Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become a Dietitian or Nutritionist

Official title: Dietitians and Nutritionists

Also called: Clinical Dietician, Clinical Dietitian, Clinical Nutritionist, Dietitian, Nutritionist, Oncology Dietitian, Outpatient Dietitian, Registered Dietician, Registered Dietitian, Renal Dietitian

Plan and conduct food service or nutritional programs to assist in the promotion of health and control of disease. May supervise activities of a department providing quantity food services, counsel individuals, or conduct nutritional research.

Main tasks

Assess nutritional needs, diet restrictions, and current health plans to develop and implement dietary-care plans and provide nutritional counseling.
Evaluate laboratory tests in preparing nutrition recommendations.
Counsel individuals and groups on basic rules of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and nutrition monitoring to improve their quality of life.
Advise patients and their families on nutritional principles, dietary plans, diet modifications, and food selection and preparation.
Incorporate patient cultural, ethnic, or religious preferences and needs in the development of nutrition plans.
Consult with physicians and health care personnel to determine nutritional needs and diet restrictions of patient or client.
Record and evaluate patient and family health and food history, including symptoms, environmental toxic exposure, allergies, medication factors, and preventive health-care measures.
Develop recipes and menus to address special nutrition needs, such as low glycemic, low histamine, or gluten- or allergen-free.

How to become one

To enter the occupation, dietitians and nutritionists typically need a bachelor's or master's degree. They also typically are required to have supervised training through an internship. Many states require dietitians and nutritionists to be licensed.

Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Allied Health degrees, Offered by 15 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 40 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $76,400 a year The middle half earn $63,080 to $89,340.
About 86,300 people work in this job now, and about 93,000 are projected by 2035. (+7.7%)
People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Dietitian or Nutritionist?

How much does a Dietitian or Nutritionist earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $76,400 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $63,080 to $89,340.

Is a Dietitian or Nutritionist a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 8% by 2035, from about 86,300 to about 93,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Dietitian or Nutritionist?

Usually. 79% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Dietitian or Nutritionist?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.