Best degree programs for Dietitians and Nutritionists, ranked by enrollment
8 college programs and 429 schools train Dietitians and Nutritionists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $76,400 median wage, 77,570 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
8 college programs at 429 schools train dietitians and nutritionists, graduating 13,480 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Nutrition Sciences. The job pays a median of $76,400 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About dietitians and nutritionists
Plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. May supervise activities of a department providing quantity food services, counsel individuals, or conduct nutritional research.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
8 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nutrition Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.1901 | 5,478 | 40.6% | 154 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 2 | Dietetics/Dietitianmain feeder CIP 51.3101 | 2,993 | 22.2% | 147 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
| 3 | CIP 19.0501 | 2,082 | 15.4% | 151 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 4 | Human Nutritionmain feeder CIP 19.0504 | 1,129 | 8.4% | 49 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 5 | Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionistmain feeder CIP 51.3102 | 904 | 6.7% | 45 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
| 6 | CIP 51.3199 | 450 | 3.3% | 22 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
| 7 | CIP 19.0505 | 333 | 2.5% | 30 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 8 | CIP 19.0599 | 111 | 0.8% | 10 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 237 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 86% | — | 55% |
| 2 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 203 | Human Nutrition | 73% | — | 77% |
| 3 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · 5 feeder programs | 200 | Nutrition Sciences | 68% | — | 86% |
| 4 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE Public · 2 feeder programs | 196 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 67% | — | 87% |
| 5 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Public · 3 feeder programs | 167 | Nutrition Sciences | 71% | — | 82% |
| 6 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 156 | Nutrition Sciences | 84% | — | 57% |
| 7 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 153 | Nutrition Sciences | 86% | — | 42% |
| 8 | University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK Public · 1 feeder programs | 148 | Nutrition Sciences | 37% | — | 78% |
| 9 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 141 | Nutrition Sciences | 90% | — | 38% |
| 10 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 138 | Nutrition Sciences | 69% | — | 73% |
| 11 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 138 | Human Nutrition | 65% | — | 74% |
| 12 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 136 | Nutrition Sciences | 89% | — | 27% |
| 13 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 135 | Nutrition Sciences | 85% | — | 39% |
| 14 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 132 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 37% | — | 86% |
| 15 | University of Western States Portland, OR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 128 | Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist | — | — | — |
| 16 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 126 | Nutrition Sciences | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
| 17 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 126 | Nutrition Sciences | 93% | — | 11% |
| 18 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 124 | Nutrition Sciences | 91% | — | 24% |
| 19 | Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 122 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 74% | — | 55% |
| 20 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 120 | Nutrition Sciences | 68% | — | 75% |
| 21 | Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO Public · 2 feeder programs | 118 | Nutrition Sciences | 32% | — | 99% |
| 22 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 117 | Nutrition Sciences | 65% | — | 88% |
| 23 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs | 116 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 0% | — | 67% |
| 24 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 115 | Nutrition Sciences | 49% | — | 96% |
| 25 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 103 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 75% | — | 90% |
| 26 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 103 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 65% | — | 88% |
| 27 | Johnson & Wales University - Providence Providence, RI Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 102 | Foodservice Systems Administration/Management | 55% | $31,634 | 88% |
| 28 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 4 feeder programs | 102 | Human Nutrition | 88% | — | 61% |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 3 feeder programs | 101 | Nutrition Sciences | 90% | — | 45% |
| 30 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 99 | Nutrition Sciences | 86% | — | 61% |
| 31 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 98 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 71% | — | 74% |
| 32 | University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 97 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 69% | — | 53% |
| 33 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 96 | Nutrition Sciences | 85% | — | 42% |
| 34 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 95 | Nutrition Sciences | 81% | — | 85% |
| 35 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 94 | Nutrition Sciences | 84% | — | 58% |
| 36 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 93 | Nutrition Sciences | 69% | — | 46% |
| 37 | University of Vermont Burlington, VT Public · 2 feeder programs | 89 | Nutrition Sciences | 79% | — | 65% |
| 38 | Logan University Chesterfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 87 | Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist | 22% | $17,906 | 64% |
| 39 | Notre Dame of Maryland University Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 87 | Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other | 50% | $24,333 | 82% |
| 40 | Utah State University Logan, UT Public · 2 feeder programs | 87 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 59% | — | 92% |
| 41 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI Public · 4 feeder programs | 86 | Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other | 73% | — | 72% |
| 42 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs | 85 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 71% | — | 93% |
| 43 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 84 | Nutrition Sciences | 76% | — | 36% |
