How to Become a Nutritionist

The path to becoming a nutritionist depends on education, experience and location. Regarding the latter, many states have formal licensing and certification requirements in order to work in the field. Even in states that do not have specific requirements, employers and clients may give preference in hiring to people with these credentials.

This page is designed to help aspiring nutritionists better understand the key issues and questions that arise during the educational process, including: What's the difference between an RDN and a CNS credential? Do I need a degree? What types of science classes will I need to take? Find answers to these questions below, as well as the primary steps people take when looking to become a nutritionist.

营养学家做什么?

Nutritionist Basics

营养学家是食品和营养方面的专家。他们可以利用营养信息促进健康，被认为是专家，他们建议人们吃什么来保持健康的生活方式。营养学家经常与有医疗问题的人密切合作，如糖尿病患者或正在接受关键治疗的人。

Nutritionist In-Depth

Nutritionists provide encouragement and motivation, as well as discuss the pros and cons of specific diets and food trends and what impact those have on health. Educating people about healthy eating habits is an important job in today's society, especially in the United States,where obesity has reached an all-time high of 42%. Nutritionists can work as self-employed entrepreneurs, as well as in hospital settings, schools and a variety of holistic and alternative medicine environments.

Educating people on health is an important job in today's society, especially in the United States, where obesity has reached an all-time high. Nutritionists can work as self-employed entrepreneurs, as well as in hospital settings, schools and a variety of holistic and alternative medicine environments. Depending on their level of education, nutritionists can be in high demand in food and health-related businesses.

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Types of Nutritionist:

While you can be classified as just a nutritionist, you can also specialize in an aspect of nutrition, including:

• Sports nutrition: Focusing on nutrition for athletes to help them perform their best and nourish their bodies for a high level of activity
• Holistic nutrition: Using natural foods and remedies as a treatment for people seeking help with a particular ailment or condition
• Oncology nutrition: Specializing in nutrition for cancer patients to ensure their bodies are getting the right nutrients during treatment
• Pediatric nutrition: Focusing on proper nutrition for children
• Registered dietitian: These nutrition experts have met requirements set forth by a governing body in the field that qualifies them to provide nutrition and health advice on a more elevated scale than a nutritionist.

Nutritionist Salaries and Job Forecast

Nutritionist Salary Details

According to the BLS, nutritionists earned a median annual wage of $63,090 in 2020. The agency also found that on average, nutritionists earned an hourly rate of $30.33. The states with the highest average salaries for nutritionists in 2020 are as follows:

The map below shows details of the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile earners for each state.

Career Outlook for Nutritionists

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job opportunities for nutritionists are expected to increase by 21 percent between 2012 and 2022. That growth, the agency reports, is much higher than the average for all occupations. This increase has been attributed to the nationwide concern about rising obesity rates and the illnesses that can be exacerbated by obesity—such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, as people live longer, there is a need for nutritionists to work with geriatric patients in facilities such as nursing homes. Trends toward eating locally grown, organic and non-genetically modified foods have also opened up opportunities for nutritionists who specialize in those areas.

The BLS projects that job opportunities for nutritionists are expected to increase by 8 percent between 2019 and 2029. That growth, the agency reports, is higher than the average for all occupations. This increase has been attributed to the nationwide concern about rising obesity rates and the illnesses that can be exacerbated by obesity—such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, as people live longer, there is a need for nutritionists to work with geriatric patients in facilities such as nursing homes. Trends toward eating locally grown, organic, and non-genetically modified foods have also opened up opportunities for nutritionists who specialize in those areas.

Nutritionist: Nutritionists are experts in food and how it relates to your health. They specialize in helping people live a healthy lifestyle and use food to do that.
Median salary: $63,090.

Dietitian: Dietitians have finely tuned skills in nutrition and can advise patients on how to use food for health.
Median salary: $63,090.

Sports nutritionist: Sports nutritionists specialize in helping athletes properly fuel their bodies and tailor diets for active patients.
Median salary: $53,439.

Health educator: Health educators are trained in actually teaching people how to live healthy and use food in proper ways to take care of their bodies.
Median salary: $65,737.

Food scientist: Food scientists study food using microbiology, engineering, and similar skill sets to examine what everything is made of and how it affects bodies and the environment.
Median salary: $62,680.

States that are experiencing the most growth in nutritionist jobs include (BLS):

Select a state below for more information about employment and job growth for nutritionists.

