Top 8 Reasons to Complete a Degree in Nutrition
In today’s health-conscious world, the field of nutrition is gaining increasing importance. Whether you’re passionate about healthy living or eager to help others achieve their wellness goals, a degree in nutrition can open doors to a rewarding career. One of the best parts about pursuing the Registered Dietitian credential is the opportunity to pivot to different health and wellness industries throughout your career.
In this blog post, we will cover the top 8 reasons why pursuing a degree in nutrition might be the best decision you ever make.
1. Diverse Career Opportunities
A degree in nutrition offers a wide range of career paths. Whether you’re working in healthcare, research, the food industry, or entrepreneurship, the possibilities are endless. You can also specialize in areas like sports nutrition, women’s health, pediatric nutrition, or preventative wellness.
Here are 25 different job titles that a registered dietitian can pursue:
- Corporate Wellness Director
- Private Practice Dietitian
- Media Dietitian
- Communications Director
- Sports Performance Dietitian
- Nutrient Analyst
- Nutrition Program Manager
- Clinical Research Dietitian
- Nutrition Sales Rep
- Product Manager
- Certified Diabetes Educator
- Consultant Dietitian
- Nutrition Informatics RD
- Worksite Wellness RD
- School Nutrition Dietitian
- Nutrition Instructor
- Regulatory Dietitian
- Non-Profit Manager
- Clinical Dietitian
- Social Media/Marketing RD
- Eating Disorder Dietitian
- Pediatric Dietitian
- NICU Dietitian
2. Growing Demand for Nutrition Experts
As awareness of the importance of nutrition continues to rise, so does the demand for qualified professionals. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for dietitians and nutritionists is expected to grow by 7% in the next 10 years, which is faster than the average for all occupations.
There are currently more jobs for dietitians than there dietitians and we’ll continue to see this trend for at least a few more years to come This increase in demand for dietitians will mean more job options and more negotiating power for RDs.
3. Flexibility in Work Environment
Registered Dietitians have the flexibility to work in diverse environments—hospitals, schools, corporate settings, community centers, and even remotely. The rise in telehealth services has opened up new opportunities for dietitians to work from home or in hybrid settings.
There are hundreds of companies that hire dietitians to work remotely, which is an attractive option for some nutrition graduates.
Some nutrition students are certain that the hospital environment is not the right fit for them. And while we recommend not ruling anything out until you try it, the good news is that there are tons of other types of work environments to consider.
4. Opportunity to Specialize
The field of nutrition offers numerous specializations, allowing you to focus on areas that match your interests.
Specialty certifications are available in:
- Weight Management
- Gerontological Nutrition,
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Pediatric Critical Care Nutrition
- Renal Nutrition
- Oncology
- Eating Disorders
- Nutrition Support
The 2024 AND Compensation and Benefits Survey showed that dietitians with an advanced certification also earned more than those without. According to the report, dietitians with a specialty certification earned a median wage of $39.90/hr compared to $36.97 for RDs without.
The CDCES (Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Certification earns RDs an average of $41.68.
The CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) leads to the highest pay increase for an average of $46.53/hr.
5. Entrepreneurial Opportunities
If you’re business-minded, a degree in nutrition can be a springboard to starting your own business. Whether it’s launching a private practice, developing a line of healthy foods, or creating a wellness app, the entrepreneurial opportunities are vast.
According to the most recent AND Compensation Survey, nearly 9% of dietitians are business owners and we suspect that number will continue to grow over the next decade.
As a business dietetic internship, we provide you with the training and tools that you need to successfully launch your own venture. Check out some of our graduate spotlights to learn more about the businesses they have started.
Dietitians pursuing the consulting and entrepreneur spaces also report higher earnings on average. The salary range for RDs in this space ranged from $60k-$180k according to the AND report.
6. Ability to Pivot
With other healthcare professions like nursing and physical therapy, the job opportunities are largely limited to providing patient care.
With dietetics, the opportunities are vast and you can pivot from clinical to food service management or program development without having to get another degree. The unique nature of the dietetics profession means that we have training and education that can lead to dozens of different unique career paths.
The average employee now changes jobs every 3-5 years. It is now completely normal to jump around to different industries and this is also one of the best ways to increase your earning potential over the years.
7. Impact the Health of Our Country
As registered dietitians, we have the unique ability to influence health and nutrition from many different angles.
We can work on nutrition policy, food access, and nutrition equity.
We can also work on food product development and improving the quality of food choices.
Dietitians can also provide 1:1 counseling and nutrition care for all disease states. We can also teach people how to cook or garden.
We can also influence the food choices that are provided for millions of students across the country.
The work that we do impacts everyone and I can’t think of a career that offers so many ways to make a difference.
8. Lifelong Learning
The field of nutrition is constantly evolving, with new research, trends, and technologies emerging regularly. As a (future) registered dietitian, you will complete 75 continuing education credits every 5 years. While this may seem daunting at first, this ensures that you’ll stay up to date on nutrition practices. The learning never stops!
A Nutrition Degree leads to endless possibilities!
A degree in nutrition offers a rewarding and fulfilling career path. With a strong foundation in science, diverse career opportunities, and a growing demand for nutrition professionals, a nutrition degree can open doors to a fulfilling and impactful career.
And the best part is that you can pair your nutrition degree with our business dietetic internship to open the doors to hundreds more possibilities.
About the Author
Kelan Sarnoff, MS, RD is a registered dietitian with over a decade of experience in nutrition. She has worked in academia for the past 5 years and taught graduate-level courses including medical nutrition therapy. She loves helping future dietitians and interns discover their passion. She also works as a career coach.