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Clinical Dietitian Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a clinical dietitian. Clinical dietitians usually study dietetics, food and nutrition, or nutrition science. 73% of clinical dietitians hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 8,870 real clinical dietitian resumes to see exactly what clinical dietitian education sections show.
The most common colleges for clinical dietitians are the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University.
There are also many online clinical dietitian courses to help get the education required to be a clinical dietitian.
There are certain clinical dietitian certifications that you should consider. These clinical dietitian certifications include Registered Dietitian (RD) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).
What education do you need to become a clinical dietitian?
What degree do you need to be a clinical dietitian?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 3%
- Doctorate, 0%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a clinical dietitian?
- Dietetics, 48%
- Food And Nutrition, 27%
- Food Science, 3%
- Other Majors, 13%
Most common colleges for clinical dietitians
Clinical Dietitian Common College  | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Ohio State University | 8.16% |
| Michigan State University | 7.54% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 7.54% |
| New York University | 6.71% |
| University of Delaware | 6.10% |
Best majors for clinical dietitians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dietetics | 47.6% |
| 2 | Food And Nutrition | 26.6% |
| 3 | Nutrition Science | 9.1% |
| 4 | Food Science | 2.6% |
| 5 | Public Health | 1.6% |
Best colleges for clinical dietitians
The best colleges for clinical dietitians are Northeastern University, Case Western Reserve University, and New York University.
A clinical dietitian with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for clinical dietitians. 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 clinical dietitians.
1. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
2. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
3. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,992
Enrollment
33,495
4. University of Delaware
Newark, DE • Private
In-State Tuition
$13,680
Enrollment
19,060
5. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
20 best online courses for clinical dietitians
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3. Internationally Accredited Certificate in Nutrition
Learn the Fundamentals of Nutrition Science...
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5. 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...
6. Prehospital care of acute stroke and patient selection for endovascular treatment using the RACE scale
Acute stroke is a time-dependent medical emergency. In acute ischemic stroke, the first objective is to restore brain flow using sistemic thrombolytic treatment and, in patients with large vessel occlusion, by endovascular treatment. In hemorrhagic stroke there are also specific treatments that can improve the clinical outcome. The sooner the initiation of all these therapies the higher the clinical benefit. Thus, the organization of Stroke Code systems coordinated between emergency medical...
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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...
Top 10 most affordable universities for clinical dietitians
The most affordable schools for clinical dietitians are University of Florida, brigham young university, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for clinical dietitians 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 clinical dietitians.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,240
Cost of Attendance
13,991
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4. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,210
Cost of Attendance
14,359
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,992
Cost of Attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for clinical dietitians
The hardest universities for clinical dietitians to get into are Northeastern University, Case Western Reserve University, and New York University.
Some great schools for clinical dietitians 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 clinical dietitians 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
2. Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
29%
SAT Average
1,443
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
20%
SAT Average
1,419
4. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions Rate
47%
SAT Average
1,390
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
11%
SAT Average
1,471
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for clinical dietitians
The easiest schools for clinical dietitians to get into are Life University, texas woman's university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a clinical dietitian 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 clinical dietitians.
1. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions Rate
94%
SAT Average
979
2. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
87%
SAT Average
1,059
3. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions Rate
100%
SAT Average
1,072
4. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions Rate
72%
SAT Average
1,054
5. Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA • Private
Admissions Rate
78%
SAT Average
1,062
Average clinical dietitian salary by education level
| Clinical Dietitian education level | Clinical Dietitian salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $63,983 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $63,041 |
Clinical Dietitian Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025