Community nutrition educator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a community nutrition educator. Community nutrition educators usually study dietetics, food and nutrition, or nutrition science. 69% of community nutrition educators hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 143 real community nutrition educator resumes to see exactly what community nutrition educator education sections show.

The most common colleges for community nutrition educators are the California State University - Chico and the California State University - Chico.

There are also many online community nutrition educator courses to help get the education required to be a community nutrition educator.

There are certain community nutrition educator certifications that you should consider. These community nutrition educator certifications include Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS).

What education do you need to become a community nutrition educator?

What degree do you need to be a community nutrition educator?

The most common degree for community nutrition educators is bachelor's degree, with 69% of community nutrition educators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 14% and master's degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Master's, 14%

Associate, 12%

Doctorate, 2%

Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a community nutrition educator?

You should major in dietetics to become a community nutrition educator. 30% of community nutrition educators major in dietetics. Other common majors for a community nutrition educator include food and nutrition and nutrition science.

Dietetics, 30%

Food And Nutrition, 13%

Nutrition Science, 11%

Food Science, 7%

Other Majors, 39%

Most common colleges for community nutrition educators

Community nutrition educators often get their degrees at California State University - Chico, Western Michigan University, and University of Wisconsin Colleges. Here are the most common colleges for community nutrition educators in the US based on their resumes.

Community nutrition educator common college	Percentages
California State University - Chico	10.00%
Western Michigan University	10.00%
University of Wisconsin Colleges	10.00%
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point	6.67%
University of Delaware	6.67%

Show more common community nutrition educator colleges

Best majors for community nutrition educators

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Dietetics	29.8%
2	Food And Nutrition	13.1%
3	Nutrition Science	10.7%
4	Food Science	7.1%
5	Business	4.8%

Show more common community nutrition educator majors

Best colleges for community nutrition educators

The best colleges for community nutrition educators are Northeastern University, Vanderbilt University, and Cornell University.

A community nutrition educator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for community nutrition educators. 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 community nutrition educators.

1. University of Delaware

Newark, DE • Private

In-state tuition

$13,680

Enrollment

19,060

2. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

3. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

9. California State University - Chico

Chico, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,608

Enrollment

16,317

10. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

20 best online courses for community nutrition educators

Advertising disclosure

1. Child Nutrition and Cooking

Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children...

2. National Academy of Sports Medicine Nutrition Essentials

NASM's Nutrition Coaching Essentials enables you to provide evidence-based guidance to those seeking to improve body composition, athletic performance, and health. By successfully completing this program, you will have the knowledge and abilities to leverage nutrition education to increase your client's success, reduce turnover, and maximize adherence. Held to the highest standard of research-based theory and practice, the Nutrition Essentials program teaches you how to provide nutritional...

3. Vegan Nutrition Health Coach Certification

4.6

(2,112)

Become a Vegan Nutrition Certified Health Coach, Learn Vegan Cooking, Embrace a Holistic Approach to Food...

4. Health and Nutrition Life Coach Certification (Accredited)

4.5

(5,133)

Life Coaching: Create a Workout & Nutrition Plan Based on Your Clients' Fitness, Weight Loss, Dieting & Nutrition Goals...

5. Nutrition Hot Topics and Controversies

Within the ever-changing nutrition landscape, it becomes difficult to understand current trending topics. Without a doubt, your friends and neighbors will have questions regarding these nutrition hot topics. Most people want to know what to believe or discard from what they hear, but they often lack the tools or the knowledge (or the time) to research topics as they become popular. This course has been designed to take an in-depth approach to explain the science behind many nutrition hot topics...

6. Cooking for Busy Healthy People

Cooking is one of the most powerful ways in which we can optimize our enjoyment of great quality food while protecting our health. Even on a tight budget, cooking can be a cost-effective, joyful and rewarding way to love the food that will love us back for a lifetime. In this course, you’ll learn some basic recipes from a home cook and two professional chefs who prioritize healthful eating. You’ll also learn some of the fundamentals of principle-based cooking that can help you break free from...

7. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Nutrition

4.6

(11,051)

Learn the Fundamentals of Nutrition Science...

8. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals

4.6

(1,644)

Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...

9. Stanford Introduction to Food and Health

Around the world, we find ourselves facing global epidemics of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other predominantly diet-related diseases. To address these public health crises, we urgently need to explore innovative strategies for promoting healthful eating. There is strong evidence that global increases in the consumption of heavily processed foods, coupled with cultural shifts away from the preparation of food in the home, have contributed to high rates of preventable, chronic disease. In this...

10. Vegan Nutrition: Build Your Plant Based Diet & Meal Plan

4.8

(462)

Learn How To Set Up A Vegan Diet For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning & Vegan Bodybuilding...

11. Nutrition Certification: Advanced Diet & Meal Planning

4.6

(1,607)

Advanced Diet And Nutrition Coach Strategies Dieting Certificate For Meal Plans, Fat Loss, Health & Sports Nutrition...

12. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

4.4

(876)

Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...

13. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Sports Nutrition

4.5

(2,250)

Learn About The Fundamentals Of Sport Nutrition Science And How To Fuel Your Athlete Client...

14. Nutrition Masterclass: Build Your Perfect Diet & Meal Plan

4.6

(7,065)

Learn The Truth About Nutrition, Dieting For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning, Fat Loss...

15. Nutrition for Inflammation - The Anti-inflammatory Diet

4.7

(807)

Heal Your Body Using Food as Medicine...

16. Eat Real Food: How to Eat a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet

4.5

(4,365)

Learn how to be a healthy vegan or vegetarian in a holistic way for best health, weight, and wellbeing...

17. Ketogenic Diet: Keto Nutrition Health Coach Certification

4.5

(2,212)

Keto Nutrition Certified Health Coach Specialized in the Ketogenic Diet, Ketosis (Keto) and Intermittent Fasting...

18. Fully Accredited Professional Nutritionist Diploma Course

4.2

(969)

Complete Nutrition For All - Exploring All Elements of Nutrition. Healthy Eating & Nutrition for all ages!...

19. Herbalism:: Wild Edible Plants for High Nutrition

4.8

(460)

Identify and forage common wild foods for exceptional nutrition. This is essential for holistic and natural medicine...

20. Get to Know Your Food: Claims, Labels & Ingredients

4.4

(813)

Learn how to make the healthiest and best food choices amidst processed and packaged foods...

Top 10 most affordable universities for community nutrition educators

The most affordable schools for community nutrition educators are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for community nutrition educators 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 community nutrition educators.

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. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

9. California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,922

Cost of attendance

18,522

10. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for community nutrition educators

The hardest universities for community nutrition educators to get into are Northeastern University, Vanderbilt University, and Cornell University.

Some great schools for community nutrition educators 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 community nutrition educators 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. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

4. Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,443

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,362

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

Admissions rate

49%

SAT average

1,347

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for community nutrition educators

The easiest schools for community nutrition educators to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, d'youville college, and texas woman's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a community nutrition educator 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 community nutrition educators.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

4. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

9. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

10. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

Average community nutrition educator salary by education level

Community nutrition educators with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $49,432 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, community nutrition educators earn a median annual income of $46,753 compared to $43,533 for community nutrition educators with an Associate degree.

Community nutrition educator education level	Community nutrition educator salary
Master's Degree	$49,432
High School Diploma or Less	$43,355
Bachelor's Degree	$46,753
Some College/ Associate Degree	$43,533

Community nutrition educator education FAQs

What is the best college for Community Nutrition Educators?

Have more questions? See all answers to common community and social services questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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