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Clinical dietician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinical dietician. Clinical dieticians usually study dietetics, food and nutrition, or nutrition science. 77% of clinical dieticians hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 100 real clinical dietician resumes to see exactly what clinical dietician education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinical dieticians are the Purdue University and the Purdue University.
There are also many online clinical dietician courses to help get the education required to be a clinical dietician.
What education do you need to become a clinical dietician?
What degree do you need to be a clinical dietician?
- Bachelor's, 77%
- Master's, 17%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a clinical dietician?
- Dietetics, 35%
- Food And Nutrition, 25%
- Food Science, 6%
- Other Majors, 27%
Most common colleges for clinical dieticians
| Clinical dietician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Purdue University | 8.33% |
| University of Connecticut | 8.33% |
| Florida International University | 8.33% |
| Temple University | 8.33% |
| Louisiana State University and A&M College | 4.17% |
Best majors for clinical dieticians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dietetics | 34.8% |
| 2 | Food And Nutrition | 24.6% |
| 3 | Nutrition Science | 7.2% |
| 4 | Food Science | 5.8% |
| 5 | Psychology | 2.9% |
Best colleges for clinical dieticians
The best colleges for clinical dieticians are Northeastern University, Case Western Reserve University, and New York University.
A clinical dietician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical dieticians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become clinical dieticians.
1. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
2. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
3. University of Delaware
Newark, DE • Private
In-state tuition
$13,680
Enrollment
19,060
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. California State University - Chico
Chico, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,608
Enrollment
16,317
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$14,460
Enrollment
39,208
9. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,260
Enrollment
25,799
20 best online courses for clinical dieticians
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Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical dieticians
The most affordable schools for clinical dieticians are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for clinical dieticians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for clinical dieticians.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical dieticians
The hardest universities for clinical dieticians to get into are Northeastern University, Case Western Reserve University, and New York University.
Some great schools for clinical dieticians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for clinical dieticians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
2. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,443
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical dieticians
The easiest schools for clinical dieticians to get into are D'Youville College, adventhealth university, and life university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical dietician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for clinical dieticians.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
3. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
7. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
10. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
Average clinical dietician salary by education level
| Clinical dietician education level | Clinical dietician salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $68,026 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $66,110 |
Clinical dietician education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025