How to Become a Nutritionist

你要上多久学才能成为一名营养学家?

这可能会根据你居住的州和认证的要求而有所不同。它可以是几个月的短期课程，也可以是四年的学士课程。

Can I be a nutritionist without a degree?

You can. Technically you can be a nutritionist without pursuing a degree, but most employers looking for a nutritionist require a certain amount of coursework, and board certifications. If you want to become a registered dietitian, you will need to get a bachelor's degree in a related field, like nutrition or food science.

要成为一名营养学家需要什么专业?

研究营养学的热门专业包括食品科学、营养学、化学、生物学、营养学或生物化学。然而，你根本不需要拿到营养学的学位。这将对你的职业生涯有很大的帮助，因为大多数学位课程提供更多的证书。

Nutrition School Accreditation Requirements for Licensing

Attending an accredited school or university will not only train you to become a nutritionist but help you attain licensing once you've completed your coursework. Look for programs that are certified with the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, as those are the programs recognized as appropriate for this field.

How to Become a Nutritionist

Academic Paths in Nutrition

All students have their own goals and desires, based on the direction they want their career to go. Whether they pursue an associate degree to get started more quickly, or devote the time to a doctoral degree to advance to the top of the field, students must feel confident that their educational needs are being met and that their schooling has been worth the time and financial investment. The following are examples of how different degree levels can meet students' various goals.

In order to become a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), candidates must obtain an advanced degree, complete 1,000 hours of fieldwork, and pass an exam.

Associate Degrees

The Associate of Science degree in nutrition gives students a basic overview of the discipline, as well as hands-on training that prepares them to work in the field. Although students cannot become licensed nutritionists by earning this degree alone, they can obtain employment as dietetic technicians, working under the supervision of a registered nutritionist or dietitian. In addition, this degree lays the foundation for students who eventually decide to continue their education with an eye toward becoming licensed.

这个项目的学生完成全面的课程，包括数学、写作和公共演讲等主题的普通学习课程。该项目的核心营养课程包括体重管理理论、草药科学、社区营养、运动营养、可持续食品系统和文化食品。

These degrees typically take two years to complete, and depending on the program, students may be able to receive on-the-job training through an internship. Following are examples of courses offered at this level:

Bachelor's Degrees

Bachelor of Science degrees in nutrition, which commonly take four years to complete, are required for those who want to become registered dietitians. In addition to taking general education courses, students will study nutrition at a more in-depth level than they would in an associate degree program. Students in this program gain a solid foundation of nutrition theory, along with a hands-on look at how it works in practice when dealing with patients. This program also provides an understanding of how to educate a community about the importance of good eating habits, as well as the ever-changing relationship between nutrition and societal factors such as culture and socioeconomic status.

以下是一个课程的例子，学士学位的学生可以在他们的任期内在这个项目。

Master's Degrees

After graduating from a baccalaureate program, some students may want to broaden their knowledge and advance their skills by enrolling in a Master of Science nutrition degree program, which generally takes about two years of full-time study to complete. These programs are designed for practicing nutritionists and, unlike many bachelor's degree programs, allow students to focus on a specialty area. In many cases, there is also a heavy emphasis on understanding nutrition research.

Following are examples of coursework offered in nutrition master's degree programs:

Doctoral Degrees

Nutritionist degree programs at the doctoral level are more focused on research, training students to contribute to the field by conceiving and conducting original nutrition studies. They also emphasize teaching, particularly at the postsecondary level. A doctoral degree can be ideal for professionals who want to become experts and advance in their careers, taking on managerial roles in either the public or private sector. After five to seven years of intensive study, depending on the program, students can expect to gain the following skills by the time they complete a doctorate in nutrition:

Scholarly research skills

Students learn an array of qualitative and quantitative research methods that are necessary to conduct studies on a variety of clinical nutrition topics. By the time they graduate, they will be able to design studies and carry out evidence-based research, as well as present their findings to the scientific community. In addition, these programs give students an understanding of research ethics, an issue that is especially important when dealing with human subjects.

Assessment skills

In order to provide care to patients, nutritionists must be able to make dietary assessments. Doctoral degree programs provide in-depth knowledge of how to assess a patient's existing dietary behaviors and habits, as well as identify current and future needs.