| 44 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 84 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 71% | — | 78% |
| 45 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK Public · 2 feeder programs | 83 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | 68% | — | 75% |
| 46 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 2 feeder programs | 83 | Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist | 64% | — | 88% |
| 47 | University of Delaware Newark, DE Public · 3 feeder programs | 83 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 81% | — | 71% |
| 48 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 2 feeder programs | 82 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 75% | — | 85% |
| 49 | University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 75% | — | 78% |
| 50 | Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 80 | Dietetics/Dietitian | 43% | $21,535 | 79% |
What dietitians and nutritionists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $98,850 | 8,720 | 0.96× | 90 | 1,638 |
| Texas | $74,440 | 5,320 | 0.76× | 22 | 1,203 |
| New York | $82,480 | 5,330 | 1.10× | 33 | 893 |
| Arizona | $64,410 | 1,800 | 1.11× | 15 | 611 |
| North Carolina | $67,560 | 2,780 | 1.13× | 14 | 600 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,410 | 4,270 | 1.41× | 23 | 529 |
| Ohio | $69,530 | 3,060 | 1.10× | 19 | 479 |
| Florida | $76,050 | 4,370 | 0.88× | 7 | 463 |
| Illinois | $73,520 | 2,840 | 0.93× | 18 | 395 |
| Alabama | $66,190 | 780 | 0.74× | 6 | 383 |
| Massachusetts | $76,660 | 2,860 | 1.58× | 11 | 350 |
| Virginia | $77,380 | 1,510 | 0.74× | 5 | 346 |
| Missouri | $65,450 | 1,700 | 1.16× | 8 | 330 |
| Michigan | $66,850 | 2,370 | 1.08× | 12 | 329 |
| Oklahoma | $69,560 | 1,230 | 1.45× | 5 | 288 |
| New Jersey | $84,450 | 2,870 | 1.34× | 5 | 284 |
| Utah | $65,310 | 1,120 | 1.29× | 6 | 265 |
| Rhode Islandmoderate | $71,300 | 360 | 1.44× | 3 | 249 |
| Washingtonmoderate | $84,220 | 1,450 | 0.82× | 4 | 234 |
| Kansasmoderate | $66,830 | 580 | 0.81× | 3 | 228 |
| Wisconsin | $74,930 | 1,330 | 0.90× | 7 | 226 |
| Colorado | $75,510 | 1,640 | 1.14× | 5 | 225 |
| Oregon | $84,180 | 700 | 0.71× | 5 | 224 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $70,160 | 570 | 1.12× | 3 | 208 |
| Georgia | $73,200 | 2,020 | 0.83× | 5 | 205 |
| Arkansas | $65,540 | 650 | 1.00× | 7 | 193 |
| Tennessee | $67,620 | 1,230 | 0.75× | 8 | 183 |
| Connecticut | $80,600 | 860 | 1.01× | 6 | 181 |
| Indiana | $66,450 | 1,670 | 1.05× | 9 | 167 |
| Louisiana | $70,460 | 800 | 0.83× | 6 | 132 |
| Minnesota | $77,540 | 1,180 | 0.80× | 7 | 123 |
| Marylandmoderate | $77,800 | 1,430 | 1.04× | 4 | 113 |
| Mississippimoderate | $63,700 | 540 | 0.94× | 4 | 111 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $69,520 | 1,040 | 1.04× | 4 | 109 |
| Mainelimited | $64,610 | 510 | 1.60× | 2 | 93 |
| Iowamoderate | $72,690 | 630 | 0.81× | 4 | 90 |
| Vermontlimited | $77,450 | 160 | 1.04× | 1 | 89 |
| Delawarelimited | $78,060 | 290 | 1.19× | 2 | 88 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $71,840 | 440 | 1.28× | 2 | 65 |
| North Dakotalimited | $70,040 | 270 | 1.28× | 2 | 61 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $74,730 | 500 | 1.16× | 4 | 53 |
| Nevadamoderate | $69,030 | 560 | 0.72× | 3 | 51 |
| Idaholimited | $71,610 | 420 | 0.98× | 2 | 50 |
| District of Columbiamoderate | $82,150 | 270 | 0.78× | 4 | 41 |
| West Virginiamoderate | $89,440 | 520 | 1.47× | 3 | 40 |
| South Carolinalimited | $69,970 | 950 | 0.82× | 2 | 38 |
| South Dakotalimited | $64,890 | 210 | 0.91× | 1 | 38 |
| Montanalimited | $71,580 | 230 | 0.90× | 1 | 36 |
| Hawaiilimited | $81,920 | 370 | 1.19× | 1 | 31 |
| Alaskalimited | $87,980 | 130 | 0.82× | 1 | 15 |
| Wyominglimited | $64,370 | 120 | 0.85× | 2 | 11 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
- Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations.
- Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
- Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
- Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans.
- Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.
- Record and evaluate patient and family health and food history, including symptoms, environmental toxic exposure, allergies, medication factors, and preventive health-care measures.
- Develop recipes and menus to address special nutrition needs, such as low glycemic, low histamine, or gluten- or allergen-free.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Writing3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Learning Strategies3.8
- Active Learning3.6
Knowledge areas
- Biology4.4
- Medicine and Dentistry4.3
- English Language4.1
- Therapy and Counseling4.1
- Customer and Personal Service4.0
- Psychology3.9
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Problem Sensitivity4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Speech Clarity4.0
Core activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.5
- Getting Information4.5
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.4
- Documenting/Recording Information4.2
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.2
- Working with Computers4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Dietitian
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 8 majors mapped to Dietitians and Nutritionists8 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 19.0501Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General
- 19.0504Human Nutrition
- 19.0505Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
- 19.0599Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, Other
- 30.1901Nutrition Sciences
- 51.3101Dietetics/Dietitian
- 51.3102Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist
- 51.3199Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Dietitian?+
Bachelor'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 5,478 degrees in 2024-25, 40.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Dietitian?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Nutrition Sciences, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Foods. Together they graduate about 13,480 people a year.
How much do dietitians and nutritionists earn?+
The median is $76,400 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $49,090 at the 10th percentile to $103,720 at the 90th. 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 dietitians and nutritionists growing?+
BLS projects a +5.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 6,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
429 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 dietitians and nutritionists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Dietitian, Nutritionist, Clinical Dietitian, Registered Dietitian among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1031.
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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