What is dietetics?

In the dietetics degree option, you’ll play an important role in helping people make nourishing choices about what they eat and understand how nutrition impacts their health and well-being.

Dietitians work on the spectrum of health, from prevention of chronic disease to medical treatment. As a practicing Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RD or RDN), you can choose one area of practice or try them all. The dietetics curriculum trains students to be versatile, enabling them to change their career later without any additional education.

Dietitians can work in a variety of areas upon obtaining the RDN credential. Some examples include:

• Hospitals: providing medical nutrition therapy to patients with immediate medical needs
• Clinics: counseling people to meet their nutrition and health goals
• School districts: managing the foodservice operation, including developing the menu and supervising staff
• WIC (Women, Infants, and Children): providing low-income pregnant women and children with food resources and providing intervention and education
• Eating disorder facilities: coaching and supporting clients in their treatment and recovery from eating disorders
• Sports teams/athletics: working with athletes to optimize their performance and ensuring the sports organization is meeting their nutrition needs
• Extension services: developing nutrition education programs and delivering education and resources to local communities

Job outlook

How much do dietitians make and what is the job outlook?

Check out the current Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Dietitians and Nutritionists.

The mean wage for dietitians in Oregon was $82,280 as of May 2023. Oregon is ranked as #3 on the “top paying states for Dietitians and Nutritionists,” behind only California and New Jersey. The Oregon mean wage increased over $10,000 in just 2 years.

Dietitians who work in diabetes, renal, education/research, food management, clinical nutrition management, informatics, home health, pharmaceutical, private practice, sports nutrition, and school nutrition have the highest wages. Dietitian positions nationally are expected to grow 7% (faster than average) over the next 10 years.

You're in the right place

If you’re interested in becoming a RDN or NDTR, you’re in the right place. Oregon State University offers the only accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) in Oregon.

After finishing the dietetics option at OSU, you’ll be eligible to enter an accredited master's dietetic internship program which leads to eligibility to take the exam to become a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RD/RDN).

Graduates of the dietetics option are also eligible to sit for the exam to become a Nutrition and Dietetic Technician, Registered (NDTR).

In order to become a Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN), students must complete the following education and supervised practice before being eligible to sit for the national RDN exam:

• Bachelor’s degree in any subject. The OSU dietetics option program fulfills this requirement.  
• Didactic Program in Dietetics (accredited program). The OSU dietetics option program fulfills this requirement.  
• Master’s degree in any subject* (see below about this NEW requirement). Any new students admitting to the pre-dietetics option at OSU will fall under the new Master’s degree requirement. The OSU MS-PD program fulfills this requirement.
• Dietetic internship (accredited program). These programs can be combined with a master’s degree. The OSU MS-PD program fulfills this requirement.

What will you do with the Didactic Program in Dietetics?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 70,900 people worked as dietitians and nutritionists in 2018. Jobs are projected to grow at a rate of 11 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Start with the dietetics option to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

Common work settings:

Resources for dietetic students

• Prospective students
• Program Philosophy, Mission, Goals and Objectives
• Program Description, Admission, Degree Requirements and Schedule
• Opportunities for Engagement
• Verification Statements
• FAQ

Program costs

• Tuition and fees
• See estimated cost of attendance updated annually, which includes tuition, fees, living expenses, books and supplies, and transportation

Distance education costs & requirements

The OSU dietetics program is offered on-campus in Corvallis, except for a few courses offered occasionally via Ecampus. However, the program may employ distance instruction technology from time to time. Students will incur no additional costs for distance instruction, unless enrolling in Ecampus courses which have a higher per credit cost than resident tuition.

University Information & Technology supports students with ONID accounts, learning technologies including Canvas, software packages, equipment checkout, printing, technical support, and computing labs.

Resource questions

If you have questions after reviewing and using the above resources, you may contact:

Michelle Bump, MS, RD, LD
Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics
[email protected]

Accreditation Status

The OSU Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is fully accredited by: The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)

ACEND® can be contacted by:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 800/877-1600, ext. 5400
• Mail: 120 South Riverside Plaza
  Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995