Dietary manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a dietary manager. Dietary managers usually study culinary arts, business, or food and nutrition. 30% of dietary managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,335 real dietary manager resumes to see exactly what dietary manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for dietary managers are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.

There are also many online dietary manager courses to help get the education required to be a dietary manager.

There are certain dietary manager certifications that you should consider. These dietary manager certifications include Certified Dietary Manager (CDM) and ServSafe Alcohol.

What education do you need to become a dietary manager?

What degree do you need to be a dietary manager?

The most common degree for dietary managers is bachelor's degree, with 30% of dietary managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 30% and associate degree degree at 19%.

Bachelor's, 30%

Associate, 30%

High School Diploma, 19%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 14%

What should I major in to become a dietary manager?

You should major in culinary arts to become a dietary manager. 17% of dietary managers major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a dietary manager include business and food and nutrition.

Culinary Arts, 17%

Business, 15%

Food And Nutrition, 12%

Dietetics, 12%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for dietary managers

Dietary managers often get their degrees at University of Florida, University of North Dakota, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for dietary managers in the US based on their resumes.

Dietary manager common college	Percentages
University of Florida	17.15%
University of North Dakota	16.42%
University of Phoenix	11.31%
Johnson & Wales University	8.76%
Culinary Institute of America	5.47%

Show more common dietary manager colleges

Best majors for dietary managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Culinary Arts	17.4%
2	Business	14.7%
3	Food And Nutrition	12.2%
4	Dietetics	12.0%
5	Management	6.0%

Show more common dietary manager majors

Best colleges for dietary managers

The best colleges for dietary managers are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

A dietary manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for dietary managers. 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 dietary managers.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Enrollment

4,155

6. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

7. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

8. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

9. Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,244

Enrollment

15,557

10. University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$8,580

Enrollment

10,482

20 best online courses for dietary managers

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19. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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

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Top 10 most affordable universities for dietary managers

The most affordable schools for dietary managers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for dietary managers 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 dietary managers.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for dietary managers

The hardest universities for dietary managers to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for dietary managers 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 dietary managers 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. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for dietary managers

The easiest schools for dietary managers to get into are Life University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a dietary manager 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 dietary managers.

1. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average dietary manager salary by education level

Dietary managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $50,981 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, dietary managers earn a median annual income of $49,241 compared to $44,262 for dietary managers with an Associate degree.

Dietary manager education level	Dietary manager salary
Master's Degree	$50,981
High School Diploma or Less	$42,237
Bachelor's Degree	$49,241
Some College/ Associate Degree	$44,262

Dietary manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Dietary Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

Search for dietary manager jobs

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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