Nutrition Degrees

Overview

If you are interested in the medical field, but you are not looking forward to studying many years in college, then you may want to look into nutrition degrees. More and more people are becoming health conscious and choose to prevent diseases by planning the right diet.

Nutritional degrees investigate the metabolic and physiological responses of the body to a diet. Nutritionists advise people on how to eat properly in order to lose or gain weight, fight a disease, or just maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The curriculum of the subject includes utilization of food, food elements, nutrition in health, nutrition in disease, and role of modern nutrition in modern life. Apart from these, the graduates also have to be proficient in biology, anatomy, chemistry, nutrition bio- chemistry, infectious diseases, clinical nutrition, food science, nutrition research, physiology, basic computer science, and food service management. The duration of the bachelor's or master's degree in nutrition ranges between three and five years. The time may extend if they want to get a PhD and this depends upon the area of specialization.

Benefits

Obtaining a degree in nutrition opens up the pathway for vast job opportunities. You can get employed as clinical dieticians in nursing care facilities, correctional facilities, hospitals, or in other institutions. The community dieticians work in home health agencies and health maintenance organizations. You also have opportunities to work in food manufacturing, advertising, marketing, supermarkets, wellness programs, sports teams, or health-related businesses. Apart from the job benefits, you can expect a high salary package. Depending on the level of degree obtained, you can earn $50,000 per year on an average. When you become high-level nutritionists, your earning capabilities reach the six-figure range.

Costs

Earning a nutrition degree can be expensive, as it requires more intensive coursework at colleges and universities for four years. You can expect a fee of $40,000 a year towards the tuition, living expenses, books, and other costs. You can also seek out scholarships and grants to manage all these expenses.

Schools

There are many colleges and universities in the United States which provide nutrition degrees. The University of Houston, University of Maryland, and University of Florida are some of the colleges which provide bachelor's degree in nutrition.

Testing & Preparation

If you wish to pursue a nutrition degree, you must have graduated from a regionally accredited or state-approved secondary school or the equivalent (G.E.D). You are also expected to have a minimum, average grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. The admissions are decided by the recommendation of the Director of the Graduate Program in Nutrition and the Graduate Faculty Admissions Committee. You also have to have qualifying scores from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) tests.

Financial Aid

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation provides a list of scholarships available for the students pursuing a nutrition degree. You can also approach the American Dietetic Association Foundation and School Scholarships for various financial aids and programs.