-state (4 semesters at 9 hours, illustrative)2 years30
M.S. Nutritional Sciences (online)$22.5K plus semester fees; the bursar lists $25.7K to $26.7K1 or 2 years30
Ph.D. Nutritional SciencesNot clearly stated4 to 5 yearsNot clearly stated

UT Austin has two ACEND programs, a Didactic Program in Dietetics and a Coordinated Program, and no dietetic internship. The Integrated Coordinated Program is the only RD-complete route on campus: it combines a B.S., an M.S., and supervised practice with no separate match. It admits only students already enrolled at UT Austin, with a cohort of at most 20, and UT’s own B.S. and B.S.A. nutrition graduates are not eligible to apply.

The Didactic Program in Dietetics gives a verification statement only, and the online and in-residence master’s degrees do not lead to RD eligibility. UT’s online master’s page says it does not provide a path to RD certification.

Quick Facts

FeatureDetails
FormatB.S., ICPD, and in-residence M.S.: campus, in person only. Online M.S.: online, mostly asynchronous seven-week courses
Credit HoursB.S.: 126; B.S.A.: 120; ICPD: 150 (plan 152); M.S.: 30
ACEND AccreditationDidactic Program in Dietetics and Coordinated Program, both with full and continued accreditation after a July 2023 site visit; term end not found
RD/RDN EligibilityICPD: yes. DPD track: verification statement only. All other degrees: no
Supervised PracticeICPD: 1,200 hours stated, integrated, with sites assigned within about 40 miles
Cohort SizeICPD: at most 20, with 35% to 50% of applicants accepted
Entrance ExamsNone. The GRE is waived for the in-residence M.S. and not required for the online M.S.
GPA FloorICPD selection 2.7 (accepted average 3.4). Master’s programs: 3.00 upper-division
IntakeICPD: apply during an annual cycle for a fall start. In-residence M.S.: December 1. Online M.S.: fall and spring
Tuition2026-27 flat semester rates include mandatory fees: undergraduate Natural Sciences $5,883 resident, $22,485 non-resident; online M.S. $750 per credit
Institutional AccreditationSACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges)

Bachelor of Science, Nutrition (DPD and Other Tracks)

The estimated tuition and mandatory fees for the B.S. in Nutrition are about $47,064 for a resident (8 semesters at $5,883) and $179,880 for a non-resident (8 at $22,485), derived at the traditional flat rate for 12 or more hours in Natural Sciences. The degree is 126 hours, and resident tuition and mandatory fees are frozen for 2025-26 and 2026-27.

B.S. Curriculum

The B.S. has tracks in Didactic Program in Dietetics, Nutritional Sciences, and Public Health Nutrition, each 126 hours, plus an honors track. Only the DPD track is ACEND-accredited, and the other tracks make no RD claim. A separate B.S.A. in Nutrition is 120 hours with no ACEND or RD language.

B.S. Admissions

The DPD track has no formal application and needs a 2.0 GPA and good standing. A verification statement requires at least four upper-division nutrition courses taken in residence, and bachelor’s holders in other fields can earn it as non-degree students. DPD graduates must still apply to an outside program for supervised practice, which is gated and not guaranteed.

You Should Know

The department’s site calls the DPD track Nutritional Sciences Option I (Dietetics), while the 2026-28 catalog calls it Nutrition, Didactic Program in Dietetics. Outcomes are available only on request.

Integrated Coordinated Program in Dietetics

The Integrated Coordinated Program awards a B.S. in Nutrition and an M.S. in Nutritional Sciences together, with 120 undergraduate and 30 graduate hours per the catalog. A total bill cannot be summed because the first three semesters bill as undergraduate and the summer rate is unpublished. It runs five semesters, from a fall start to the second spring (Fall 2027 to Spring 2029 on the current calendar).

ICPD Curriculum

The first fall mixes undergraduate and graduate courses, spring and summer are supervised practice, and the final fall and spring are graduate courses with thesis or sports-nutrition fellowship options. Concentrations include community and lifecycle nutrition, health promotion, and biochemical and functional nutrition. UT says the program has run since 1978 and became the integrated program in 2022.

ICPD Supervised Practice

  • 1,200 hours stated on the policies page, in clinical, community, foodservice, and administration settings; course descriptions add up to about 1,175 (derived)
  • Sites are assigned by the program and matched to student goals, up to 40 miles from campus, with some rotations needing hotel nights and up to 250 miles of travel a week
  • Attendance is mandatory, shifts can run from 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and outside work is strongly discouraged

The hours meet the 1,000-hour benchmark with no separate match, but the weekday schedule in spring and summer is close to full time. UT’s goals include preparing dietitians for non-urban Texas.

ICPD Admissions

  • Only currently enrolled UT Austin students may apply, and UT B.S. and B.S.A. nutrition graduates are ineligible; the program is in person only, with no part-time or online option
  • A 2.7 GPA minimum for selection, with a 3.4 average among those accepted; a cohort of at most 20 and an acceptance rate of 35% to 50%
  • Applications follow 60 hours of coursework in three rounds: a resume, personal statement, and degree audit; an invited round with three letters and a video interview; then committee review
  • The 2026 cycle opened July 14, with Round 1 due September 13 (passed) and acceptance due November 15 for a Fall 2027 start; retention needs a 3.0 each semester and B or better in graduate courses
You Should Know

UT’s pages disagree on points that change cost, duration, and eligibility. The catalog requires 150 hours, while its own plan of study adds to 152. The duration appears as a five-year program counted from the bachelor’s, as two years in five semesters, and as an entry at the start of junior year. The selection GPA is 2.7 on one page and a 3.0 each semester on the policies page. The eligibility FAQ says both that only nutrition B.S. students may be considered and that students with a degree in another subject can apply.

