Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences Department • Logan, UT • Campus (B.S.) or Online (MPH) • $536/Credit (Online MPH, Non-Resident/Flat Rate)
Utah State offers 3 nutrition-related credentials of note:
- B.S., Nutrition Science (Pre-Health or Sport Nutrition emphasis, not itself the RD pathway)
- B.S., Dietetics (the ACEND Didactic Program in Dietetics)
- Online M.P.H., Public Health Nutrition
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Nutrition Science | $9,064/yr resident (2026-27, standard undergraduate rate) | 4 years | Not clearly stated (catalog pages were unreachable in this research) |
| B.S. Dietetics (DPD) | $9,064/yr resident | 4 years | Not clearly stated |
| Online M.P.H., Public Health Nutrition | $536/credit non-resident/online flat rate; residents pay the standard on-campus graduate rate instead | Self-paced, no residency requirement | 42 |
Utah State’s most consequential fact isn’t on its own marketing pages: ACEND’s own decisions show its Coordinated Program in Dietetics is being reorganized and voluntarily closed, effective July 1, 2027, with the RD pathway shifting to the DPD paired with USU’s Master of Dietetics Administration (MDA), an online, ACEND-accredited graduate degree. A fully online M.P.H. in Public Health Nutrition also exists as a non-RD public-health credential.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | B.S. programs: Campus, Logan; M.P.H.: 100% online, no campus visits required |
| Credit Hours | B.S. Nutrition Science and B.S. Dietetics: not clearly stated (USU’s catalog pages returned access errors throughout this research); M.P.H.: 42 |
| ACEND Accreditation | Both a Didactic Program in Dietetics and a Coordinated Program in Dietetics held full and continued accreditation as of a 2024 site visit, but ACEND’s 2025 decisions record the Coordinated Program reorganizing into a Dietetic Internship Program and voluntarily closing (teach-out), effective July 1, 2027. USU’s own MDA program page describes only a DPD-to-MDA pathway and does not mention the Coordinated Program at all |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, via the B.S. Dietetics DPD followed by a supervised-practice match: USU’s own Master of Dietetics Administration (ACEND-accredited, online) or Certificate of Applied Practice in Dietetics, or an outside internship; the Coordinated Program is closing and should not be relied on for new applicants; the B.S. Nutrition Science and the M.P.H. are not RD pathways |
| B.S. Emphases | Nutrition Science offers Pre-Health (laboratory research, epidemiology, clinical nutrition) and Sport Nutrition (exercise and performance) emphases; USU’s own program page uses “Sport Nutrition” (singular), while its catalog listing uses “Sports Nutrition” (plural) |
| M.P.H. Applied Practice | NDFS 6850, Applied Practice Experience in Public Health Nutrition, 3 credits, typically taken in the second-to-last semester |
| Tuition | Undergraduate (Logan, full time): $4,532/semester resident, $13,255/semester non-resident (2026-27); graduate: $5,239/semester resident, $16,827/semester non-resident; M.P.H. online flat rate: $536/credit for non-residents, standard on-campus banded rate for Utah residents, plus a $15/credit online course fee for all students |
| Institutional Accreditation | NWCCU (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities), reaffirmed for a 7-year term in August 2025 |
Bachelor of Science, Nutrition Science
The estimated tuition for this B.S. is $4,532 a semester for Utah residents, or about $9,064 a year (2026-27). Housed in the Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences Department under the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the degree is administrative housing rather than a curricular agricultural focus.
B.S. Nutrition Science Emphases
- Pre-Health: laboratory research, epidemiology, and clinical nutrition experience for students planning medical school
- Sport Nutrition (called “Sports Nutrition” in the catalog): exercise and physical performance, aimed at health coaches, personal trainers, product developers, and marketers
This B.S. carries no ACEND accreditation and does not lead to RDN eligibility on its own. First-year USU admits qualify automatically for the major; transfers need a 2.5 cumulative GPA.
Bachelor of Science, Dietetics (Didactic Program in Dietetics)
The estimated tuition matches the standard undergraduate rate above, $4,532 a semester for residents. This is USU’s ACEND-accredited DPD, in person on the Logan campus with no online option.
