Nutrition Sciences: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Nutrition Sciences is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding how food influences human health and metabolic function across the lifespan, from optimal physiological states to conditions of disease and dysfunction. Grounded in the sciences of agriculture, biology, medicine, and human health, this program prepares students to analyze the complex relationships between diet, nutrition, and overall well-being.
- Food Science: Explores the physical, chemical, and biological properties of food, including processing, safety, preservation, and quality control.
- Biochemistry: Investigates the chemical processes within living organisms, focusing on nutrients, metabolic pathways, and molecular interactions in the body.
- Human Physiology: Studies the functions and mechanisms of the human body’s systems, particularly how they respond to nutritional intake and dietary changes.
- Dietetics: Applies nutritional science to develop personalized dietary plans that support health, prevent disease, and manage medical conditions.
- Food and Nutrition Studies: Examines the social, cultural, economic, and behavioral factors that influence food choices and nutritional outcomes across populations.
- Biotechnology: Applies biological systems and organisms to develop innovative solutions in food production, nutrient enhancement, and functional food design.
- Biophysics: Integrates principles of physics with biological systems to analyze molecular structures, nutrient transport, and cellular dynamics.
- Clinical Sciences: Focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of nutrition-related disorders through evidence-based medical practices and patient care protocols.
Nutrition Sciences Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Nutrition Sciences Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Nutrition Sciences degrees, including Natural Sciences Managers, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary and Biological Scientists, All Other. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 570,280 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers 11-9121 | $161,180 | $79,830 - $239,200 | 100,870 | $77.49 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1071 | $105,620 | $51,760 - $239,200 | 229,720 | N/A |
| Biological Scientists, All Other 19-1029 | $93,330 | $54,500 - $159,780 | 59,710 | $44.87 |
| Life Scientists, All Other 19-1099 | $87,800 | $52,360 - $168,860 | 7,320 | $42.21 |
| Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1042 | $83,460 | $50,760 - $169,560 | 53,250 | N/A |
| Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1192 | $77,280 | $47,580 - $133,180 | 2,630 | N/A |
| Dietitians and Nutritionists 29-1031 | $73,850 | $48,830 - $101,760 | 76,570 | $35.50 |
| Farm and Home Management Educators 25-9021 | $58,120 | $36,780 - $85,230 | 10,260 | $27.94 |
| Dietetic Technicians 29-2051 | $37,040 | $28,280 - $53,440 | 29,950 | $17.81 |
Nutrition Sciences Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $69,637 in Louisiana to $116,000 in California—a 67% difference. The highest-paying states include California, Massachusetts, and District of Columbia. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 570,280 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Nutrition Sciences by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Nutrition Sciences programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Nutrition Sciences is found at The University of Texas, Austin (164 graduates), Kansas State University (K‑State) (160 graduates), Texas A & M University, College Station (154 graduates), University of Georgia (UGA) (149 graduates), and University of Arizona (144 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 5,151 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
164 | Austin, Texas | Public | utexas.edu |
| Kansas State University (K‑State) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
160 | Manhattan, Kansas | Public | k-state.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
154 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
149 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| University of Arizona |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
144 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
| University of Washington (UW) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
136 | Seattle, Washington | Public | washington.edu |
| University of California (UCD) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
135 | Davis, California | Public | ucdavis.edu |
| Montclair State University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
117 | Montclair, New Jersey | Public | montclair.edu |
| North Carolina State University (NC State) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
114 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Public | ncsu.edu |
| Texas Tech University (TTU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
113 | Lubbock, Texas | Public | ttu.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
105 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| University of California (UCB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
99 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeley.edu |
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
96 | New York, New York | Private | columbia.edu |
| California State University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
93 | Los Angeles, California | Public | calstatela.edu |
| Tufts University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
91 | Medford, Massachusetts | Private | tufts.edu |
| National Holistic Institute (NHI) |
Other Award
|
85 | Emeryville, California | Private | nhi.edu |
| New York University (NYU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
85 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| Texas Woman's University (TWU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
82 | Denton, Texas | Public | twu.edu |
| University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
81 | Edmond, Oklahoma | Public | uco.edu |
| California State University (CSULB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
80 | Long Beach, California | Public | csulb.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
79 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
| Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
78 | Denver, Colorado | Public | msudenver.edu |
| San Jose State University (SJSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
77 | San Jose, California | Public | sjsu.edu |
| California State Polytechnic University (CPP) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
76 | Pomona, California | Public | cpp.edu |
| The University of Tennessee |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
75 | Knoxville, Tennessee | Public | utk.edu |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
73 | Tempe, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| San Diego State University (SDSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
72 | San Diego, California | Public | sdsu.edu |
| Liberty University |
Master's
|
69 | Lynchburg, Virginia | Private | liberty.edu |
| California State University |
Bachelor's
|
68 | Sacramento, California | Public | csus.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
67 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
66 | San Luis Obispo, California | Public | calpoly.edu |
| Boston University (BU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
66 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | bu.edu |
| University of Vermont (UVM) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
63 | Burlington, Vermont | Public | uvm.edu |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
61 | Storrs, Connecticut | Public | uconn.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
61 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| San Francisco State University (SFSU) |
Bachelor's
|
57 | San Francisco, California | Public | sfsu.edu |
| Auburn University (AU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
55 | Auburn, Alabama | Public | auburn.edu |
| Colorado State University (CSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
53 | Fort Collins, Colorado | Public | colostate.edu |
| Universidad Ana G. Mendez (UAGM Gurabo) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
53 | Gurabo, Puerto Rico | Private | uagm.edu |
| University of New Hampshire (UNH) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
