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Nutrition Professor Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a nutrition professor. Nutrition professors usually study food and nutrition, dietetics, or public health. 54% of nutrition professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 64 real nutrition professor resumes to see exactly what nutrition professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for nutrition professors are the Loma Linda University and the Loma Linda University.

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

What education do you need to become a nutrition professor?

What degree do you need to be a nutrition professor?

The most common degree for nutrition professors is bachelor's degree, with 54% of nutrition professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 26% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 54%
  • Master's, 26%
  • Doctorate, 8%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a nutrition professor?

You should major in food and nutrition to become a nutrition professor. 19% of nutrition professors major in food and nutrition. Other common majors for a nutrition professor include dietetics and public health.

Most common colleges for nutrition professors

Nutrition professors often get their degrees at Loma Linda University, Cornell University, and Florida International University. Here are the most common colleges for nutrition professors in the US based on their resumes.
Nutrition Professor Common CollegePercentages
Loma Linda University8.33%
Cornell University8.33%
Florida International University8.33%
University of Vermont8.33%
University of Florida4.17%

Best majors for nutrition professors

Best colleges for nutrition professors

The best colleges for nutrition professors are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A nutrition professor 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 professors. 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 professors.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for nutrition professors

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1. Child Nutrition and Cooking

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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

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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. Fully Accredited Certification in Nutrition & Diet Planning

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4. Nutrition Certification: The Correct Dieting & Meal PLaning

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5. Nutrition Education for the Consumer

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Understanding how to eat healthy can be daunting, especially when presented with unfamiliar science. Learn and apply everyday nutrition concepts to your lifestyle to get the most out of what you eat. Take time in understanding how to appropriately read food labels, enhance your diet and exercise with the right supplements, or break through misconceptions about nutrition fads. With the NASM Nutrition Education for the Consumer, you will learn the truth that evidence leads us to when developing...

6. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Nutrition

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Learn the Fundamentals of Nutrition Science...

7. Health and Nutrition Life Coach Certification (Accredited)

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

8. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Sports Nutrition

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9. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Yogic Nutrition

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Understand the fundamentals of Yogic Nutrition Science & Learn How to Create Yogic Diets...

10. Vegan Nutrition Health Coach Certification

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12. Superfoods, Herbalism, Nutrition Basics and Your Health

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

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14. Nutrition for Inflammation - The Anti-inflammatory Diet

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Heal Your Body Using Food as Medicine...

15. Nutrition Certification: Advanced Diet & Meal Planning

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

16. Ketogenic Diet: Keto Nutrition Health Coach Certification

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

17. Nutrition Certification Diploma: Diet Planning & Meal Prep

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Become A Nutrition Expert: Create Muscle Growth & Fat Loss Meal Plan Dieting Certificate For Health & Sports Nutrition...

18. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Diet Planning

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Learn how to Create Your Clients(or your)perfect diet and nutrition plan based on their goals, preferences and lifestyle...

19. Weight Loss And Nutrition: Lose Fat & Get Your Dream Body

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Learn The Truth About Dieting For Weight Loss, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning, Fat Loss, Weight Loss Motivation...

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

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

Top 10 most affordable universities for nutrition professors

The most affordable schools for nutrition professors 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 professors 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 professors.

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. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,262

Cost of Attendance

14,046

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,749

Cost of Attendance

14,823

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,240

Cost of Attendance

13,991

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,620

Cost of Attendance

18,136

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,410

Cost of Attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,886

Cost of Attendance

17,645

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,656

Cost of Attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for nutrition professors

The hardest universities for nutrition professors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for nutrition professors 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 professors 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. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,513

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions Rate

11%

SAT Average

1,471

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

13%

SAT Average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions Rate

15%

SAT Average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for nutrition professors

The easiest schools for nutrition professors 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 professor 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 professors.

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. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions Rate

92%

SAT Average

1,031

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

82%

SAT Average

983

8. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions Rate

94%

SAT Average

979

9. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions Rate

72%

SAT Average

1,054

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions Rate

100%

SAT Average

1,035

Average nutrition professor salary by education level

According to our data, nutrition professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $149,783 annually. Nutrition professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $98,285.
Nutrition Professor education levelNutrition Professor salary
Master's Degree$98,285
Doctorate Degree$149,783

Nutrition Professor Education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
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.

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