25 Best Bachelor’s in Nutritional Sciences Degree Programs

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• UNC Chapel Hill has the #1 best nutri­tion­al sci­ence bach­e­lor’s degree.
• Grad­u­ates are pre­pared for diverse roles in health­care, food indus­try, and well­ness sec­tors, includ­ing posi­tions like nutri­tion­ists or health advisors.
• A bach­e­lor’s in nutri­tion­al sci­ences pro­vides a sol­id base for advanced stud­ies in fields such as dietet­ics, pub­lic health, or spe­cial­ized areas of nutri­tion.

Nutri­tion and dietet­ics is one of the fastest-grow­ing career paths in the US right now; accord­ing to the BLS, the job mar­ket for nutri­tion­ists is expect­ed to grow by 15% in the next decade, much faster than aver­age. There are a lot of rea­sons, includ­ing the much-dis­cussed “gray­ing of Amer­i­ca” as Baby Boomers age, as well as more wide­spread knowl­edge and under­stand­ing of the impor­tance of good nutri­tion to every aspect of health and life. As Amer­i­cans fight obe­si­ty, can­cer, heart dis­ease, and oth­er nutri­tion-relat­ed ill­ness­es, the role for dieti­tians and nutri­tion­ists is only going to be more important.

Nutri­tion is also one of the most mis­un­der­stood careers, for those out­side of the field (see our FAQs after the rank­ing for expla­na­tions of dietet­ics degree vs nutri­tion degree, the role of a nutritionist/dietician, and more). For stu­dents who may be inter­est­ed in nutri­tion, but aren’t quite clear on how to go about get­ting into a nutri­tion career, Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter has put togeth­er a rank­ing of the best nutrition/dietetics pro­grams in the US that are sure to offer a sol­id return on invest­ment.

Methodology: Ranking the Best Universities for Dietetics and Nutrition

To rank the 25 Best Bachelor’s in Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences Degree Pro­grams, Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter edi­tors began by research­ing all of the nutri­tion and dietet­ics pro­gram in the US accred­it­ed by the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND). From there, pro­grams were ranked across 5 cri­te­ria to deter­mine the over­all best:

• Rep­u­ta­tion (Niche stu­dent reviews)
• Cost (IPEDS data)
• Alum­ni Salary (Col­lege Score­card data)
• Grad­u­a­tion Rate (IPEDS data)
• Job Place­ment (IPEDS data)

With this broad range of qual­i­fiers, stu­dents can feel con­fi­dent that the pro­grams reviewed by Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter are not only rec­og­nized for qual­i­ty, but have proven job mar­ket and career suc­cess.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Carolina’s BS in Pub­lic Health, with a Nutri­tion major, comes from one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ic and nutri­tion in the world, and the USA’s high­est-ranked pub­lic health school. Since it comes from a pub­lic health school, UNC’s bachelor’s in nutri­tion pro­gram puts a great deal of empha­sis on under­stand­ing the larg­er con­texts of nutri­tion, espe­cial­ly nutri­tion-relat­ed ill­ness­es and epi­demi­ol­o­gy. Grad­u­ates fre­quent­ly go on to med­ical school, but UNC also offers a 5‑year BSPH-MS pro­gram that allows stu­dents to earn their master’s with just one more year of school.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of North Car­oli­na at Chapel Hill one of the three insti­tu­tions that claim the title of America’s first pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty, and more than two and a half cen­turies lat­er, UNC is still cen­tral to research, learn­ing, and cul­ture not only in the Car­oli­nas, but across the US. UNC Health Care is one of the world’s fore­most aca­d­e­m­ic health com­plex­es, and their med­ical, bio­med­ical, and oth­er health sci­ences pro­gram rival any oth­er insti­tu­tion. Being one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion is just part of the larg­er, glob­al whole.

Degree: BS in Pub­lic Health — Nutrition

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2. Purdue University

Pur­due University’s bachelor’s in nutri­tion pro­gram offers sev­er­al options for in research and prac­tice. The Nutri­tion Sci­ence pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents for careers such as chemist and research assis­tant and meets the admis­sion require­ments for most grad­u­ate-lev­el health pro­grams. The Foods and Nutri­tion in Busi­ness pro­gram train stu­dents for occu­pa­tions such as food edi­tor, food and nutri­tion con­sumer edu­ca­tor, and pub­lic rela­tions direc­tor in a food com­pa­ny. Oth­er options are avail­able, includ­ing four pro­grams for stu­dents who wish to become reg­is­tered dieti­tians (RDs). One of those is a Coor­di­nat­ed Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (CPD), which cov­ers both the didac­tic require­ments and the super­vised prac­tice required to sit for the exam to become a Reg­is­tered Dietitian.

The Nutri­tion Sci­ence depart­ment is espe­cial­ly known for its research in can­cer pre­ven­tion and car­cino­gen­e­sis; food, nutri­tion, and inges­tive behav­ior; obe­si­ty and metab­o­lism; and Vit­a­min D, min­er­als, and bone health. The depart­ment is a pro­po­nent of life­long learn­ing and find­ing prac­ti­cal appli­ca­tions for dis­cov­er­ies made in the lab. With its high job place­ment rates and abun­dant oppor­tu­ni­ties for intern­ships in dietet­ics, Pur­due is clear­ly one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutrition.

