Department of Public Health, Liberty University • Lynchburg, VA • Online (Most Master’s) or Campus (B.S.) • $600/Credit (Online Graduate, Full Time)
Liberty offers 6 nutrition-related credentials, and none of them leads to RD/RDN eligibility:
- B.S., Public Health – Nutrition (residential only)
- M.P.H., Nutrition (online or residential)
- M.S., Nutrition (100% online)
- M.S., Human Performance – Nutrition (online with two required residential intensives, or residential)
- M.S., Exercise Science and Wellness – Nutrition and Wellness (100% online)
- Graduate Certificate in Nutrition (100% online)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Public Health – Nutrition | $25,390/yr in tuition (12 to 18 credits a semester, 2026-27) | 4 years | 120 |
| M.P.H. Nutrition | About $25,200 (42 credits at $600 online, full time) | Not clearly stated; 8-week courses | 42 |
| M.S. Nutrition | About $21,600 (36 credits at $600) | Not clearly stated; 8-week courses | 36 |
| M.S. Human Performance – Nutrition | About $21,000 (35 credits at $600) | Not clearly stated | 35 |
| M.S. Exercise Science and Wellness – Nutrition and Wellness | About $19,800 (33 credits at $600) | Not clearly stated; 8-week courses | 33 |
| Graduate Certificate in Nutrition | About $9,000 (15 credits at $600) | Not clearly stated; 5 courses | 15 |
Liberty’s nutrition programs are a menu of non-RD credentials, not a dietitian pathway: the university has no ACEND-accredited program of any kind, and its own M.S. in Nutrition FAQ says that degree does not lead to RD certification, though it can be a stepping stone toward the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential. The differentiators are format and flexibility, with eight online start dates a year, 8-week courses, no standardized test for admission, and a military rate of $310 per credit for online graduate students.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | B.S.: campus (residential only). M.S. Nutrition, M.S. Exercise Science and Wellness, the certificate, and the online M.P.H.: online, 8-week courses, though a generic note allows some courses to require scheduled sessions or travel. M.S. Human Performance – Nutrition online: mostly online with two required residential intensives in Lynchburg, length not stated |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: 120; M.P.H.: 42; M.S. Nutrition: 36; M.S. Human Performance: 35; M.S. Exercise Science and Wellness: 33; certificate: 15 |
| ACEND Accreditation | No. None of Liberty’s pages claims ACEND accreditation, and Liberty does not appear on ACEND’s decisions pages for 2020 through 2026 |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | No program leads to RD/RDN eligibility. The B.S. page describes graduate study as a pathway toward the RDN credential but claims no eligibility, and the M.S. Nutrition FAQ states the degree does not lead to RD certification |
| CEPH Status | CEPH lists Liberty’s Public Health Program as accredited through July 1, 2032. That covers the public health program as a whole, not the nutrition concentration or coursework specifically, and the M.S. degrees and certificate are not on Liberty’s CEPH list |
| Other Credentials | The public health B.S. and residential M.P.H. pages say graduates are eligible to take, or can work toward, the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam; the wording varies by page and attaches to the public health major generally, not to the Nutrition concentration |
| Admissions | B.S.: case by case with transcripts and a short personal story, no SAT/ACT/CLT required. M.P.H. and certificate: bachelor’s with a 2.5 GPA. M.S. degrees: bachelor’s with a 3.0 GPA; Exercise Science and Wellness also needs physiology, biomechanics or physics, and statistics. No program requires standardized testing for admission |
| Start Dates | Online: October 26, 2026, January 18, 2027, and February 15, 2027, with eight start dates a year; residential: January 18, 2027 |
| Transfer Credit | Up to 75% for the residential B.S. and up to 50% for the online graduate programs |
| Tuition | Online graduate: $600/credit full time, $665 part time, $310 military (2026-27); online undergraduate: $410 full time, $475 part time, $250 military. Residential: undergraduate $12,695/semester; graduate $575/credit |
| Institutional Accreditation | SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges) |
Bachelor of Science, Public Health – Nutrition
The estimated tuition is $12,695 a semester for 12 to 18 credits, or $25,390 a year (2026-27), before activity and health fees. The degree is 120 credits, residential only, with a next start of January 18, 2027. Liberty lists courses in human nutrition, food preparation, nutrition through the life cycle, and chronic and infectious disease, and describes graduates as prepared for entry-level community nutrition and public health roles or further graduate study.
You Should Know
Liberty’s page lists a Registered Dietitian among its career options with the note that it requires graduate-level study, but it does not claim RD eligibility and does not mention ACEND. CEPH accreditation applies to Liberty’s public health program as a whole, and Liberty lists the Nutrition concentration of this B.S. among its accredited degrees. That is different from an accreditation of the nutrition coursework itself. Liberty’s CHES wording also varies by page, from “qualify and are encouraged to take” in the catalog to “eligible to take” on the program page, and none says the coursework is designed to meet CHES requirements.
