Department of Family and Consumer Sciences • Laramie, WY • Campus • $187/Credit (Undergraduate, Resident)
UW offers 4 nutrition-related credentials, in the middle of a real accreditation transition:
- B.S., Human Nutrition and Food (not itself the RD pathway; feeds the Dietetics Pathway)
- Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (GPND), M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND candidacy, the current RD pathway)
- M.S., Food Science and Human Nutrition (interdisciplinary research, non-RD)
- M.S., Family and Consumer Sciences – Human Nutrition and Food emphasis (research, non-RD)
Program Tracks Overview
| Program | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| B.S. Human Nutrition and Food | $2,805/semester resident tuition (2026-27); $8,245/yr with fees (2025-26 figure) | 4 years | 120, 42 upper-division |
| GPND, M.S. Nutrition and Dietetics | $3,630/semester resident (standard graduate rate, 2026-27) | 18 months per one UW page, “approximately one year” per another | At least 30 |
| M.S. Food Science and Human Nutrition | $3,630/semester resident | About 2 years | 30 minimum |
| M.S. Family and Consumer Sciences (HNF Emphasis) | $3,630/semester resident | About 2 years | 30 minimum |
Wyoming’s most important fact isn’t on its own marketing pages: ACEND’s own decisions show UW’s undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics is voluntarily closing, effective December 31, 2026, replaced by a new Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (GPND) that currently holds ACEND candidacy, not full accreditation. Two separate research master’s degrees exist alongside it, in food science and in family and consumer sciences, neither an RD pathway.
Quick Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Format | Campus, Laramie, for the B.S., GPND, and Food Science and Human Nutrition M.S.; the Family and Consumer Sciences M.S. lists Laramie, online, and hybrid at the degree level, but the Human Nutrition and Food emphasis specifically is not clearly labeled online |
| Credit Hours | B.S.: 120, 42 upper-division; GPND: at least 30; both other M.S. programs: 30 minimum |
| ACEND Accreditation | The undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics is voluntarily closing effective December 31, 2026. The new GPND holds ACEND candidacy (Future Education Model Graduate Program, Cohort 4) granted April 2025; UW’s own pages inconsistently call it both “candidacy” and “accredited,” so treat candidacy as the accurate current status per ACEND’s own decisions |
| RD/RDN Eligibility | Yes, via the GPND, currently at candidacy status; the B.S. alone, the Food Science and Human Nutrition M.S., and the Family and Consumer Sciences M.S. do not lead to RDN eligibility |
| Supervised Practice | Built into the GPND through Supervised Experiential Learning courses (community nutrition, food management, clinical nutrition, a dietetics capstone); total hour requirement not published |
| Reported Outcomes | UW’s own pages repeat a “100% internship placement rate” with no year, cohort size, or methodology given; since the GPND’s first cohort only began spring 2026, this figure most likely reflects the now-closing DPD and should not be read as a current GPND statistic |
| GPND Admissions | Spring-only admission; bachelor’s from a regionally accredited institution, 3.0 GPA, 3 professional references, personal statement, resume, DICAS application; deadline September 30, decisions by November 1; not currently accepting international students |
| Tuition | Undergraduate resident: $187/credit, $2,805/semester block (2026-27); non-resident $749/credit, $11,235/semester. Graduate resident: $363/credit, $3,630/semester; non-resident $1,067/credit, $10,670/semester |
| Institutional Accreditation | HLC (Higher Learning Commission), current cycle 2020-2029 |
Bachelor of Science, Human Nutrition and Food
The estimated tuition for the B.S. is $2,805 a semester for residents in tuition alone (2026-27); a 2025-26 figure including fees totaled $8,245 a year. The degree requires 120 credits, 42 upper-division, over four years.
B.S. Curriculum and the Dietetics Pathway
UW’s current catalog lists a single, unified Human Nutrition and Food major with no separate “Dietetics Concentration.” All majors are automatically admitted to a “Dietetics Pathway” (students may opt out), which now leads toward the graduate GPND rather than conferring an accredited credential at the bachelor’s level itself. Hands-on service learning includes the campus food pantry, the Cent$ible Nutrition Program, and the ACRES Student Farm.
You Should Know
UW’s own DPD program page now returns a server error, consistent with the program’s closure. Its 2024-25 catalog described an ACEND-accredited “Dietetics Concentration”; that language is gone from the current catalog. Confirm current pathway structure directly with the department before assuming the old DPD framing still applies.
Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (GPND)
The estimated tuition for the GPND is the standard graduate resident rate, $3,630 a semester (2026-27); no program-specific rate is published. UW’s own pages disagree on length, calling it an 18-month program in one place and “approximately one year” in another.