Degree: BS — numer­ous concentrations

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3. James Madison University

The Depart­ment of Health Pro­fes­sions offers James Madi­son University’s Bach­e­lors in Dietet­ics. This ACEND-accred­it­ed bach­e­lor of sci­ence sat­is­fies the require­ments for a Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (DPD) for stu­dents who desire to become RDs. The pro­gram offers oppor­tu­ni­ties for stu­dents to use their cre­ativ­i­ty, prob­lem-solv­ing, and deci­sion-mak­ing skills to com­plete research projects, case stud­ies, and oth­er class­room expe­ri­ences. A hos­pi­tal-based practicum proves real-life expe­ri­ences for all stu­dents enrolled in the program.

The Col­lege of Health and Behav­ioral Stud­ies has a state-of-the-art food lab to enable stu­dents to par­tic­i­pate in research projects and learn about food sci­ence. The school has a 95% first-time pass rate on the reg­is­tra­tion exam and approx­i­mate­ly 65–75% of stu­dents are suc­cess­ful­ly matched with intern­ship pro­grams in dietet­ics. The Col­lege of Health and Behav­ioral Stud­ies pro­motes oppor­tu­ni­ties for research, prac­tice, and inter­dis­ci­pli­nary study, one of the best col­leges for nutrition.

Degree: BS in Dietetics

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4. University of Texas at Austin

The Col­lege of Nat­ur­al Sci­ences offers the Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas at Austin’s Bach­e­lors in Nutri­tion. For the dietet­ics option, stu­dents can choose the Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics or the Coor­di­nat­ed Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (CPD). Both pro­grams are ACEND-accred­it­ed and pre­pare the stu­dent to sit for the RD test, but the CPD pro­gram also includes a super­vised prac­tice com­po­nent that sat­is­fies the intern­ship require­ment. The oth­er options UT Austin offers for stu­dents inter­est­ed in nutri­tion and dietet­ics are Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences; Nutri­tion and Pub­lic Health; Hon­ors in Advanced Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences; Nutri­tion Hon­ors; and Inter­na­tion­al Nutrition.

The Col­lege of Nat­ur­al Sci­ences pro­vides oppor­tu­ni­ties for stu­dents to par­tic­i­pate in research in its state-of-the-art research facil­i­ties. As one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion, UT Austin offers stu­dents access to well-known and respect­ed sci­en­tists to com­plete projects and are able to earn uni­ver­si­ty cred­it and depart­men­tal hon­ors for out­stand­ing research.

Degree: BS in Nutrition

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5. University of Washington

The School of Pub­lic Health is the home of the Uni­ver­si­ty of Washington’s BA in Food Sys­tems, Nutri­tion, and Health. This bachelor’s in nutri­tion pro­gram is inter­dis­ci­pli­nary and helps stu­dents make con­nec­tions between food, health, eco­nom­ics, pol­i­cy, social jus­tice, labor, pub­lic health, cul­ture, and more. Grad­u­ates of the pro­gram will have a thor­ough under­stand­ing of nutri­tion, as well as how food sys­tems work, the impor­tance of sus­tain­abil­i­ty in food pro­duc­tion, and pub­lic health issues relat­ed to food. The pro­gram also pro­vides a strong lib­er­al arts back­ground that instills essen­tial skills such as com­mu­ni­ca­tion, analy­sis, prob­lem-solv­ing, and crit­i­cal thinking.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Washington’s School of Pub­lic Health has over 50 cen­ters and Insti­tutes that enable fac­ul­ty mem­bers from var­i­ous depart­ments to col­lab­o­rate on inter­dis­ci­pli­nary research stud­ies. For exam­ple, the Cen­ter for Pub­lic Health Nutri­tion per­forms research on obe­si­ty; food prices and envi­ron­ments; and food secu­ri­ty. The School of Pub­lic Health has a 96% one-year job place­ment rate for grad­u­ates who were seek­ing employ­ment and is one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion in the Pacif­ic Northwest.

Degree: BA in Food Sys­tems, Nutri­tion, and Health

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6. University of Minnesota

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta BS in Nutri­tion comes from the Col­lege of Food, Agri­cul­ture and Nat­ur­al Resource Sci­ences (CFANS). Stu­dents in the bachelor’s in nutri­tion pro­gram can apply for one of three sub-plans after com­plet­ing the first 60 cred­its in the nutri­tion pro­gram. The sub-plans are the Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (DPD), Nutri­tion­al Sci­ence, and Nutri­tion Stud­ies. The didac­tic pro­gram is for stu­dents who plan to com­plete the require­ments to become reg­is­tered dieti­tians. The nutri­tion­al sci­ence pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents to enter grad­u­ate pro­grams such as phar­ma­cy, nutri­tion research, den­tistry, and med­i­cine. The nutri­tion stud­ies sub-plan allows some flex­i­bil­i­ty for stu­dents to design their own bach­e­lors degree in nutri­tion by includ­ing 24–30 elec­tive cred­its of the student’s choosing.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta has long been one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion, and is a lead­ing research insti­tu­tion in food pro­duc­tion as well. CFANS at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Min­neso­ta has a long his­to­ry of cre­at­ing new food and agri­cul­tur­al prod­ucts and process­es. A good exam­ple is the Hon­ey­crisp apple and its new deriv­a­tive, the First Kiss apple, which has the taste of a Hon­ey­crisp but ripens earlier.

