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Nutrition Sciences Degree

47 schools compared · Average earnings $30,534/yr

Students study the biochemistry of nutrients, metabolic processes, dietary impacts on health, and the scientific basis of nutritional recommendations and interventions. Graduates typically pursue careers as clinical nutritionists, public health nutrition researchers, food industry scientists, and nutrition consultants for healthcare systems. This science-focused approach to nutrition prepares graduates for research-oriented and clinical roles in the growing wellness industry.

What Nutrition Sciences Graduates Do

Your nutrition sciences degree prepares you for a career centered on human health. Many graduates start as dietitians or nutritionists, working one-on-one with clients in clinics or hospitals to develop meal plans and manage chronic conditions. Your day involves patient consultations, detailed record-keeping, and collaborating with doctors.

With experience, you can advance into leadership or academia. As a natural sciences manager, you might oversee a food company's research lab or direct a public health nutrition program. Another high-growth path is becoming a postsecondary teacher, where you’ll instruct the next generation of health professionals and conduct original research. While some community education roles face headwinds, teaching positions are expanding rapidly.

AI will automate significant parts of your work, like drafting basic diet plans or analyzing patient data. This won’t eliminate your job, but it will change it, requiring you to adapt. Your focus will shift from routine tasks to complex problem-solving and building the human relationships essential for effective care.

Schools Offering

Avg Grad Earnings

$30,534/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

32/100

AI Automation Risk

High

49% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Nutrition Sciences graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 58,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Natural sciences managers	$161,180 $114K$215K	8,500	+3.7%	50%
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary	$105,620 $74K$176K	27,400	+17.3%	48%
Biological scientists, all other	$93,330 $68K$121K	4,800	+1.2%	49%
Life scientists, all other	$87,800 $66K$124K	400	+3.7%	0%
Biological science teachers, postsecondary	$83,460 $64K$125K	5,400	+7.3%	47%
Family and consumer sciences teachers, postsecondary	$77,280 $57K$100K	200	+3.4%	54%
Dietitians and nutritionists	$73,850 $61K–$85K	6,200	+5.5%	55%
Farm and home management educators	$58,120 $46K–$69K	1,100	-2.5%	37%
Dietetic technicians	$37,040 $32K–$44K	4,000	+2.5%	54%

Natural sciences managers

$161,180

$114K $215K

8,500 openings/yr +3.7% growth 50% AI risk

Health specialties teachers, postsecondary

$105,620

$74K $176K

27,400 openings/yr +17.3% growth 48% AI risk

Biological scientists, all other

$93,330

$68K $121K

4,800 openings/yr +1.2% growth 49% AI risk

Life scientists, all other

$87,800

$66K $124K

400 openings/yr +3.7% growth 0% AI risk

Biological science teachers, postsecondary

$83,460

$64K $125K

5,400 openings/yr +7.3% growth 47% AI risk

Family and consumer sciences teachers, postsecondary

$77,280

$57K $100K

200 openings/yr +3.4% growth 54% AI risk

Dietitians and nutritionists

$73,850

$61K–$85K

6,200 openings/yr +5.5% growth 55% AI risk

Farm and home management educators

$58,120

$46K–$69K

1,100 openings/yr -2.5% growth 37% AI risk

Dietetic technicians

$37,040

$32K–$44K

4,000 openings/yr +2.5% growth 54% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Nutrition Sciences

