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Career Opportunities with a Nutritional Sciences Degree
A Nutritional Sciences degree can be the foundation for career opportunities in areas such as:
Further information on each of these categories is listed below. Contact your academic adviser for more information about recommended courses to prepare for these careers.
- Clinical Dietetics
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- Hospitals, long-term care, and outpatient settings
- Many specialties (pediatric, renal, diabetes, nutrition support, etc.). RDN generally required
- Food and Nutrition Management
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- Hospitals, long-term care, businesses, schools
- Work with chefs or at spas
- Consult regarding healthy choices on menu
- Public Health Nutrition/Policy/Government
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- Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
- Public Health Department with state and county agencies
- Cooperative Extension
- Congregate Meals program
- Staff resource to legislator
- Government agency--USDA, FDA, NIH, etc.
- Health care reform
- Regulatory: Labeling, Food standards etc.
- Lobbyist in state or federal government
- Education and Research
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- College, university, health professional school, and culinary school
- Teach K-12 (requires further course work)
- Create and write curriculum for state board of education, Dairy Council, Cooperative Extension
- Worksite wellness--teach nutrition, exercise, fitness and other health promotion to employees
- Manage or assist with clinical protocols, interventions, or clinical trials
- Consultant / Private Practice
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- Private practice consultation to hospitals and long-term care facilities on hourly or "job" basis
- Client counseling for weight management, eating disorders, sports nutrition, diabetes management, etc. from either physician referrals and/or advertisements
- Write cookbooks, educational programs, or articles for local newspapers or specialty magazines
- Food photography
- Consult at health clubs / spas as a personal trainer-nutritionist
- Related Health Professionals
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Use your nutrition degree and skills for a career in a health-related profession
- Chiropractor (DC)
- Dentist (DDS)
- Naturopathic Doctor (ND)
- Physical Therapist (PT)
- Physician (MD or DO)
- Physician Assistant (PA)
- Podiatrist (DP)
- Veterinarian (DVM)
- Nursing
- Business and Industry
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Careers in business and industry include jobs such as sales, marketing, public relations, research and development (labeling, recipes, and product informtation) and production quality control.
- Food (eg. Cambell Soup, Kraft Foods, Proctor & Gamble)
- Information Technology (eg. CBORD, Compu-Cal, Computrition, ESHA Research, First DataBank)
- Nutritionals (eg. Mead Johnson, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Novartis Nutrition, Ross Products)
- Nutraceuticals (eg. Archer Daniels Midland, Cooke Pharma, GeniSoy Products)
- Pharmaceutical (eg. Eli Lily, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer)
- Food Service Equipment (eg. Diversey Lever, Ecolab, Hamilton Beach Commercial, Hobart)
- Food Service Contract Management (eg. Aramark Healthcare, Morrison Management, Sodexho)
- Food Service Vendors (eg. Precision Foods, Super Bakery, Sysco, US Foodservice)
- Medical Equipment (eg. Bodystat, HealtheTech, Johnson & Johnson)
- Trade Associations (eg. Cranberry Institute, Dairy Council, Peanut Institute, Pork Producers)
- Media
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- Commodity groups (trade associations) hire public relations firms
- Radio, TV, newspapers, and magazines are a major source of nutrition education for the public
- Cooperative extension agents often write for the local media
- International Food Organizations
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- Peace Corps
- Non-governmental organizations such as CARE, Food for the Hungry, or World Relief
- United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
- US AID (Agency for International Development)
- Multi-national corporation
- Consulting and research collaboration