Degree: BS in Nutrition

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7. University of Connecticut

Uni­ver­si­ty of Con­necti­cut’s Col­lege of Agri­cul­ture, Health, and Nat­ur­al Resources house the Departe­ment of Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences. The depart­ment offers two areas of empha­sis at the bach­e­lor degree lev­el, Dietet­ics (Didac­tic Pro­gram) and Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences. The Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences pro­grams give stu­dents a strong foun­da­tion in food sci­ence, nutri­tion, well­ness, and health pro­mo­tion, earn­ing UConn a rep­u­ta­tion as one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion. Relat­ed minors avail­able at UConn are Food Sci­ence and Nutri­tion for Exer­cise and Sport.

The UConn Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics holds accred­i­ta­tion by the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics. The place­ment rate for dietet­ic intern­ships is high­er than aver­age at 84%. The Depart­ment of Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences strives to pro­vide a qual­i­ty edu­ca­tion that enables stu­dents to excel in their real-world employ­ment fol­low­ing grad­u­a­tion. In addi­tion to learn­ing about their major area of study, stu­dents learn valu­able skills such as team­work, crit­i­cal think­ing, com­mu­ni­ca­tion, and service.

Degree: BS in Dietet­ics or BS in Nutri­tion­al Sciences

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8. Ohio State University

With six degree pro­grams to choose from, Ohio State Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion. The Depart­ment of Human Sci­ences at the Col­lege of Edu­ca­tion and Human Ecol­o­gy at offers OSU’s bachelor’s in nutri­tion with four dif­fer­ent spe­cial­iza­tions. They are: Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Human Nutri­tion, Dietet­ics; Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Human Nutri­tion, Nutri­tion in Indus­try; Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Human Nutri­tion, Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences; and Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence in Health Pro­mo­tion, Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Science.

The OSU Col­lege of Edu­ca­tion and Human Ecol­o­gy is com­mit­ted to pro­vid­ing all stu­dents with the best pos­si­ble edu­ca­tion. The school attracts high-achiev­ing stu­dents by pro­vid­ing research and men­tor­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties. Stu­dents are encour­aged to par­tic­i­pate in an assort­ment of stu­dent orga­ni­za­tions and engage in com­mu­ni­ty ser­vice to gain real-world expe­ri­ences to help them devel­op their skills. OSU is clear­ly one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutrition.

Degree: BS in Human Nutri­tion — Dietet­ics, Nutri­tion in Indus­try, or Nutri­tion­al Sciences

9. University of Missouri — Columbia

The Depart­ment of Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Phys­i­ol­o­gy presents the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­souri BS in Nutri­tion and Food that pre­pares stu­dents for a future in com­mu­ni­ty nutri­tion or fit­ness. Stu­dents who do well in this pro­gram are eli­gi­ble to par­tic­i­pate in the Nutri­tion and Fit­ness Intern­ship Pro­gram, which allows stu­dents to gain expe­ri­ence work­ing in a cor­po­ra­tion, clin­ic, fit­ness cen­ter, or oth­er orga­ni­za­tion. The school also offers a BS-MS Dietet­ics pro­gram. Stu­dents who com­plete the pro­gram earn both a BS in Nutri­tion and Food and an MS in Dietet­ics in just 5 years and con­tin­ue the process to become Reg­is­tered Dietitians.

Missouri’s flag­ship pub­lic research insti­tu­tion, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­souri is cru­cial to pro­fes­sion­al edu­ca­tion in the state and one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion. The Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Phys­i­ol­o­gy Depart­ment is home to the MU Nutri­tion­al Cen­ter for Health (MUNCH), which offers a teach­ing kitchen, a meta­bol­ic research kitchen, a wet lab for chem­i­cal exper­i­ments, and an obser­va­tion­al research lab. These facil­i­ties enable stu­dents and fac­ul­ty to engage in a wide range of research activ­i­ties relat­ed to nutri­tion and dietetics.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion and Food or BS-MS 5 year program

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10. University of Pittsburgh

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Pittsburgh’s Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics Pro­gram, one of the best schools of its kind in the nation, is in the midst of an over­haul that will pro­vide even more oppor­tu­ni­ty to stu­dents. In addi­tion, to com­ply with new ACEND accred­i­ta­tion stan­dards, the School of Health and Reha­bil­i­ta­tion Sci­ences at Pitt is dis­con­tin­u­ing its Didac­tic Dieti­cian Nutri­tion­ist Pro­gram and replac­ing it with their new Dieti­cian Nutri­tion­ist Pro­gram, which is a master’s lev­el pro­gram that meets the new guide­lines. The bach­e­lor’s pro­gram will be replaced with a new BS in Nutri­tion Sci­ence start­ing in 2019, built on the same tra­di­tion of excel­lence as the cur­rent bach­e­lor’s program.

