Best Dietetic Technician programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
Assist in the provision of food service and nutritional programs, under the supervision of a dietitian.
19 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 359 people a year. The job pays a median of $34,090 in Pennsylvania across about 2,300 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 30.1901In Pennsylvania → | 179 | 49.9% | 9 | $30,508 | $24,586 |
| 2 | CIP 51.3101In Pennsylvania → | 117 | 32.6% | 7 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
| 3 | CIP 19.0501In Pennsylvania → | 58 | 16.2% | 4 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 4 | CIP 51.3104In Pennsylvania → | 5 | 1.4% | 1 | $33,554 | $24,625 |
Top 19 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 19 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 99 | Nutrition Sciences | $25,673 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 2 | West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 71% | — | 78% |
| 3 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | $23,996 | 56% | — | 91% |
| 4 | Cedar Crest College Allentown, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 60% | $22,721 | 84% |
| 5 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 85% | — | 58% |
| 6 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 7 | La Salle University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Nutrition Sciences | $47,470 | 57% | $21,997 | 97% |
| 8 | Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 69% | $26,034 | 81% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Nutrition Sciences | $25,673 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 10 | Seton Hill University Greensburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 67% | $19,887 | 80% |
| 11 | Marywood University Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 72% | $21,769 | 61% |
| 12 | Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 75% | $25,675 | 79% |
| 13 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 43% | — | 92% |
| 14 | Immaculata University Immaculata, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Dietetics/Dietitian | — | 71% | $26,941 | 86% |
| 15 | Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Dietitian Assistant | — | 24% | — | — |
| 16 | Delaware Valley University Doylestown, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 56% | $25,402 | 93% |
| 17 | King's College Wilkes-Barre, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 60% | $22,131 | 93% |
| 18 | Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies, General | — | 66% | $24,175 | 90% |
| 19 | Gannon University Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Nutrition Sciences | — | 66% | $21,409 | 74% |
All 19 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 99 | 1 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | West Chester | Public | 50 | 1 |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | Indiana | Public | 39 | 1 |
| Cedar Crest College | Allentown | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 2 |
| University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh | Public | 24 | 1 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 2 |
| La Salle University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania State University - World Campus | University Park | Public | 15 | 1 |
| Seton Hill University | Greensburg | Private not-for-profit | 14 | 1 |
| Marywood University | Scranton | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Messiah University | Mechanicsburg | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | East Stroudsburg | Public | 7 | 1 |
| Immaculata University | Immaculata | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh | Public | 5 | 1 |
What dietetic technicians earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $37,640. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Pennsylvania employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania.
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 179 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 49.9% 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, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Foods. Together they graduate about 359 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do dietetic technicians earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $34,090 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.4% below 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 Pennsylvania?+
19 institutions in Pennsylvania 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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