51 | Durham, New Hampshire | Public | unh.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
48 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
48 | Greensboro, North Carolina | Public | uncg.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
47 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (LSU) |
Bachelor's
|
46 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Public | lsu.edu |
| California State University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
42 | Chico, California | Public | csuchico.edu |
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
40 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
40 | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Public | newbrunswick.rutgers.edu |
| Bastyr University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
40 | Kenmore, Washington | Private | bastyr.edu |
| Russell Sage College |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
39 | Troy, New York | Private | sage.edu |
| University of Kentucky (UK) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Other Award
|
36 | Lexington, Kentucky | Public | uky.edu |
| Oregon State University (OSU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
36 | Corvallis, Oregon | Public | oregonstate.edu |
| California State University (CSUN) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
35 | Northridge, California | Public | csun.edu |
| Saint Louis University (SLU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
35 | Saint Louis, Missouri | Private | slu.edu |
| Cornell University |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
34 | Ithaca, New York | Private | cornell.edu |
| Miami University |
Bachelor's
|
33 | Oxford, Ohio | Public | miamioh.edu |
| Texas Christian University (TCU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
32 | Fort Worth, Texas | Private | tcu.edu |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
31 | Provo, Utah | Private | byu.edu |
| Utah State University (USU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
31 | Logan, Utah | Public | usu.edu |
| California State University (CSUSB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
30 | San Bernardino, California | Public | csusb.edu |
| Arizona State University |
Master's
|
30 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Public | asu.edu |
| University of Southern California (USC) |
Master's
|
29 | Los Angeles, California | Private | usc.edu |
| University of Kansas (KU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional)
|
29 | Lawrence, Kansas | Public | ku.edu |
| University of Nevada (UNLV) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
28 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Public | unlv.edu |
| Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) |
Bachelor's
|
28 | Cleveland, Ohio | Private | case.edu |
| Nova Southeastern University (NSU) |
Master's
|
27 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Private | nova.edu |
| Iowa State University (ISU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
27 | Ames, Iowa | Public | iastate.edu |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) |
Bachelor's
|
26 | Edinburg, Texas | Public | utrgv.edu |
| Bowling Green State University (BGSU) |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
25 | Bowling Green, Ohio | Public | bgsu.edu |
| University of Utah (U of U) |
Master's
|
25 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Public | utah.edu |
| Rush University |
Master's
|
23 | Chicago, Illinois | Private | rushu.rush.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
23 | Lowell, Massachusetts | Public | uml.edu |
| Mississippi State University (MSU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
23 | Mississippi State, Mississippi | Public | msstate.edu |
| Central Washington University (CWU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
22 | Ellensburg, Washington | Public | cwu.edu |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | Champaign, Illinois | Public | illinois.edu |
| Dominican University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
21 | River Forest, Illinois | Private | dom.edu |
| Farmingdale State College |
Bachelor's
|
21 | Farmingdale, New York | Public | farmingdale.edu |
| Oklahoma State University (OSU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | Stillwater, Oklahoma | Public | okstate.edu |
| La Salle University |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
21 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | lasalle.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Master's
|
21 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | worldcampus.psu.edu |
| University at Buffalo (UB) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
20 | Buffalo, New York | Public | buffalo.edu |
| Teachers College at Columbia University (TC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
20 | New York, New York | Private | tc.columbia.edu |
| University of Pittsburgh |
Bachelor's
|
20 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Public | pitt.edu |
| University of New Haven (UNH) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
19 | West Haven, Connecticut | Private | newhaven.edu |
| Howard University (HU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
19 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | howard.edu |
| Thomas Jefferson University |
Master's
|
19 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | jefferson.edu |
| University of Hawaii (UHM) |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
18 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | manoa.hawaii.edu |
| University of Memphis (UofM) |
Master's
|
17 | Memphis, Tennessee | Public | memphis.edu |
| Long Island University (LIU) |
Master's
|
16 | Brookville, New York | Private | liu.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) |
Bachelor's
|
16 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Public | uwm.edu |
| University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
15 | San Antonio, Texas | Private | uiw.edu |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs |
Master's
|
15 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | northeastern.edu |
| Pepperdine University |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
|
14 | Malibu, California | Private | pepperdine.edu |
| University of Northern Colorado (UNCO) |
Bachelor's
|
14 | Greeley, Colorado | Public | unco.edu |
| University of Maine (UMaine) |
Bachelor's
|
14 | Orono, Maine | Public | umaine.edu |
| University of Alabama (UAB) |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
13 | Birmingham, Alabama | Public | uab.edu |
| California Baptist University (CBU) |
Bachelor's
|
13 | Riverside, California | Private | calbaptist.edu |
| University of Saint Joseph (USJ) |
Master's
|
13 | West Hartford, Connecticut | Private | usj.edu |
| College of Saint Benedict (CSB) |
Bachelor's
|
13 | Saint Joseph, Minnesota | Private | csbsju.edu |
| CUNY Queens College |
Master's
|
13 | Queens, New York | Public | qc.cuny.edu |
| Pace University |
Master's
|
13 | New York, New York | Private | pace.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Nutrition Sciences programs
How much can I earn with a Nutrition Sciences degree?
Salaries for Nutrition Sciences graduates vary by role and location. Natural Sciences Managers earn a median of $161,180 annually, while Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $105,620. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in California average $116,000 compared to $69,637 in Louisiana. Approximately 570,280 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Nutrition Sciences programs?
Currently 150 accredited institutions offer Nutrition Sciences degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include The University of Texas, Austin (164 graduates), Kansas State University (K‑State) (160 graduates), and Texas A & M University, College Station (154 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Nutrition Sciences growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 2,125 in 2010 to 5,456 in 2023-24. This represents a 157% increase overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Nutrition Sciences degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Natural Sciences Managers, Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary, and Biological Scientists, All Other. Related occupations employ approximately 570,280 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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