The School of Health and Reha­bil­i­ta­tion Sci­ences pro­vides an unri­valed envi­ron­ment for supe­ri­or edu­ca­tion and train­ing. The school val­ues inno­va­tion, ser­vice, integri­ty, inclu­sion, advo­ca­cy, and excel­lence. SHRS has a part­ner­ship with the Uni­ver­si­ty of Pitts­burgh Med­ical Cen­ter (UPMC). This allows SHRS stu­dents to receive pri­or­i­ty con­sid­er­a­tion when apply­ing for clin­i­cal intern­ships at UPMC, one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutrition.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion Science

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11. University of Vermont

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Vermont’s BS in Nutri­tion and Food Sci­ences (NFS) and BS in Dietet­ics, Nutri­tion and Food Sci­ences (DNFS) come from the Col­lege of Agri­cul­ture and Life Sci­ences. The NFS bachelor’s in nutri­tion is great for stu­dents who want to pur­sue careers with food as a focus with­out becom­ing Reg­is­tered Dieti­tians. The DNFS pro­gram is an ACEND-accred­it­ed didac­tic bachelor’s in dietet­ics and meets the stan­dards set forth for the edu­ca­tion­al com­po­nent of the path to becom­ing a Reg­is­tered Dietitian.

The Col­lege of Agri­cul­ture and Life Sci­ences believes in learn­ing by doing, which makes UVM one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion. One is the Applied Research Meth­ods course, in which stu­dents are expect­ed to com­plete a full research project for a com­mu­ni­ty part­ner through­out the dura­tion of the course. The NSF is often used as a pre-med pro­gram for those who want to pur­sue a grad­u­ate degree in a health-relat­ed field, while the DNFS pro­gram gives stu­dents a sol­id foun­da­tion in the sci­ences while pro­vid­ing exper­tise in the area of food and nutrition.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion and Food Sci­ence or BS in Dietet­ics, Nutri­tion, and Food Science

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12. Washington State University

The Wash­ing­ton State Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Phys­i­ol­o­gy, offered by the Elson S. Floyd Col­lege of Med­i­cine, qual­i­fies stu­dents to take the exam to become Cer­ti­fied Exer­cise Phys­i­ol­o­gists (EP‑C). The BS in Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Phys­i­ol­o­gy also pre­pares stu­dents for grad­u­ate pro­grams in fields such as pub­lic health, dietet­ics, phys­i­cal or occu­pa­tion­al ther­a­py, and medicine.

The Elson S. Floyd Col­lege of Med­i­cine looks for appli­cants who have a con­nec­tion to the state of Wash­ing­ton and are moti­vat­ed to improve the health and well-being of the state’s res­i­dents. Stu­dents from the Depart­ment of Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Sci­ence (NEP) are doing just that, at one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion. They start­ed a gar­den that pro­vides a con­tin­u­ous sup­ply of fresh pro­duce to the on-cam­pus food pantry to help WSU and EWU stu­dents suf­fer­ing from food insecurity.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion and Exer­cise Physiology

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13. Rowan University

Anoth­er of the best col­leges for nutri­tion, Rowan University’s BS in Nutri­tion includes a choice between two spe­cial­ties: Exer­cise Sci­ence or Dietet­ics. The Exer­cise Sci­ence pro­gram trains stu­dents for careers are nutri­tion coun­selors, edu­ca­tors, and nutri­tion spe­cial­ists. Grad­u­ates obtain work in hos­pi­tals, com­mu­ni­ty well­ness pro­grams, fit­ness cen­ters, and more. This pro­gram also pre­pares stu­dents to enter grad­u­ate pro­grams in nutri­tion, pub­lic health, and health pro­mo­tion. The Dietet­ics spe­cial­iza­tion sat­is­fies the first step required to pur­sue an MS in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics and become a Reg­is­tered Dietician.

The School of Health Pro­fes­sions at Rowan Uni­ver­si­ty strives to be a leader in stu­dent-cen­tered edu­ca­tion. The school uses a research-rich envi­ron­ment for teach­ing and is com­mit­ted to excel­lence in the cre­ation of its degree pro­grams. The School of Health Pro­fes­sions is com­mit­ted to engag­ing in high-qual­i­ty research, appre­ci­at­ing the diver­si­ty of its stu­dents, and pro­vid­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties for STEM edu­ca­tion. The school aims to pro­vide out­stand­ing prepa­ra­tion for stu­dents to pur­sue careers in research, indus­try, health care, edu­ca­tion, and pub­lic service.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion — Exer­cise Sci­ence or Dietetics

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14. Colorado State University

Col­orado State University’s BS in Nutri­tion and Food Sci­ence, from the Col­lege of Health and Human Sci­ences, assim­i­lates the fields of chem­istry, health sci­ences, and biol­o­gy. Grad­u­ates are pre­pared to assist oth­ers to make improve­ments in the qual­i­ty of their lives. Degree can­di­dates have the option of select­ing a con­cen­tra­tion from among the fol­low­ing: Food Safe­ty and Nutri­tion and Fit­ness, Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences and Dietet­ics and Nutri­tion Man­age­ment. Stu­dents can choose to com­plete a Geron­tol­ogy Inter­dis­ci­pli­nary Minor.

Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty was estab­lished as a land-grant uni­ver­si­ty in 1870, aris­ing from the Mor­rill Act. It is the flag­ship school of the Col­orado State Uni­ver­si­ty sys­tem. Con­sumers Digest ranks among the best top val­ue pub­lic uni­ver­si­ties. CSU’s main 580+-acre urban cam­pus is home to near­ly 34,000 stu­dents. The Col­lege of Health and Human Sci­ences has ele­vat­ed CSU to one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutrition.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion and Food Science

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15. University of Illinois at Chicago

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Illi­nois at Chicago’s BS in Nutri­tion pro­gram offers two course­work tracks depend­ing on the student’s pre­ferred career choice. The first path­way a stu­dent can choose pre­pares grad­u­ates to become a Reg­is­tered Dietit­ian; the sec­ond is the Nutri­tion Sci­ence track. This course­work, from one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion, works well for those stu­dents reach­ing for more advanced degrees, a career in the food indus­try, or nutri­tion research. More than ¾ of UIC’s nutri­tion sci­ence grads find intern­ships in the dietet­ic indus­try. This is sig­nif­i­cant­ly high­er than the nation­al aver­age of 50%.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Illi­nois at Chica­go is a pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty estab­lished in 1859 and char­tered in Cham­paign-Urbana in 1867. UIC’s med­ical school is the largest in the nation with research expen­di­tures exceed­ing $400+ mil­lion. The school is com­prised of three cam­pus­es that is home to 2,400 fac­ul­ty and more than 28,000 stu­dents. UIC’s BS in Nutri­tion pro­gram has received accred­i­ta­tion from the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND).

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion — Nutri­tion, Coor­di­nat­ed, or Didac­tic Dietetics

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16. Texas Christian University

Texas Chris­t­ian University’s BS in Nutri­tion Sci­ences offers five areas of con­cen­tra­tion. Stu­dents can opt for the Coor­di­nat­ed Pro­gram in Dietet­ics, the Com­bined BS/MS in Dietet­ics, the Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics, the Nutri­tion Major and the Food Man­age­ment pro­gram. Stu­dents are required to com­plete an exten­sive research project with the guid­ance of their fac­ul­ty men­tor before grad­u­at­ing. Stu­dents have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to prac­tice hands-on skills in the direc­tion of their fac­ul­ty advi­sor while attend­ing one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutrition.

Texas Chris­t­ian Uni­ver­si­ty was found­ed as a Chris­t­ian-based insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing in 1873. The school’s urban 320+-acre cam­pus is only three miles from down­town Fort Worth. The uni­ver­si­ty is com­prised of eight col­leges found­ed on a tra­di­tion­al lib­er­al arts cur­ricu­lum. TCU is among the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion, accord­ing to US News and World Report.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion Sci­ence — 5 concentrations

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17. North Dakota State University

North Dako­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Dietet­ics is known as the Dietit­ian Edu­ca­tion Pro­gram (DEP) Option. Addi­tion­al­ly, NDSU has cre­at­ed an Accel­er­at­ed BS/MS for Dietet­ics and Nutri­tion. This bach­e­lors in nutri­tion program’s course­work deliv­ers clin­i­cal expe­ri­ences (1,400 hours) and exten­sive aca­d­e­m­ic com­pe­ten­cies. North Dako­ta State University’s BS in Nutri­tion pro­gram has received accred­i­ta­tion from the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND). For stu­dents inter­est­ed in fur­ther­ing their stud­ies should explore the Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (DPD) option, a Post Bachelor’s Intern­ship with high­ly selec­tive admis­sion protocols.

North Dako­ta State Uni­ver­si­ty is a land-grant uni­ver­si­ty that was estab­lished in 1890. It is the flag­ship school and one of the largest schools with­in the North Dako­ta Uni­ver­si­ty Sys­tem. In addi­tion to earn­ing a rep­u­ta­tion as one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion, NDSU has the sup­port of Forbes, which rec­og­nizes Far­go, ND, as the #5 col­lege town in the US for jobs.

Degree: BS in Dietet­ics or Accel­er­at­ed BS-MS

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18. University of Montevallo

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Montevallo’s BS in Exer­cise and Nutri­tion Sci­ence (EXNS) offers a Coor­di­nat­ed Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (CPD). Course work is devel­oped to the stan­dards required by the school’s accred­i­ta­tion from the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND). Degree can­di­dates study­ing for the bach­e­lor’s in nutri­tion pro­gram are primed for suc­cess and ready to take the Reg­is­tered Dietit­ian exam­i­na­tion. Grad­u­ates under­stand the inter­de­pen­dence of food, nutri­tion, and dietet­ics with regards to healthy liv­ing for indi­vid­u­als and families.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mon­te­val­lo was estab­lished in 1896 as a pub­lic lib­er­al arts insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. The school holds the dis­tinc­tion as being the only leg­isla­tive­ly char­tered pub­lic insti­tu­tion in the state of Alaba­ma. For more than ten years, US News & World Report ranks the Uni­ver­si­ty of Mon­te­val­lo as one of Alaba­ma’s high­est-ranked grad­u­ate-lev­el insti­tu­tions, and one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion. UM’s rur­al cam­pus is home to more than 3,000 stu­dents and cen­tral­ly locat­ed in an area that is rich with Civ­il War history.