Master of Science, Nutritional Sciences (In Residence)

The estimated tuition for the in-residence M.S. is about $18,432 for a resident and $36,324 for a non-resident (four semesters at 9 hours, derived and illustrative because the actual load is not published). It requires 30 hours over two years: 18 in the nutrition core, 6 in a minor or supporting field, and 6 for a thesis, or a 3-hour master’s report with committee approval.

Students who complete the report cannot move on to the Ph.D. Admission needs a 3.00 upper-division GPA, with the GRE permanently waived, and applications for Fall 2027 are due December 1, 2026. The department calls it extremely competitive, and funding details were not found.

Master of Science, Nutritional Sciences (Online)

The estimated tuition for the online M.S. is $22,500 (30 credits at $750), plus semester fees of $500 to $1,200 and a $1,000 deposit applied to tuition. The program is ten 3-credit courses on a one- or two-year track, taught in seven-week courses.

The one-year track takes about 20 to 28 hours a week and the two-year track about 10 to 14. The core is five courses, followed by 15 hours in either Health Promotion and Disease Prevention or Biochemical and Functional Nutrition. Admission needs a 3.0 upper-division GPA, general chemistry and introductory biology at C or better, three letters, and no GRE, with TOEFL 79 or IELTS 6.5 for international applicants. It starts each fall and spring, and UT says it cannot offer or accept scholarships. UT’s catalog says the degree does not provide a path to RD certification.

You Should Know

The bursar’s program-fee table lists $25,722 for the one-year track and $26,670 for the two-year track, about $3,200 and $4,200 above tuition alone, and the program page says costs may change. Priority deadlines of June 1 and October 1 appear alongside application windows of December 1 to July 15 and August 1 to November 1, so confirm the date that applies.

Doctor of Philosophy, Nutritional Sciences

The Ph.D. takes four to five years full time, with candidacy by the end of year two after 18 nutrition hours, a proposal, and an oral defense. Credits, funding, and deadlines were not found.

Tuition

The University of Texas at Austin’s online M.S. is billed at $750 per credit, while on-campus students pay a flat semester rate that includes mandatory fees and college incidental fees. The online rate is published, and the on-campus totals below are the published semester figures for the College of Natural Sciences, 2026-27.

  • Undergraduate traditional flat rate: resident $4,706 for 8 to 11 hours and $5,883 for 12 or more; non-resident $18,009 and $22,485
  • Undergraduate Longhorn Fixed Tuition for incoming cohorts: resident $5,494 and $6,867; non-resident $20,565 and $25,676
  • Graduate Natural Sciences: resident $4,608 at 9 hours, $5,514 at 12, and $6,284 at 15; non-resident $9,081, $10,970, and $12,860
  • Natural Sciences carries a premium of $454 a semester over Liberal Arts, and no nutrition-specific differential was found
  • Derived graduate per-credit rates: $512 at 9 hours resident and $1,009 non-resident

Be aware that:

Summer 2027 rates are published only on Texas One Stop, so the Integrated Coordinated Program cannot be priced in full. The ICPD list of out-of-pocket items includes liability insurance, drug screening, a background check, and health insurance. Department pages elsewhere at UT say 20-hour assistantship appointments can qualify for the in-state rate, but that was not confirmed for Nutritional Sciences.

Official figures are on UT Austin’s tuition tables.

Why Choose This Nutrition Program?

Best suited for current or incoming UT Austin undergraduates who want a campus-based, integrated route to the credential, or for working adults who want a graduate nutrition science degree online and are not seeking RD eligibility.

If you are already enrolled at UT Austin, the Integrated Coordinated Program is the single route that removes the match, but it is capped at 20 and requires a strong record and a heavy spring and summer schedule. The DPD track is the fallback, with an outside internship match to follow.

If you are not enrolled at UT Austin, the integrated program is closed to you. Bachelor’s holders can still earn a verification statement as non-degree students, and the in-residence M.S. leads toward research rather than dietetics.

If you want a master’s online, the online M.S. is a one- or two-year option with no GRE, but it is a nutrition science degree, and UT says it does not lead to RD certification.

Accreditation

The University of Texas at Austin is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees, which matters for transfer credit, graduate admission, and federal financial aid.

ACEND’s decisions pages list a Coordinated Program in Dietetics and a Didactic Program in Dietetics at UT Austin, both with full and continued accreditation after a site visit in July 2023, and approval of a request to grant a graduate degree in July 2021. No UT Austin entry appears in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, or 2025, and UT is not on the Programs Under Review page. These pages were read through archived copies from April to June 2026, ACEND’s live directory could not be checked, and no term end date was found, so none is published here.

ACEND lists the integrated program as a Coordinated Program, not a Future Education Model program, and lists no UT Austin dietetic internship. The online and in-residence master’s degrees, the B.S.A., and the Ph.D. fall outside ACEND, which is normal for those degree types. A graduate of the Integrated Coordinated Program can sit for the CDR exam, while a graduate of the DPD track holds a verification statement and still needs a master’s degree, supervised practice, and the exam.

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