Nutrition and Dietetics major

Nutrition and Dietetics: courses, careers, and where to study

Nutrition and Dietetics studies how food and nutrients affect health, preparing graduates to assess diets and plan medical nutrition therapy in clinical, community, and food-service settings.

A Nutrition and Dietetics major is typically a Bachelor of Science combining biological sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology) with applied nutrition coursework: nutrient metabolism, the nutrition care process, medical nutrition therapy, food science, and community and public-health nutrition. Programs that lead toward the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential include supervised practice and culminate in eligibility to sit for the national registration exam.

Graduates assess patients' and clients' nutritional status, design and monitor diet plans for conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, and food allergies, counsel individuals on eating behavior, and manage food and nutrition services. They work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care, schools, public-health agencies, sports and wellness programs, and food-service operations.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $73,850 for dietitians and nutritionists, with the occupation's typical entry-level education being a bachelor's degree, and projects employment to change 5.5% from 2024 to 2034.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Nutrition and Dietetics maps to CIP 51.3101, Dietetics/Dietitian, within the HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS family. The official definition:

A program that prepares individuals to integrate and apply the principles of the food and nutrition sciences, human behavior, and the biomedical sciences to design and manage effective nutrition programs in a variety of settings. Includes instruction in human nutrition; nutrient metabolism; the role of foods and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention; planning and directing food service activities; diet and nutrition analysis and planning; supervision of food storage and preparation; client education; and professional standards and regulations.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Nutrition and Dietetics is awarded as

Of the 3,012 Nutrition and Dietetics credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:

  • Certificate3%96
  • Associate3%86
  • Bachelor's56%1,672
  • Graduate38%1,158

CampusPin does not have enough states reporting this field to say whether the mix changes from state to state. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Human anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry as they relate to nutrition
  • Nutrient metabolism across the life cycle, from infancy through older adulthood
  • The nutrition care process: screening, assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring
  • Medical nutrition therapy for conditions such as diabetes, renal disease, and cardiovascular disease
  • Food science, food safety, and quantity food-service systems management
  • Community and public-health nutrition and program planning
  • Nutrition counseling and behavior-change techniques for client education
  • Research methods, statistics, and evidence-based dietetics practice

Typical careers

Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by clinical, community, and food-service setting (BLS, 2024 dietitians and nutritionists median $73,850)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Nutrition and Dietetics, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Nutrition and Dieteticsby the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Dietitians and Nutritionists$73,8506,200+5.5%Bachelor's degree
Dietetic Technicians$37,0404,000+2.5%Associate's degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 2 of these 2 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Nutrition and Dietetics does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Nutrition and Dietetics major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Nutrition and Dietetics program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Nutrition and Dietetics department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Dietetics programs leading to the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential must be accredited by ACEND, and most states license or certify dietitians/nutritionists. Confirm a program's ACEND accreditation and your state's licensure rules before enrolling.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Nutrition and Dieteticscareers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Nutrition and Dietetics program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Nutrition and Dietetics credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Nutrition and Dietetics schools

Where Nutrition and Dietetics credentials were awarded

11 states have a distinct enough set of Nutrition and Dietetics colleges to be worth its own page.

Search Nutrition and Dietetics schools by state

Related majors

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Nutrition and Dietetics degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Healthcare careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Nutrition and Dietetics degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Nutrition and Dietetics path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.