Degree: BS in Exer­cise and Nutri­tion Science

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19. Grand Valley State University

The Depart­ment of Bio­med­ical Sci­ences offers Grand Val­ley State University’s BS in Bio­med­ical Sci­ences with a focus on Nutri­tion. Ulti­mate­ly, degree can­di­dates grad­u­ate with a deep under­stand­ing of human life sci­ences as a whole. The BS Nutri­tion empha­sized degree focus­es its cur­ricu­lum on Phys­i­ol­o­gy, Anato­my, Nutri­tion, and Micro­bi­ol­o­gy. Research, from one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion stud­ies, areas include can­cer biol­o­gy, immunol­o­gy, bac­te­r­i­al genet­ics, and obe­si­ty, among others.

Grand Val­ley State Uni­ver­si­ty is a lib­er­al arts uni­ver­si­ty that was estab­lished in 1960. GVSU’s main cam­pus is in Allen­dale, about 12 miles from down­town Grand Rapids. The school is con­sid­ered one of the top 100 largest in the coun­try. Grand Val­ley State Uni­ver­si­ty has received region­al accred­i­ta­tion for the North Cen­tral Asso­ci­a­tion of Col­leges and Schools (NCACAS) and is rec­og­nized as one of the best col­leges for nutrition.

Degree: BS in Bio­med­ical Sci­ences — Nutri­tion emphasis

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20. University of Mississippi

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­sis­sip­pi BS in Dietet­ics and Nutri­tion is designed to inte­grate the prin­ci­ples of sci­ences with healthy liv­ing and food prepa­ra­tion. Stu­dents receive excep­tion­al edu­ca­tion as the stu­dent-fac­ul­ty ratio is 10:1, pro­vid­ing ample oppor­tu­ni­ty for men­tor­ship and stu­dent par­tic­i­pa­tion in real, ongo­ing research. Bachelor’s in nutri­tion stu­dents can also opt for a fur­ther spe­cial­ty in Health Sci­ence, Dietet­ics, and Child Nutri­tion. One of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion, Ole Miss is cen­tral to the field in Mississippi.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mis­sis­sip­pi is a research, space-grant, sea-grant pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty that was estab­lished in 1848. The school is the largest uni­ver­si­ty in the state by enroll­ment and one of the most influ­en­tial insti­tu­tions in the Deep South. Ole Miss was con­sid­ered one of the safest schools in the South­east Con­fer­ence, and the coun­try. The school oper­ates five cam­pus­es through­out Mis­sis­sip­pi; the main cam­pus is in Oxford, with satel­lite cam­pus­es in Tupe­lo, Grena­da, Des­o­to, and Bonneville.

Degree: BS in Dietet­ics and Nutrition

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21. University of Kentucky

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ken­tucky BS in Human Nutri­tion pro­gram pre­pares grad­u­ates to enter the job mar­ket ready to serve in the many facets of the nutrition/healthcare indus­try: Food Pol­i­cy, Phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal Devel­op­ment, Nutri­tion­al Sup­ple­ments, Reg­u­la­to­ry Ser­vices, among oth­er health-relat­ed pro­fes­sions. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ken­tucky has received accred­i­ta­tion from the South­ern Asso­ci­a­tion of Col­leges and Schools (SACS) Com­mis­sion on Colleges).

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ken­tucky is a land-grant uni­ver­si­ty estab­lished in 1865; one of the two land-grant uni­ver­si­ties in the state. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ken­tucky is the state’s largest insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. The uni­ver­si­ty is com­prised of six­teen schools plus a grad­u­ate school. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ken­tucky is a mem­ber school the South­east­ern Con­fer­ence, a coor­di­nat­ed effort to advance the qual­i­ty of aca­d­e­m­ic pro­grams offered by mem­ber schools.

Degree: BS in Human Nutrition

22. University of Massachusetts Lowell

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mass­a­chu­setts Lowell’s BS in Nutri­tion­al Sci­ence, from the Col­lege of Health Sci­ences Depart­ment of Bio­med­ical and Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences, focus­es on how nutri­tion and diet (dietary pat­terns) impacts the body’s metab­o­lism and bio­chem­istry. The pro­gram seeks to appro­pri­ate­ly pre­pare grad­u­ates for a vari­ety of career paths in the field of nutri­tion and to offer a plat­form for pro­fes­sion­al growth. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mass­a­chu­setts Low­ell received accred­i­ta­tion by the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND).

