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Clinical Nutrition

Types of Degrees Clinical Nutrition Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Clinical Nutrition have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	98
Master’s Degree	785
Doctor’s Degree	36

What Clinical Nutrition Majors Need to Know

Studies in Clinical Nutrition develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Clinical Nutrition graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Clinical Nutrition emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Clinical Nutrition program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Clinical Nutrition careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Clinical Nutrition graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Clinical Nutrition professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Nutrient analysis software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Lifestyles Technologies DietMaster Pro	Medical software	—
Compu-Cal Nutrition Assistant	Analytical or scientific software	—
Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App	Analytical or scientific software	—
PICS DietMate Professional	Analytical or scientific software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
MyFitnessPal	Analytical or scientific software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
The Nutrition Company FoodWorks	Analytical or scientific software	—
Allergenic diet software	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Clinical Nutrition graduates include:

• Outpatient Dietitian
• Nutrition Counselor
• Sports Nutritionist
• Nutritionist
• Food Advisor
• Holistic Nutritionist
• Consultant Dietitian
• Community Dietitian
• Clinical Nutritionist
• Diet Therapist
• Diet Counselor
• Public Health Dietitian
• Dietary Aide
• Oncology Dietitian
• Diet Consultant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Clinical Nutrition graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Post-baccalaureate certificate	53.3%
Master’s degree	33.3%
Bachelor’s degree	10%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Clinical Nutrition?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.1% of Clinical Nutrition degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	810	88.1%
Men	109	11.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Clinical Nutrition graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	619	67.4%
Asian	41	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	82	8.9%
Black or African American	39	4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.5%
Two or More Races	36	3.9%
Race Unknown	65	7.1%
International Students	32	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical Nutrition Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Clinical Nutrition graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,296
4 years	$49,100
5 years	$54,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $54,879 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Clinical Nutrition Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Clinical Nutrition. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	12	7
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Clinical Nutrition Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Clinical Nutrition graduates earn a median of $49,100 four years after completion — roughly 29% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	51.31
Dietetic Technician	51.3103
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other	51.3199
Dietetics/Dietitian	51.3101
Dietitian Assistant	51.3104

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.