Clinical decision-making skills

Nutritionists must make informed decisions about the treatment their patients should receive. This may involve several factors, including not only their patients' physical health but also their mental attitudes. They use their understanding of nutrients, physiology and disease to craft an appropriate diet and implement an overall nutrition plan, as well as make adjustments as a patient's condition changes.

Communication skills

It's important for nutritionists to hone their verbal and written communication skills, since they may find themselves in roles where they are called on to educate the public about the importance of good nutrition. This entails taking complicated concepts and making them understandable and relevant to the general public, using a combination of scientific information and persuasion to convince a community of the importance of eating right.

Components of a Successful Career as a Nutritionist

Nutritionist Skills

In addition to an understanding of nutritional concepts, nutritionists must possess the analytical and problem-solving skills to apply what they learned in school to individual patients and their specific needs.

Nutritionists should also:

• Actively acquire new skills and keep current ones fresh, such as by researching dietary trends and potential hazards.
• Have detailed knowledge of food production issues, such as how pesticides can affect physical and mental health, as well as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and organic foods.
• Have a deep understanding of nutrient and chemical absorption and how this affects physical and mental health. As with other healthcare practitioners, nutritionists need to have good communication skills—both listening and speaking—in order to understand their patients' problems and make recommendations.

Nutritionist Credentials

成为一名营养学家的要求因州而异。然而，在大多数地方，营养学家必须完成学士学位，执行一定的监督，实际培训，并通过执照考试。虽然不是必须的，但许多雇主倾向于拥有注册营养师(RDN)证书的求职者。

Some nutritionists also opt to earn a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) credential, which allows them to demonstrate advanced knowledge of the field. In addition, there are a number of voluntary certifications that nutritionists can earn, which are awarded by organizations like The American Council on Exercise, the Holistic Nutrition Credentialing Board, the American Association of Nutrition Consultants, and the American Fitness Professionals & Associates.

Internship & Practicum Requirements

许多营养项目也会要求你在完成课程之前完成实习。这些实习，就像任何专业的实习一样，会给你在该领域的实际实践经验。实际上，你可能在不同的专业实习过，这是一个很好的方式来确定你想要专注于哪种类型的营养。

Nutritionist Tools and Technology

Academic knowledge and hands-on training provide the foundation for a successful nutritionist career, while various tools and technologies allow these professionals to perform their job duties in the most effective ways. Some of the tools that nutritionists use in their practice include:

• hydrostatic weighing machines
• glucometers
• bioelectric impedance machines and calorimeters

Such machines provide detailed and precise information about the body's condition and responses.

In addition, nutritionists also use scientific and medical software, such as:

• Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro
• BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus
• Compu-Cal Nutrition Assistant
• Lifestyles Technologies DietMaster Pro.

These programs are designed to help nutritionists process client data to come up with a comprehensive and appropriate nutritional plan.

Related Wellness Careers

The following are some career options for those who want to help patients achieve positive health outcomes and live a healthy lifestyle.

Salaries for Related Careers

在医疗保健行业有许多有益的职业，对食物和饮食如何影响疾病或一般健康感兴趣的个人也可以考虑从事与营养相关的职业。以下是这些工作的一些例子。

Starting Your Career as a Nutritionist

After you've completed your coursework in nutrition (and perhaps earned a degree or two), you should get licensed. Having a license to practice nutrition (or as a dietitian) will show potential employers that you've studied all aspects of nutrition and have a demonstrated knowledge of how to work with clients. Your nutrition license will put you one step closer to becoming a registered dietitian (which will most likely require some fieldwork first before certification).

Once you have your license and specialty figured out, it's time to start looking for jobs in the area you've chosen.

What to Expect in the Job Environment

营养类的工作根据你的选择有很大的不同。如果你是一名运动营养学家，你可能会在当地学校或专业运动队工作——这是两种完全不同的工作。你可能在医生的办公室工作，有一份标准的朝九晚五的工作，或者你可能开始自己的营养生意，上门服务。如果你专攻的是更严格的营养学方面——比如肿瘤学甚至儿科——你的一天可能会更有条理，也更有压力，因为你正在处理严重的健康问题。

However, if you become a nutrition coach that focuses on helping people lose weight or a sports nutritionist who focuses on athletes' performance, your job might be a little more fun than stressful. With any job, though, you'll naturally encounter stress and pressure because you want to succeed, but nutrition can be extremely rewarding as you help people learn how to live healthy lives.

Related Careers at a Glance

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