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Nutrition Science Major

Nutrition Science

3,815 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,196 Master's Degrees Annually
#92 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Nutrition Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many nutrition science graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 3,456
Master’s Degree 1,636
Doctor’s Degree 178
Graduate Certificate 131
Basic Certificate 99
Associate Degree 14

What Nutrition Science Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to nutrition science were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Nutrition Science Majors

Nutrition Science majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Skills for Nutrition Science Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to nutrition science:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Nutrition Science Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a nutrition science student include the following:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Nutrition Science Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with nutrition science:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Biological Science Professors 15.1% $82,550
Dietetic Technicians 9.3% $27,140
Dietitians and Nutritionists 14.6% $60,370
Life Scientists 9.0% $78,190
Molecular and Cellular Biologists 8.0% $79,590
Natural Sciences Managers 9.9% $123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition Science?

3,456 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
82% Percent Women
45% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 3,815 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science in 2021, making it rank #92 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 82% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of nutrition science majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 516
Black or African American 155
Hispanic or Latino 703
White 1,673
International Students 166
Other Races/Ethnicities 243

Geographic Diversity

Nutrition Science appeals to people across the globe. About 4.8% of those with this major are international students.

Some degrees associated with nutrition science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to nutrition science have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 5.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 13.1%
Some College Courses 1.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 1.0%
Bachelor’s Degree 19.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 6.7%
Master’s Degree 12.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 0.7%
Doctoral Degree 23.2%
Post-Doctoral Training 16.7%

Online Nutrition Science Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 2 1
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 6 1
Bachelor’s Degree 20 4
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 108 11
Post-Master’s 6 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 52 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 1 1
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to nutrition science.

Major Number of Grads
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 29,596
Biological & Physical Science 28,469
Interdisciplinary Studies 9,341
Data Analytics 7,294
International Studies 6,458
Behavioral Science 4,777
Data Science 4,416
Sustainability Science 4,382
Cognitive Science 2,959
Human Computer Interaction 2,324
Natural Sciences 2,275
Computational Science 2,167
Human Biology 2,016
Mathematics & Computer Science 1,489
Systems Theory 1,080
Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution 1,074
Gerontology 951
Museum Studies 892
Geography and Environmental Studies 809
Science, Technology & Society 805
Dispute Resolution 652
Multicultural & Diversity Studies 584
Marine Science 436
Historic Preservation 423
Cultural Studies & Analysis 375
Classical & Ancient Studies 290
Biopsychology 208
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics 153
Mathematical Economics 139
Climate Science 110
Medieval Studies 105
Environmental Geosciences 102
Economics and Computer Science 89
Maritime Studies 68
History and Political Science 68
Holocaust Studies 67
Accounting & Computer Science 55
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies 54
Anthrozoology 47
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature 40
Earth Systems Science 25
Economics and Foreign Language/Literature 12
Thanatology 8
Linguistics and Computer Science 4
Linguistics and Anthropology 1
Geoarcheaology 1
History and Language/Literature 1
Geobiology 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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