Nutrition and dietetic careers | Nutrition | College of Health

Careers in nutrition and dietetics

A career in nutrition and dietetics allows you to blend your love for food, well-being and science to make a real difference in the health of people and communities.

From working in community health to running your own private practice as a registered dietitian, the nutrition field enables a meaningful career that truly helps people thrive.

A person in a fluffy light green sweater sitting at a kitchen counter with a laptop, gesturing while speaking, with a brick wall background and some plants visible.

Values and interests

If the following values and interests resonate, nutrition and dietetics might be a good career path.

Values

Empathy
Diversity
Health and well-being
Health equity
Helping others
Personal fulfillment
Social responsibility

Interests

Behavior change
Community engagement
Counseling and providing support
Fitness and wellness
Food and culture
Food justice
Global health and nutrition
Health promotion
Nutrition science
Preventive health care
Sustainable food systems

What can you do with a nutrition and dietetics degree?

Most Oregon State nutrition grads pursue advanced degrees to become a registered dietitian or other health care professional such as a physician assistant. Others land a job right after graduation.

Either way, nutrition graduates have impactful careers that help individuals and communities thrive.

Dietetics career paths

Recent alumni with a BS in nutrition-dietetics have successfully been accepted to prestigious supervised internship programs, and have gone on to land jobs at:

A cookbook or recipe book open on a wooden table, with a person in a plaid shirt sitting nearby.

Arizona State
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cleveland Clinic
Michigan Medicine
Oregon Health and Science University
Oregon State University
Seattle Pacific University
Tulane University
UC Davis
UCSF Medical Center
University of Georgia
University of Texas Medical Branch
US Military – Baylor Graduate Program
Washington State University

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Internship to Job Paths

University of Utah; Now sports dietitian at the University of Oregon
OHSU; Now Research RD, OHSU's metabolic unit
OHSU; Now clinical dietician, OHSU
Tufts University; Now eating disorder/GI dietitian, Doernbecher Children's Hospital-OHSU
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; Now clinical nutrition coordinator, NICU, Mount Sinai Health System
Ohio State University; Now clinical research specialist, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

A group of medical professionals discussing something on a laptop.

Want to work in health care?

The nutrition and health sciences option is a great stepping stone on your way to a physician assistant program, or medical or pharmacy school.

Major in nutrition and health sciences for a career in health care.

Career outlook

$70K

National annual average salary
BLS

$80k

Oregon annual average salary
ZipRecruiter

7% growth

Job outlook 2023-33
BLS

Nutrition internships and hands-on learning

Gain practical experience and skills with our nutrition program’s hands-on learning opportunities, including nutrition-focused internships, undergraduate research and community health outreach.

These experiences will set you apart in the job market and strengthen your applications for graduate or supervised practice programs.

What do recent nutrition and dietetics graduates say?

Fueling collegiate athletes

“Helping athletes find ways to fuel during their busy days and support their athletic performance is so rewarding.

I sit down with my athletes, and we talk through ideas about how to fuel properly until they say, "yeah, I can do that!" Later, when they tell me their energy has increased at practice during lifting sessions, I'm so proud of them because they followed through with the goals we made together.

I love my role because it's really about the teamwork between what the athlete can do and what I, as their sports dietitian, recommend.”

Lisa Perrett, RD
Majored in: Nutrition - Dietetics, ’21
Next step: Master's in nutrition and dietetics, University of Utah
Now: Sports dietitian, University of Oregon

Trent Henderson
Majored in: Nutrition - Nutrition and health sciences, ’22
Next step: Medical student, Des Moines University

Pathway to medical school

“I find myself gravitating toward fields where nutrition and lifestyle play a role in prevention or treatment. The connection between diet and cardiac health also fascinates me.”

Reducing food insecurity, improving children’s health

“School nutrition programs are the heart of the nation's efforts to end childhood hunger, a problem that is prevalent and oftentimes invisible in America. Research shows that participation in school meals not only reduces food insecurity but also poor health in children. Our work positively impacts the lives of the children we serve, and that knowledge is incredibly rewarding.”

Gia Saporito, RD
Majored in: Nutrition - Dietetics, ’18
Next step: Dietetic Internship, OSU, ’19
Now: Director of nutrition services, Sherwood School District

Rachel Harmon, RD
Majored in: MS - Professional dietetics, OSU, ’24
Now: Dietitian, Samaritan Health Services

Passion for nutrition and disease prevention, helping others

“I have always found joy and fulfillment in helping others and have a passion for nutrition and disease prevention. When I learned about the field of nutrition and dietetics, I knew I wanted to pursue this as my career because I could help others by doing something I am passionate about.

I applied to OSU's MS-PD program because it stood out to me for its major focus on public health. I also love the location of the college. Having grown up in the PNW I knew I wanted to remain in this location, and Oregon is somewhere I have always wanted to live.”

Helping local families thrive

“As the RDN at our WIC clinic, I see all of our high-risk participants and provide nutrition counseling to these families who need additional support in tailoring their nutrition based on any specific medical concerns. Getting to work with WIC families in Benton County and see them thrive is the best part of my job.”

Brooke Green, RD
Majored in: Public health, ’17; Nutrition - Dietetics, ’19
Next step: MS- Professional dietetics, OSU, ’21
Now: WIC program coordinator and breastfeeding coordinator, RDN, Benton County Health Department

Lauren Chan, PhD, RD
Majored in: Nutrition - Dietetics, ’16; PhD Nutrition, ’23
Now: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Chicago

Bridging food love and health equity

“I have always considered myself a foodie, and the focus of both my undergraduate and graduate studies has been developing my understanding of food from all aspects, including what it’s composed of, how it fuels the human body, and its impact on society and public health.

I’m interested in so many avenues of nutrition because each new discovery in this field holds the opportunity to become something, whether it is as simple as an innovative new recipe approach or as impactful as a life-changing nutrition intervention to improve health.”