How To Become A Nutrition Educator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a nutrition educator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Kerry Smith,

Janet Colson Ph.D.

You are what you eat. We've all heard this saying. In fact, eating well helps to reduce the risk of physical health problems like heart disease and diabetes. If you want to be one of the key drivers in improving the health of others, a good way to do that would be to become a nutrition educator.

Nutrition educators promote health by teaching nutrition techniques and designing nutrition education programs. They work in a variety of settings, including colleges, corporations, hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, and community centers. To do their jobs, these educators need to have a thorough understanding of human nutrition, physiology, and metabolism, along with public health.

As a nutrition educator, you'll have a chance to implement and market nutrition education programs and services, assess family and patient nutritional needs, and work one-on-one and in group settings to educate at-risk patients about nutrition.

If you're interested in becoming a nutrition educator, you'll need to obtain a Bachelor's degree, preferably in nutrition, nutrition science, dietetics, or a related field. Many positions also require a graduate degree, such as a Master of Science in Nutritional Science.

What general advice would you give to a nutrition educator?

Dr. Kerry Smith

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science, Website

The field of Nutrition Science has the potential to be quite lucrative. Those with a degree in Nutrition Science can additionally move into Dietetics and become a Registered Dietician or Registered Sports Dietician. The Sport careers are becoming more robust in the college setting following the NCAA changes regarding to fueling stations a little over a decade ago. Additionally, working in private practice providing nutritional services allows for job flexibility and autonomy. By working in a private practice there are opportunities to offer additional services that are unavailable through standard insurance coverages making your business more marketable and profitable.

ScoreNutrition EducatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,652

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.25%

Black or African American 7.21%

Hispanic or Latino 10.26%

Unknown 4.94%

White 66.06%

Gender

female 87.87%

male 12.13%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a nutrition educator

Explore nutrition educator education requirements

Most common nutrition educator degrees

Bachelor's

73.7 %

Master's

11.3 %

Associate

9.7 %

Start to develop specific nutrition educator skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	13.55%
Public Health	11.67%
Food Safety	6.18%
Nutrition Education	6.02%
WIC Program	5.29%

Complete relevant nutrition educator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New nutrition educators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a nutrition educator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real nutrition educator resumes.

Gain additional nutrition educator certifications

Nutrition educator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific nutrition educator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for nutrition educators include Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

More About Certifications

Research nutrition educator duties and responsibilities

Manage revolving caseload of students with IEP team including initials, transfer placements, manifestation determinations.
Administer lectures and individual counseling to residential and out-patient participants regarding weight loss, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.
Conduct interviews for applicants to the WIC program.
Facilitate the diabetes support group, arrange guest speakers and provide participants with nutritional information and support

Prepare your nutrition educator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your nutrition educator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a nutrition educator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable nutrition educator resume templates

Build a professional nutrition educator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your nutrition educator resume.