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Dietetic Technician

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of registered dietitians and nutritionists, to implement nutritional and dietetic plans and provide direct client and patient services. Includes instruction in human nutrition, client interviewing and record keeping, dietary planning, food preparation and safety, food worker supervision, food service establishment monitoring and inspection, and applicable procedures and regulations. Examples: [Dietetic Technician (DTR)], [Registered Dietetic Technician (DTR)]

Types of Degrees Dietetic Technician Majors Are Earning

Those studying Dietetic Technician can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	7
Associate’s Degree	61
Bachelor’s Degree	16
Master’s Degree	69

What Dietetic Technician Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Dietetic Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Dietetic Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Dietetic Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.8 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.3 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Dietetic Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
USDA Child Nutrition Database	Data base user interface and query software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
eTritionWare	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
ESHA Research The Food Processor	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Computrition Nutrition Care Management NCM Select	Medical software	—
LunchByte Systems NUTRIKIDS	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
CyberSoft NutriBase	Data base user interface and query software	—
Patient electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Food Service Solutions FoodCo	Inventory management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Gnutrition	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Dietetic Technician graduates include:

• Nutrition Associate
• Nutrition Services Technician (Nutrition Services Tech)
• Menu Planner
• Child Nutrition Assistant
• Food and Nutrition Assistant
• School Nutrition Assistant
• Dietary Aide
• Nutrition Technician
• Diet Aide
• Dietary Clerk
• Dietetic Technician Registered (DTR)
• Nutrition Services Associate
• Diet Tech (Diet Technician)
• Cook Chill Technician (CCT)
• Dietetic Assistant

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	34.6%
Postsecondary certificate	26.9%
Some college courses	14.6%
Less than a high school diploma	9.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.5%
Bachelor’s degree	6.7%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Dietetic Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.6% of Dietetic Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	133	83.6%
Men	26	16.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Dietetic Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	73	45.9%
Asian	9	5.7%
Hispanic or Latino	25	15.7%
Black or African American	27	17.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.6%
Two or More Races	2	1.3%
Race Unknown	2	1.3%
International Students	18	11.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Dietetic Technician Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Dietetic Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Dietetic Technician Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Dietetic Technician. 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
Associate’s	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 Dietetic Technician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Dietetic Technician 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
Clinical Nutrition/Nutritionist	919
Dietitian Assistant	615
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services, Other	465

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.