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Clinical Nutrition

A program that prepares individuals to apply the principles of dietetics and the biomedical and nutrition sciences to design and manage effective nutrition programs as part of clinical treatment and therapy programs, and to manage health care facility food services. Includes instruction in human nutrition, nutrient metabolism, the role of foods and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention, nutrition as a treatment regime, planning and directing hospital food service programs, diet and nutrition analysis and planning, supervision of food storage and preparation, special diets, client education, and professional standards and regulations.

Types of Degrees Clinical Nutrition Majors Are Earning

Those studying Clinical Nutrition may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	98
Master’s Degree	785
Doctor’s Degree	36

What Clinical Nutrition Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Clinical Nutrition emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Clinical Nutrition graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Clinical Nutrition emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Clinical Nutrition program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Clinical Nutrition careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Clinical Nutrition graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Clinical Nutrition professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Statistical software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Mosby’s Nutritrac	Analytical or scientific software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
ReadyTalk	Network conferencing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
ESHA Research The Food Processor	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App	Analytical or scientific software	—
PICS DietMate Professional	Analytical or scientific software	—
BioEx Systems Nutrition Maker Plus	Medical software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Clinical Nutrition graduates include:

• Oncology Dietitian
• Public Health Dietitian
• Dietary Aide
• Sports Nutritionist
• Nutritionist
• Clinical Dietician
• Food Advisor
• Administrative Dietitian
• Holistic Nutritionist
• Consultant Dietitian
• Outpatient Dietitian
• Nutrition Counselor
• Teaching Dietitian
• Renal Dietitian
• Food Consultant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Clinical Nutrition graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Post-baccalaureate certificate	53.3%
Master’s degree	33.3%
Bachelor’s degree	10%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Clinical Nutrition?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 88.1% of Clinical Nutrition degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	810	88.1%
Men	109	11.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Clinical Nutrition graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	619	67.4%
Asian	41	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	82	8.9%
Black or African American	39	4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.5%
Two or More Races	36	3.9%
Race Unknown	65	7.1%
International Students	32	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Clinical Nutrition Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Clinical Nutrition graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,296
4 years	$49,100
5 years	$54,879

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $54,879 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Clinical Nutrition Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Clinical Nutrition. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	12	7
Doctoral (Research)	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Clinical Nutrition Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Clinical Nutrition graduates earn a median of $49,100 four years after completion — roughly 29% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services	5,186
Dietetics/Dietitian	3,028
Dietitian Assistant	615
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other	465
Dietetic Technician	159

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.