DPD Admissions
- 3.0 or better GPA
- 9 prerequisite courses, each with a C- or better
- 200 hours of dietetics-related experience recommended, not required
- Interview and a math assessment
You Should Know
ACEND’s own decisions pages record real structural change here that USU’s marketing pages don’t spell out. USU’s 2024 decisions show full and continued accreditation for both the DPD (which also gained approval to add distance education and increase enrollment) and a separate Coordinated Program in Dietetics. ACEND’s 2025 decisions then record that Coordinated Program reorganizing into a “Dietetic Internship Program” and voluntarily closing on a teach-out plan, effective July 1, 2027. USU’s own “How to Become an RDN” page describes only a DPD-to-MDA pathway and never mentions the Coordinated Program at all, so confirm current status with the department directly rather than relying on either page alone.
DPD completion alone does not confer RDN eligibility. Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration requires a master’s degree, so graduates need a supervised-practice match: USU’s own Master of Dietetics Administration (MDA, ACEND-accredited, online) or Certificate of Applied Practice in Dietetics, or an outside internship placement.
Online Master of Public Health, Public Health Nutrition
The estimated tuition for the online M.P.H. is about $22,512 for 42 credits at the confirmed $536 per-credit non-resident/online flat rate. Utah residents are billed differently: “tuition for online courses is the same as face-to-face courses,” so residents pay the standard on-campus banded graduate rate ($5,239/semester full time, 2026-27) rather than the flat per-credit figure.
M.P.H. Curriculum and Format
The program is 100% online with no campus visits required at any point. It includes NDFS 6850, a 3-credit Applied Practice Experience in Public Health Nutrition, typically taken in the second-to-last semester. Exact contact-hour requirements for that course were not published on the pages reviewed. This is a public-health credential, not an RD pathway.
M.P.H. Admissions
- $55 application fee
- Transcripts, a one-page statement of purpose, a resume or CV, 3 letters of recommendation
- Completed undergraduate statistics and human nutrition coursework
Tuition
Utah State’s confirmed 2026-27 rates come from the university’s own cost-of-attendance page for the on-campus programs, and its online program page for the M.P.H.
- Undergraduate (Logan, full time): $4,532/semester resident, $13,255/semester non-resident
- Graduate (Logan, full time): $5,239/semester resident, $16,827/semester non-resident
- Online M.P.H.: $536/credit for non-residents (flat, online); Utah residents pay the standard on-campus banded graduate rate instead; a $15/credit online course fee applies to all online students regardless of residency
Be aware that:
A commonly cited $504 per-credit figure for the M.P.H. is stale; it traces to an older USU page with 2021 dollar figures. The current confirmed rate is $536 per credit for non-residents. A distinct, readable 2025-26 tuition schedule was not found; USU’s PDF rate sheets could not be parsed as text in this research.
Official figures are on USU’s cost of attendance page and the online M.P.H. page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for Utah residents who want an in-state RD pathway built around the DPD and MDA, or working professionals anywhere who want a fully online public-health nutrition credential.
Students aiming for the RD credential can complete the DPD in Logan, then match into USU’s own online MDA rather than a nationwide internship search, though the older Coordinated Program route is closing.
Students who want public-health nutrition, not clinical dietetics, get a genuinely 100% online M.P.H. with no campus visits and a flat non-resident rate.
The honest trade-off is timing and clarity: the Coordinated Program is in teach-out through mid-2027, USU’s own pages don’t fully explain the transition, and exact credit totals for both bachelor’s programs could not be confirmed from USU’s catalog in this research.
Accreditation
Utah State is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), continuously since 1924 and reaffirmed for a 7-year term in August 2025, which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
ACEND records full and continued accreditation for USU’s Didactic Program in Dietetics as of a 2024 site visit, which also approved adding distance education and increasing enrollment. ACEND separately recorded full and continued accreditation for a Coordinated Program in Dietetics in 2024, but its 2025 decisions show that program reorganizing into a Dietetic Internship Program and voluntarily closing on a teach-out plan effective July 1, 2027. The Master of Dietetics Administration is a separate ACEND-accredited graduate program. The B.S. Nutrition Science and the online M.P.H. carry no ACEND accreditation.
Graduates who complete the DPD, a graduate degree such as the MDA, and supervised practice are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam. The B.S. Nutrition Science and the M.P.H. do not lead to RDN eligibility on their own.
More Nutrition Degrees in Utah
- Brigham Young University - Provo
- Snow College - Ephraim
- Southern Utah University - Cedar City
- University of Utah - Salt Lake City
- Utah Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Weber State University - Ogden