Career Pathways in Nutrition
Bachelor’s
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition may pursue the following career options or health professional school
Hospital/Institution
Health Educator/ Health Coach
Nutrition and Dietetics Technicians, Registered*
Dietary Aide
Public Health
WIC Nutrition Assistant or Nutritionist
Cooperative Extension Associate Agent/ Nutrition Education Facilitator/ SNAP-ED Nutrition Educator
Food Bank, Food Pantry, or Farmers Market Nutrition Educator/Manager
Design and implement nutrition education materials and programs for community organizations including food banks, pantries, or farmers markets.
Personal Trainer*
Food Service Management
Food Service Director
Child Nutrition Director
Food Safety Coordinator
School Nutrition Manager
Health Inspector
USDA Food Inspector
Industry
Quality control/Procurement
Corporate Wellness Coordinator
Food Marketing & Sales
Education
K-12 School Teacher*
Nutrition Educator
Health and Nutrition Writer
Write and develop content for various communication mediums such as social media and consumer-friendly articles to educate the public about nutrition and health.
Master’s
Graduates with a master’s degree in nutrition may pursue the following career options
Public Health
WIC Nutrition Assistant or Nutritionist
Cooperative Extension Associate Agent/ Nutrition Education Facilitator/ SNAP-ED Nutrition Educator
As a part of an Extension team, develop and implement evidence-based nutrition education resources and programs, provide technical assistance and consultation to community partners and Extension colleagues, and develop partnerships and collaborations for the community your Extension team serves.
Public Health Nutritionist*
Food Bank, Food Pantry, or Farmers Market Director of Health and Nutrition/ Dietitian*
Community Dietitian/ Nutritionist*
Private practice dietitian*
Researcher
Design studies and utilize various research methods to analyze the relationship between nutrition and health.
Government Agency Nutritionist/ Program Analyst
Nonprofit Management
Doctorate
Graduates with a PhD in nutrition may pursue the following career options
Hospital/Institution
Board Certified Specialist Dietitian*
A dietitian with at least two years’ experience can gain a specialty certification in an area such as oncology nutrition, pediatric critical care nutrition, or renal nutrition to provide specialized patient care often in a clinical care setting.
Administrator
Public Health
Director of Health
Research Scientist
Government Agency Roles
Nonprofit Management
Industry
R&D Nutrition
VP, Food and Nutrition
Senior Director of Nutrition
Consultant
Education
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor
Develop curricula and course material, teach nutrition classes, conduct research and disseminate research findings, often through published journal articles, train and mentor students, and write grant proposals.
Administrator
*Additional specialized skills, training, certification, licensure, or school required. For example, completion of an ACEND-accredited supervised practice experience and successful completion of the registration examination allows students with degrees in nutrition to become dietetic technicians, registered, or registered dietitians.