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mass­a­chu­setts Low­ell is a pub­lic insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing estab­lished in 1894. The school has received region­al accred­i­ta­tion from the New Eng­land Asso­ci­a­tion of Schools and Col­leges (NEASC). UMass Low­ell holds the dis­tinc­tion of the sec­ond-largest uni­ver­si­ty in the Com­mon­wealth of Mass­a­chu­setts, in addi­tion to one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Mass­a­chu­setts Low­ell’s BS in Nutri­tion­al Sci­ence is the per­fect degree pro­gram to pre­pare stu­dents reach­ing for grad­u­ate and post­grad­u­ate degrees in the dynam­ic field of Nutri­tion­al Sciences.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion­al Sci­ences – with accel­er­at­ed option to MPH in Dietetics

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23. University of Idaho

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Idaho’s BS in Food and Nutri­tion comes from the Mar­garet Richie School of Fam­i­ly and Con­sumer Sci­ences, one of the best col­leges for nutri­tion in the world. The BS in Nutri­tion focus­es on the human body’s bio­chem­istry and the body’s reac­tion to food and nutri­tion. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ida­ho’s nutri­tion­al under­grad­u­ate degrees have received accred­i­ta­tion from the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND). Grad­u­ates from one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutri­tion are eli­gi­ble to sit for the Reg­is­tered Dietit­ian Nutri­tion­ist nation­al examination.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Ida­ho is the state of Ida­ho’s old­est insti­tute of high­er learn­ing. It was estab­lished as a land-grant school in 1889 by the Ter­ri­to­r­i­al leg­is­la­ture to bring mod­ern farm­ing and tech­nol­o­gy to the fron­tier. Today UI is Idaho’s pri­ma­ry research insti­tu­tion of high­er learn­ing. Addi­tion­al­ly UI’s cam­pus, with more than 1,580-acres, is the biggest in the state of Idaho.

Degree: BS in Food and Nutrition

24. La Salle University

La Salle University’s BS in Dietet­ics offers stu­dents a choice between a Coor­di­nat­ed Pro­gram in Dietet­ics and a Didac­tic Pro­gram in Nutri­tion. La Salle University’s bachelor’s in nutri­tion pro­grams have received accred­it­ed by the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND). The Coor­di­nat­ed pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents to become Reg­is­tered Dietit­ian as they are eli­gi­ble to sit for the nation­al exam. The Didac­tic Pro­gram pre­pares grad­u­ates for post-bac­calau­re­ate practicums that lead to obtain­ing a license as a Reg­is­tered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RND) or to take the exam­i­na­tion for the cre­den­tial of Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics Tech­ni­cian, registered.

La Salle Uni­ver­si­ty is a Roman Catholic school that was estab­lished by the Insti­tute of the Chris­t­ian Schools in 1863. La Salle is affil­i­at­ed with the Roman Catholic Church of Philadelphia’s Arch­dio­cese. The Econ­o­mist ranks as one of the top one-hun­dred schools in the coun­try, and in addi­tion to its many world-class pro­grams, La Salle is known as one of the best uni­ver­si­ties for dietet­ics and nutrition.

Degree: BS in Dietet­ics — Coor­di­nat­ed or Didactic

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25. University of Cincinnati

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincinnati’s BS in Nutri­tion & Dietet­ics is best suit­ed for those stu­dents who wish to become Reg­is­tered Dietit­ian Nutri­tion­ists. The BS in Nutri­tion & Dietet­ics pre­pares grad­u­ates with a foun­da­tion in med­ical nutri­tion ther­a­py, health well­ness, nutri­tion, and food sci­ence. The aca­d­e­m­ic man­dates of this Didac­tic Pro­gram in Dietet­ics (DPD) as deter­mined by the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND) and the Acad­e­my of Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (AND).

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cincin­nati is the old­est uni­ver­si­ty in the city of Cincin­nati, and one of the old­est west of the Mis­sis­sip­pi, found­ed in 1819. With an enroll­ment that exceeds 44,000, UC is the sec­ond-largest school in Ohio and plays a crit­i­cal role in edu­cat­ing the pro­fes­sion­al class of Ohio and the Midwest.

Degree: BS in Nutri­tion and Dietetics

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What is a Nutritionist/Dietitian?

The Acad­e­my of Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics states that a reg­is­tered dietit­ian is a food and nutri­tion expert who has received a bach­e­lor’s degree, com­plet­ed an Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND) over­seen pro­gram last­ing 6 to 12 months, passed a nation­al exam, and met con­tin­u­ing pro­fes­sion­al edu­ca­tion require­ments. A nutri­tion­ist dietit­ian may have addi­tion­al cer­ti­fi­ca­tions in spe­cial­ized areas, such as pedi­atrics, renal nutri­tion, sports dietet­ics, and dia­betes edu­ca­tion. Nutri­tion­ist respon­si­bil­i­ties include deter­min­ing patient health needs and diet, edu­cat­ing patients about healthy eat­ing and oth­er nutri­tion­al areas of concern.

Nutri­tion Sci­ence Degree states the nutri­tion sci­ence def­i­n­i­tion is the focus on dietary con­cerns and health issues with food, eat­ing, and med­i­cine. It is based in chem­istry, biol­o­gy, and social sci­ence. It is the study of habits and social rela­tion­ships relat­ed to food. Nutri­tion sci­ence cov­ers a large range of areas includ­ing well­ness, com­mu­ni­ty nutri­tion, exer­cise sci­ence, and nutri­tion edu­ca­tion. It is the pro­mo­tion of health and man­ag­ing dis­eases. Those in this field edu­cate peo­ple on how good food choice leads to a healthy lifestyle.