GPND Curriculum and Supervised Practice
- At least 30 credits: community nutrition experience, food management and leadership experience, therapeutic nutrition I and II, therapeutic nutrition counseling, clinical nutrition experience I through III, research methods, and a dietetics capstone
- Supervised Experiential Learning is built into these courses; a total hour requirement was not published
- Spring-only admission, cohort model; the first cohort began spring 2026
You Should Know
UW’s GPND accreditation FAQ calls this a “candidacy program” for the Future Education Model Graduate Program, then elsewhere on the same page calls it simply “accredited.” The current course catalog entry also says “nationally accredited,” with no mention of candidacy. ACEND’s own April 2025 decisions record candidacy, not full accreditation, for UW’s Graduate Program; this profile follows ACEND’s primary record. Because the first cohort only started in 2026, no CDR exam pass-rate or completion data can yet exist for this specific program.
GPND Admissions
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, 3.0 GPA
- Three professional references, a personal statement, a resume or CV
- DICAS application; deadline September 30 for spring-only entry, decisions by November 1, accept-by November 10
- Not currently accepting international applications
- Cohort size not published
M.S., Food Science and Human Nutrition
The estimated tuition is the standard graduate resident rate, $3,630 a semester. The degree requires at least 30 credits (only 9 may be at the 4000 level), with a thesis (Plan A) or non-thesis project (Plan B) option and an oral defense.
This is an interdisciplinary research degree offered jointly with the Department of Animal Science, with access to a metabolic cart, DEXA body-composition technology, a meat processing laboratory, sensory evaluation rooms, and experimental kitchens. Sports nutrition appears only as a stated career interest area, not a formal concentration or track. This is not an RD pathway. Competitive graduate assistantships are available for full-time, on-campus students.
M.S., Family and Consumer Sciences – Human Nutrition and Food Emphasis
The estimated tuition matches the standard graduate resident rate, $3,630 a semester. The degree requires at least 30 credits, with a thesis or non-thesis option and an oral defense, structured similarly to the Food Science and Human Nutrition M.S. but housed as one emphasis within the broader Family and Consumer Sciences M.S.
UW’s own pages explicitly distinguish this degree from the Food Science and Human Nutrition M.S.: the two are genuinely separate programs, not two names for the same one. The degree-level page lists Laramie, online, and hybrid delivery, but only the separate Human Development and Family Sciences emphasis is explicitly described as fully online; the Human Nutrition and Food emphasis reads as campus-based research training, though this was not stated in so many words. This is not an RD pathway.
Tuition
UW’s 2026-27 (FY27) rates, from the university’s own tuition and fees page:
- Undergraduate resident: $187/credit, $2,805/semester block; non-resident $749/credit, $11,235/semester
- Undergraduate resident online: $3,225/semester; non-resident online $5,820/semester
- Graduate resident: $363/credit, $3,630/semester; non-resident $1,067/credit, $10,670/semester
- Graduate non-resident online: $5,790/semester
- 2025-26 annual totals with fees: undergraduate resident $8,245, non-resident $24,865; graduate resident $8,943, non-resident $22,483
Be aware that:
The 2026-27 per-semester figures above appear to be tuition only, while the 2025-26 annual totals include mandatory fees, so treat the two years as not directly comparable without adding current fees to the 2026-27 figures. No FCS- or nutrition-specific differential tuition was found.
Official figures are on UW’s tuition and fees page.
Why Choose This Nutrition Program?
Best suited for Wyoming students who want the state’s only in-state RD pathway, or who want research training in food science or nutrition without pursuing the RD credential.
Students aiming for the RD credential now go through the GPND rather than a bachelor’s-level DPD; it is early in its accreditation life, at candidacy status with one cohort admitted so far.
Students who want research training can choose between food science (meat science, food microbiology, sensory evaluation) and family and consumer sciences emphases, both non-RD, both with competitive assistantships.
The honest trade-off is timing: the GPND is brand new, its ACEND status is candidacy rather than full accreditation, UW’s own pages disagree on its length, and the frequently repeated “100% internship placement rate” has no published source, year, or cohort behind it.
Accreditation
The University of Wyoming is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), on a 2020-2029 cycle with its most recent reaffirmation report submitted September 2024, which governs credit transfer, graduate admission eligibility, and federal financial aid access across the university.
UW’s undergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics is voluntarily closing, effective December 31, 2026, per ACEND’s April 2025 decisions. In the same decision cycle, ACEND granted candidacy for accreditation to UW’s new Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, a Future Education Model program in its fourth candidacy cohort. This covers only the GPND. The B.S. Human Nutrition and Food, the Food Science and Human Nutrition M.S., and the Family and Consumer Sciences M.S. carry no ACEND accreditation.
Graduates of the GPND, once it reaches full accreditation, would hold a master’s degree, accredited coursework, and supervised experiential learning, making them eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s national exam; candidacy status means this pathway is not yet fully accredited, so confirm current status with UW and ACEND before applying. The bachelor’s degree and both research master’s programs do not lead to RDN eligibility.