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Nutrition educator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a nutrition educator. Nutrition educators usually study dietetics, food and nutrition, or nutrition science. 74% of nutrition educators hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,135 real nutrition educator resumes to see exactly what nutrition educator education sections show.
The most common colleges for nutrition educators are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.
There are also many online nutrition educator courses to help get the education required to be a nutrition educator.
There are certain nutrition educator certifications that you should consider. These nutrition educator certifications include Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
What education do you need to become a nutrition educator?
What degree do you need to be a nutrition educator?
- Bachelor's, 74%
- Master's, 11%
- Associate, 10%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a nutrition educator?
- Dietetics, 28%
- Food And Nutrition, 23%
- Nutrition Science, 10%
- Food Science, 4%
- Other Majors, 35%
Most common colleges for nutrition educators
| Nutrition educator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Florida State University | 9.54% |
| University of North Florida | 7.69% |
| Florida International University | 6.46% |
| New York University | 5.85% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 5.85% |
Best majors for nutrition educators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dietetics | 28.3% |
| 2 | Food And Nutrition | 22.9% |
| 3 | Nutrition Science | 10.4% |
| 4 | Food Science | 3.5% |
| 5 | Psychology | 3.2% |
Best colleges for nutrition educators
The best colleges for nutrition educators are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A 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 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 nutrition educators.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
20 best online courses for 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
Become a Vegan Nutrition Certified Health Coach, Learn Vegan Cooking, Embrace a Holistic Approach to Food...
4. Health and Nutrition Life Coach Certification (Accredited)
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. Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes
Ensuring adequate nutrition is essential for infants to reach their full potential, as early-life nutritional imbalances and deficiencies may result in detrimental and often irreversible adverse health consequences. "Breastfeeding and Adequate Substitutes" focuses on the important aspects of human milk composition, human lactation, breastfeeding practices, and the use of breastmilk substitutes. In addition to the theoretical and practical aspects of infant nutrition, we also provide the latest...
7. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Nutrition
Learn the Fundamentals of Nutrition Science...
8. Vegan Nutrition: Build Your Plant Based Diet & Meal Plan
Learn How To Set Up A Vegan Diet For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning & Vegan Bodybuilding...
9. Nutrition Certification: Advanced Diet & Meal Planning
Advanced Diet And Nutrition Coach Strategies Dieting Certificate For Meal Plans, Fat Loss, Health & Sports Nutrition...
10. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Sports Nutrition
Learn About The Fundamentals Of Sport Nutrition Science And How To Fuel Your Athlete Client...
11. Weight Loss And Nutrition: Lose Fat & Get Your Dream Body
Learn The Truth About Dieting For Weight Loss, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning, Fat Loss, Weight Loss Motivation...
12. Nutrition Masterclass: Build Your Perfect Diet & Meal Plan
Learn The Truth About Nutrition, Dieting For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning, Fat Loss...
13. Fully Accredited Professional Nutritionist Diploma Course
Complete Nutrition For All - Exploring All Elements of Nutrition. Healthy Eating & Nutrition for all ages!...
14. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Diet Planning
Learn how to Create Your Clients(or your)perfect diet and nutrition plan based on their goals, preferences and lifestyle...
15. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals
Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...
16. Nutrition for Inflammation - The Anti-inflammatory Diet
Heal Your Body Using Food as Medicine...
17. Herbalism:: Wild Edible Plants for High Nutrition
Identify and forage common wild foods for exceptional nutrition. This is essential for holistic and natural medicine...
18. Diet And Nutrition Coach Certification: Beginner To Advanced
Become A Nutrition Coach: Create Muscle Growth & Fat Loss Meal Plans, Build A Fitness Diet Business & Be A Health Expert...
19. Ketogenic Diet: Keto Nutrition Health Coach Certification
Keto Nutrition Certified Health Coach Specialized in the Ketogenic Diet, Ketosis (Keto) and Intermittent Fasting...
20. Eat Real Food: How to Eat a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet
Learn how to be a healthy vegan or vegetarian in a holistic way for best health, weight, and wellbeing...
Top 10 most affordable universities for nutrition educators
The most affordable schools for nutrition educators are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for 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 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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nutrition educators
The hardest universities for nutrition educators to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for 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 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nutrition educators
The easiest schools for nutrition educators to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a 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 nutrition educators.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
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. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
7. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
8. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average nutrition educator salary by education level
| Nutrition educator education level | Nutrition educator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $33,735 |
| Doctorate Degree | $37,277 |
Nutrition educator education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025