Nutrition is key to tackling rising global health challenges. As diet-related diseases like obesity and diabetes surge, the demand for experts in dietary strategies is skyrocketing. The Center for Disease Control highlights this obvious, but often ignored, truth: “Good nutrition is essential in keeping current and future generations of Americans healthy across the lifespan. People with healthy eating patterns live longer and are at lower risk for serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.”
The World Health Organization affirms the key role of nutrition in a functioning global health system: “Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity. Healthy children learn better. People with adequate nutrition are more productive and can create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of poverty and hunger.”
Given the critical and growing importance of nutrition, it is unsurprising that demand is growing for industry professionals. According to Lightcast, job postings for dietitians and nutritionists are up 2x over the last 5 years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects steady growth in this sector, with a 2021 median salary of $61,650. Lightcast data shows a similar median wage of $62.6k in recent job postings, which is up a significant 10% in the last year. According to the 2021 Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession, the median full-time salary of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RD or RDN) is $72,000 per year.
Demand from students for Nutrition programs has also increased significantly over the last 5 years. There were ~3,800 Bachelor’s completions in Nutrition Sciences (30.1901 CIP) in 2021, up 70% compared to 2016. This puts Nutrition in the top decile for fastest growing Bachelor’s programs. Including relevant CIP codes like Food Studies and Human Nutrition, total completions in this discipline are ~6,500, making Nutrition comparable in size to Human Resource Management & Supply Chain Management. The median Nutrition Sciences program at a 4-year non-profit private produces 12 conferrals annually according to IPEDs data.
This Nutrition program is designed to prepare students for further study and completion of the ACEND Registered Dietitian certification through an accredited graduate program, as well as careers in food science, community health, and other graduate health specializations.
To define this Nutrition program, we consulted numerous experienced Nutrition program directors to determine the ideal balance of courses that would support students for a range of valuable career outcomes. Of these experts, we partnered with Dr. Rachel Schichtl, RD, CFCS, FAND who has over 10 years experience directing, starting and developing accredited 4-year Nutrition programs. With Dr. Schichtl’s guidance we defined this program to target four groups of outcomes for students:
The curriculum is built upon a foundation of core nutrition courses and natural science requirements, supplemented with research methods and a select number of electives. This design not only provides a comprehensive understanding of nutrition, food, and health but also equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary for a variety of professional pursuits.
For students aiming to become an RDN, the program lays a strong groundwork that is essential for pursuing a master's degree in dietetics, which is a prerequisite for the RDN credential. The inclusion of courses such as medical nutrition therapy and lifecycle nutrition aligns with the key competencies required for success in dietetics programs and ultimately in the practice as an RDN. Additionally, for those interested in the field of food science, the program offers foundational courses like food science and organic chemistry, which are pivotal for careers in food production, quality control, and food product development.
If you have any questions about technology requirements for Rize courses, please see below:
Technology requirements for Rize courses - AY 2025-2026