Best Dietetic Technician programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Assist in the provision of food service and nutritional programs, under the supervision of a dietitian.
88 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,536 people a year. The job pays a median of $46,410 in California across about 6,310 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 30.1901In California → | 1,102 | 71.7% | 18 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 2 | CIP 19.0501In California → | 367 | 23.9% | 67 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 3 | CIP 51.3101In California → | 52 | 3.4% | 4 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
| 4 | CIP 51.3103In California → | 15 | 1.0% | 4 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 9 of the 88 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 128 | Nutrition Sciences | $34,512 | 86% | — | 42% |
| 2 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 126 | Nutrition Sciences | $35,161 | 93% | — | 11% |
| 3 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 120 | Nutrition Sciences | $34,384 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 4 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 93 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 69% | — | 46% |
| 5 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 84 | Nutrition Sciences | $34,878 | 76% | — | 36% |
| 6 | California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 75 | Nutrition Sciences | $31,096 | 53% | — | 91% |
| 7 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 74 | Nutrition Sciences | $22,675 | 86% | — | 31% |
| 8 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 73 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 56% | — | 94% |
| 9 | National Holistic Institute Emeryville, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 66 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 80% | $31,040 | — |
| 10 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 11 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Nutrition Sciences | $30,620 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 12 | California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 55% | — | 94% |
| 13 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 57% | — | 93% |
| 14 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 15 | California State University - Chico Chico, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Nutrition Sciences | $25,490 | 63% | — | 93% |
| 16 | Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 25 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 30% | — | — |
| 17 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Nutrition Sciences | $23,211 | 57% | — | 95% |
| 18 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 36% | — | — |
| 19 | Fullerton College Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 34% | — | — |
| 20 | Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 45% | — | — |
| 21 | East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 37% | — | — |
| 22 | Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 20% | — | — |
| 23 | Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 77% | $48,795 | 84% |
| 25 | Riverside City College Riverside, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 37% | — | — |
All 88 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 128 | 1 |
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | Public | 126 | 1 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 120 | 2 |
| California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach | Public | 93 | 2 |
| San Diego State University | San Diego | Public | 84 | 1 |
| California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 75 | 1 |
| California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public | 74 | 1 |
| California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento | Public | 73 | 1 |
| National Holistic Institute | Emeryville | Private for-profit | 66 | 1 |
| San Jose State University | San Jose | Public | 63 | 1 |
| San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public | 51 | 1 |
| California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino | Public | 42 | 1 |
| California State University - Northridge | Northridge | Public | 38 | 1 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 34 | 1 |
| California State University - Chico | Chico | Public | 33 | 1 |
What dietetic technicians earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $37,640. California pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: California employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Dietetic Technicians page.
How to become a Dietetic Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Dietetic Technicians5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0501Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
- 30.1901Nutrition Sciences
- 51.3101Dietetics/Dietitian
- 51.3103Dietetic Technician
- 51.3104Dietitian Assistant
Common questions
Answers for people weighing dietetic technicians programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Dietetic Technician?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Nutrition Sciences, which awarded 1,102 degrees in California in 2024-25, 71.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Dietetic Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Nutrition Sciences, Foods, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services. Together they graduate about 1,536 people a year in California.
How much do dietetic technicians earn in California?+
The median is $46,410 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 23.3% above the U.S. median of $37,640. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for dietetic technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +2.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 4,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
88 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do dietetic technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Dietary Aide, Nutrition Technician, Diet Tech (Dietetic Technician), Diet Technician Registered (DTR) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-2051.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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