Community dietitians and community nutritionists: Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Community dietitians and community nutritionists develop programs and counsel the public on topics related to food, health, and nutrition. They often work with specific groups of people, such as adolescents or the elderly. They work in public health clinics, government and nonprofit agencies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and other settings.
- Education Required
- Dietitians and nutritionists typically need a bachelors degree in dietetics, foods and nutrition, clinical nutrition, public health nutrition, or a related area. Dietitians also may study food service systems management. Programs include courses in nutrition, psychology, chemistry, and biology.
- Training Required
- Dietitians and nutritionists typically receive several hundred hours of supervised training, usually in the form of an internship following graduation from college. Some schools offer coordinated programs in dietetics that allow students to complete supervised training as part of their undergraduate or graduate-level coursework.
- Job Outlook
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The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 14% (Faster than average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Licenses/Certifications
- Many states require dietitians and nutritionists to be licensed in order to practice. Other states require only state registration or certification to use certain titles, and a few states have no regulations for this occupation.
- Median pay: How much do Dietitians and Nutritionists make?
- $58,920 Annual Salary
- $28.33 per hour
Careers for Dietitians and Nutritionists
- Clinical dietitians
- Clinical dietitians and clinical nutritionists
- Clinical nutritionists
- Community dietitians
- Community nutritionists
- Diet counselors
- Dietitians
- Food service dietitians
- Management dietitians
- Nutritionists
- Pediatric dietitians
- Public health dietitians
- Public health nutritionists
- Research dietitians
- Sports nutritionists
- Therapeutic dietitians