With a nutri­tion degree, you may work in clin­i­cal nutri­tion, sports nutri­tion, food ser­vice, and many oth­er areas, accord­ing to the Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics. Online pro­grams in high­er edu­ca­tion, like a bach­e­lor of sci­ence in nutri­tion­al sci­ences, can help you make the move into a high-pay­ing field, but be sure you’re choos­ing the right pro­gram. Nutri­tion degree pro­grams may be offered full-time or part-time, but for finan­cial aid you need an accred­it­ed pro­gram. You also can­not move on to a master’s degree with­out a degree from a legit­i­mate school.

What Kind of Education Do I Need to Become a Nutritionist/Dietitian?

In order to under­stand what type of edu­ca­tion is need­ed to become a nutri­tion­ist or dietit­ian, an indi­vid­ual must first deter­mine his/her goals. If those goals include duties such as nutri­tion coun­sel­ing, diag­nos­ing and assess­ing a clien­t’s needs, and set­ting goals for bet­ter nutri­tion and health (such as spe­cif­ic diet plans), a reg­is­tered dietit­ian may be the route to take. On the oth­er hand, if you are inter­est­ed in edu­cat­ing or pro­vid­ing advice in food and nutri­tion, but not work­ing in a med­ical set­ting or pro­vid­ing detailed treat­ments, stay with a nutri­tion­ist path. There are sev­er­al types of bach­e­lor’s degrees in nutri­tion and dietet­ics, and it can be dif­fi­cult to choose between them. Throw­ing in bach­e­lor’s spe­cial­iza­tions can make it even more complicated.

The main dif­fer­ence is this: all dieti­tians are nutri­tion­ists, but only nutri­tion­ists who have earned their Reg­is­tered Dietit­ian license can call them­selves “dietit­ian.” Dieti­tians are under much more reg­u­la­tion and pro­tec­tion by law, while nutri­tion­ists have cer­tain legal restric­tions; for instance, a nutri­tion­ist can give gen­er­al nutri­tion­al advice, but not write meal plans for patients in a hos­pi­tal or nurs­ing home. The terms are often used inter­change­ably, so when look­ing at a pro­gram, an indi­vid­ual who wants to be a dietit­ian should be sure that it will pro­vide ACEND-accred­it­ed course­work requirements.

Dietit­ian edu­ca­tion require­ments are at min­i­mum a bachelor’s degree in nutri­tion or dietet­ics, which is gen­er­al­ly 4 years. A dietit­ian edu­ca­tion also requires 1200 hours of clin­i­cal work before being able to sit for the reg­is­tered dietit­ian exam. Most impor­tant­ly all course­work should meet the Accred­i­ta­tion Coun­cil for Edu­ca­tion in Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics (ACEND) accred­it­ed course­work require­ments. After that, the stu­dent must pass the cer­ti­fied dietit­ian exam. After that, cer­ti­fi­ca­tions need to be renewed with con­tin­u­ing edu­ca­tion. A dietet­ics cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, which is also known as a reg­is­tered dietit­ian nutri­tion­ist, there­fore requires a bach­e­lor’s degree just like a dietitian.

Why Should I Choose a Dietetics Degree vs Nutrition Degree?

Some schools use the titles dietet­ics and nutri­tion­ist inter­change­ably when refer­ring to their degree pro­gram. Some schools offer both dietet­ics and a nutri­tion­ist degree, leav­ing many stu­dents won­der­ing the dif­fer­ence between a dietet­ics degree vs nutri­tion degree. Accord­ing to the Acad­e­my of Nutri­tion and Dietet­ics, there are dif­fer­ent types of nutri­tion degrees. There is a didac­tic pro­gram in dietet­ics, which is a pro­gram with course­work to give the stu­dents a fun­da­men­tal edu­ca­tion in dietet­ics prac­tice. Once a stu­dent com­pletes the didac­tic pro­gram, the indi­vid­ual can begin a super­vised prac­tice pro­gram, which is often referred to as clin­i­cal hours, fol­lowed by the dietit­ian reg­is­tra­tion exam. The didac­tic pro­gram itself does not have clin­i­cal hours.

A coor­di­nat­ed pro­gram in dietet­ics offers both in a one-degree pro­gram — there’s no need to choose a dietet­ics degree vs nutri­tion degree. A stu­dent gets the fun­da­men­tal edu­ca­tion through course­work and super­vised prac­tice, some­times called com­pe­ten­cies, all togeth­er in one pro­gram. A nutri­tion­ist degree is typ­i­cal­ly an asso­ci­ate’s degree that requires dietet­ic tech­ni­cian course­work fol­lowed by super­vised prac­tice. Reg­is­tered dietit­ian nutri­tion­ist pro­grams can be either coor­di­nat­ed pro­grams and didac­tic pro­grams in dietet­ics are bach­e­lor’s or grad­u­ate-lev­el degrees. There are post-grad­u­ate cours­es avail­able for a reg­is­tered dietit­ian nutri­tion­ist that can be used for con­tin­u­ing education.

Relat­ed Rank­ings:
Best Online Nutri­tion­al Sci­ence Cer­tifi­cate Pro­grams
Most Afford­able Nutri­tion­al Sci­ence Degree Pro­grams
Best Online Nutri­tion­al Sci­ence Degree Programs