Master of Public Health, Nutrition
The estimated tuition is about $25,200 for 42 credits at the online full-time rate of $600 per credit (2026-27), or $26,460 at the part-time rate of $665. The online version covers disease prevention, nutritional health disorders, and foodborne illness, and ends in a required practicum (HLTH 698) that is local to the student. Admission requires a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 GPA. A residential version also exists at 42 credits.
Master of Science, Nutrition
The estimated tuition is about $21,600 for 36 credits at $600 per credit. It is 100% online in 8-week courses, with a 3.0 GPA bachelor’s required. Liberty contrasts it with the M.P.H.: the M.P.H. focuses on community nutrition and health programs, while this degree focuses more on individual nutritional needs. Careers are described as non-licensed nutritionist. Liberty’s FAQ says it does not lead to RD certification.
Master of Science, Human Performance – Nutrition
The estimated tuition is about $21,000 for 35 credits at $600 per credit online, or $20,125 at the residential $575. The online version is mostly online with two required residential intensives in Lynchburg, and ends in a thesis or internship. Liberty markets it as sports nutrition and performance, but the concentration is officially named “Nutrition.” Listed careers include fitness trainer, medical fitness specialist, nutrition and exercise specialist, and wellness coach.
You Should Know
Liberty’s pages disagree on transfer credit and GPA here. The program page allows up to 50% of the degree in transfer, while the catalog allows up to 15 graduate credits. The program pages state a 3.0 GPA for good standing, while the catalog admits students below 3.0 on Academic Caution and none below 2.5. The length of the on-campus intensives is not stated on the program page.
Master of Science, Exercise Science and Wellness – Nutrition and Wellness
The estimated tuition is about $19,800 for 33 credits at $600 per credit, with 18 credits of specialization. This is a master’s degree, not a bachelor’s. It is 100% online in 8-week courses, with a 3.0 GPA bachelor’s and prerequisites in physiology or exercise physiology, biomechanics or physics, and statistics, or an introductory course first. No RD or ACEND link is mentioned.
Graduate Certificate in Nutrition
The estimated tuition is about $9,000 for 15 credits (five courses) at $600 per credit. It is 100% online with a 2.5 GPA bachelor’s required, and its courses are taught from the Master of Public Health program. Liberty’s page says it includes no clinical elements and that becoming a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist requires meeting state educational and testing requirements.
Tuition
Liberty bills by enrollment level, not residency: online graduate students pay $600 per credit full time and $665 part time in 2026-27, up from $580 and $645 in 2025-26.
- Online undergraduate: $410 full time, $475 part time, $250 military (2026-27); $390, $455, and $250 in 2025-26
- Online graduate: $600 full time, $665 part time, $310 military (2026-27); $580, $645, and $290 in 2025-26
- Residential undergraduate: $12,695 a semester for 12 to 18 credits, $870 per credit part time; residential graduate: $575 per credit, $5,175 a semester full time
- Online fees: a $349 technology fee each semester (waived for actively serving military) and an estimated $716 in book and online content fees for online graduate students in 2026-27
- Residential fees: undergraduate activity $920 and health $340 a year; graduate activity $320 a semester
Be aware that:
The program totals above use the online full-time rate and exclude the technology fee and books, so confirm which rate applies to your course load. Military pricing, $250 undergraduate and $310 graduate per credit online, is available to active duty, reserve, veterans and retirees, spouses, and Department of Defense employees, and may exclude practicums, internships, or field experiences; no residential military rate was found. A residential 2025-26 rate could not be confirmed from a labeled Liberty page.
Official figures are on Liberty’s online tuition and residential tuition and fees pages.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for working adults and faith-oriented students who want an online nutrition or public health nutrition credential on a flexible schedule, and who are not aiming to become registered dietitians.
Students who need flexibility can start in October, January, or February, take 8-week courses with no set login times, and skip standardized tests, with military pricing available online.
Students interested in community or public health nutrition can choose the M.P.H., while those interested in individual nutrition or performance can choose the M.S. in Nutrition or Human Performance – Nutrition. Liberty teaches through a Christian worldview.
The honest trade-off is that nothing here leads to the RD credential, program lengths in months are not published, and CEPH accreditation covers the public health program rather than the nutrition coursework itself.
Accreditation
Liberty is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. No sanction appears on Liberty’s pages, but the university’s record was not independently confirmed with the accreditor, and no reaffirmation date was found.
The Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) lists Liberty’s Public Health Program as accredited through July 1, 2032; Liberty says it was first accredited in October 2017, while CEPH shows a September 2017 date. CEPH accredits the program, not a nutrition concentration. No Liberty program carries ACEND accreditation, and Liberty is absent from ACEND’s decisions pages for 2020 through 2026, so none of these degrees leads to RDN eligibility.
Liberty’s M.S. in Nutrition FAQ points graduates toward the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential instead, which has its own graduate-degree, supervised-practice, and exam requirements. Confirm those requirements with the certifying board before relying on that route.
More Nutrition Degrees in Virginia
- George Mason University - Fairfax
- James Madison University - Harrisonburg
- Radford University - Radford
- Virginia Nutrition Programs & Online Degrees
- Virginia State University - Petersburg
- Virginia Tech - Blacksburg