Top 20 of 47 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA	46 46–47	$35,161/yr	12.0x
2	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	45 45–45	$34,504/yr	13.5x
3	North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC	45 45–46	$33,669/yr	16.5x
4	Texas Woman's University Denton, TX	44 44–44	$34,726/yr	15.4x
5	Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO	42 41–42	$37,213/yr	11.4x
6	University of Georgia Athens, GA	42 44–43	$27,724/yr	16.2x
7	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV	41 40–42	$37,139/yr	12.7x
8	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	41 41–42	$34,512/yr	9.8x
9	University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI	39 38–40	$37,993/yr	9.4x
10	La Salle University Philadelphia, PA	38 35–39	$47,470/yr	2.3x
11	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	38 36–39	$40,504/yr	6.7x
12	University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO	38 36–39	$39,258/yr	8.8x
13	Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA	37 38–38	$30,113/yr	13.8x
14	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH	36 36–37	$34,115/yr	7.0x
15	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	35 35–36	$34,878/yr	9.5x
16	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA	35 35–36	$34,384/yr	10.6x
17	University of Vermont Burlington, VT	35 36–36	$33,389/yr	7.0x
18	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	35 36–36	$32,676/yr	7.9x
19	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ	35 36–36	$31,950/yr	9.3x
20	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC	34 34–34	$32,525/yr	12.9x
21	University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV	33 34–34	$27,171/yr	13.2x
22	California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	32 33–33	$31,096/yr	10.4x
23	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	32 33–33	$28,759/yr	8.3x
24	Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA	31 30–32	$39,317/yr	1.5x
25	Kansas State University Manhattan, KS	31 31–32	$33,381/yr	6.6x
26	Auburn University Auburn, AL	31 31–32	$22,149/yr	10.6x
27	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO	30 30–30	$32,785/yr	5.4x
28	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	30 31–31	$30,620/yr	9.3x
29	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA	30 31–31	$26,117/yr	10.2x
30	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	28 29–28	$30,042/yr	6.5x
31	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	28 29–28	$27,575/yr	6.8x
32	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	28 29–28	$27,575/yr	6.8x
33	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT	28 29–28	$27,575/yr	6.8x
34	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	28 29–28	$27,575/yr	6.8x
35	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	28 28–29	$20,764/yr	7.8x
36	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	27 28–27	$27,575/yr	5.7x
37	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN	27 26–28	$18,122/yr	8.9x
38	Bastyr University Kenmore, WA	26 27–26	$28,998/yr	—
39	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	25 25–25	$25,490/yr	6.9x
40	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	24 24–25	$23,211/yr	7.3x
41	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	24 23–24	$21,031/yr	7.2x
42	New York University New York, NY	23 23–23	$24,084/yr	-0.0x
43	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX	22 23–23	$23,843/yr	4.0x
44	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA	22 22–23	$22,675/yr	4.1x
45	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	21 22–22	$30,508/yr	1.5x
46	University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA	21 21–21	$24,746/yr	2.6x
47	College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN	18 20–19	$28,402/yr	1.7x

Highest Earning Nutrition Sciences Programs

Schools where Nutrition Sciences graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
La Salle University	$47,470/yr	38
Texas A & M University-College Station	$40,504/yr	38
Seattle Pacific University	$39,317/yr	31
University of Northern Colorado	$39,258/yr	38
University of Hawaii at Manoa	$37,993/yr	39
Metropolitan State University of Denver	$37,213/yr	42
University of Nevada-Reno	$37,139/yr	41
University of California-Berkeley	$35,161/yr	46
San Diego State University	$34,878/yr	35
Texas Woman's University	$34,726/yr	44

Best ROI for Nutrition Sciences

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Nutrition Sciences.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
North Carolina State University at Raleigh	16.5x	$33,669/yr	45
University of Georgia	16.2x	$27,724/yr	42
Texas Woman's University	15.4x	$34,726/yr	44
Central Washington University	13.8x	$30,113/yr	37
University of Wisconsin-Madison	13.5x	$34,504/yr	45
University of Nevada-Las Vegas	13.2x	$27,171/yr	33
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	12.9x	$32,525/yr	34
University of Nevada-Reno	12.7x	$37,139/yr	41
University of California-Berkeley	12.0x	$35,161/yr	46
Metropolitan State University of Denver	11.4x	$37,213/yr	42

Want to compare two Nutrition Sciences programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Nutrition Sciences graduates earn?

Across 47 schools, Nutrition Sciences graduates earn an average of $30,534 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $18,122 to $47,470 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Nutrition Sciences?

Nutrition Sciences is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 49% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Nutrition Sciences program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of California-Berkeley ranks #1 for Nutrition Sciences with a score of 46/100 and graduate earnings of $35,161/yr.

What's the outlook for a Nutrition Sciences degree?

On average, Nutrition Sciences graduates earn 8.3x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →