Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 99 college programs, at a typical net price.
The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly.
What Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services pays
Career outlook for Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services graduates
The job market for the occupations Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dietitians and nutritionists | 90,900 | +5.5% | $73,850 | Bachelor's degree |
| Dietetic technicians | 30,900 | +2.5% | $37,040 | Associate's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services vs similar majors
How Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services stacks up against the closest fields in Health Professions & Nursing on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services Health Professions & Nursing · this major | Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences | Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | Medicine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 34 F | 80 A | 80 A | 80 A |
| ROI verdict | Break-even | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $55,837 | $226,546 | $214,065 | $162,555 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $40,207 | $212,530 | $166,304 | $65,892 |
| ROI vs cost | +34% | +1,129% | +1,565% | +708% |
| Typical debt | $25,249 | $207,643 | $81,076 | $201,913 |
| Colleges offering it | 99 | 33 | 6 | 155 |
Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY | Associate's | $64,202 | $9,218 | +1,908% | Strong return |
| 2 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Certificate | $73,782 | — | +1,714% | Strong return |
| 3 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Associate's | $57,358 | — | +1,458% | Strong return |
| 4 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY | Associate's | $59,461 | $12,012 | +1,255% | Strong return |
| 5 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA | Associate's | $68,282 | — | +848% | Strong return |
| 6 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | Associate's | $66,995 | $13,151 | +757% | Strong return |
| 7 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA | Associate's | $68,367 | — | +749% | Strong return |
| 8 | CUNY Queens College Queens, NY | Associate's | $55,785 | $12,684 | +729% | Strong return |
| 9 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX | Associate's | $51,426 | — | +565% | Strong return |
| 10 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM | Associate's | $56,530 | — | +549% | Strong return |
| 11 | Florida International University Miami, FL | Associate's | $58,934 | $13,500 | +493% | Strong return |
| 12 | University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL | Certificate | $67,241 | — | +448% | Strong return |
| 13 | Florida International University Miami, FL | Certificate | $74,243 | $49,462 | +430% | Strong return |
| 14 | Dominican University River Forest, IL | Associate's | $55,402 | — | +343% | Strong return |
| 15 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | Associate's | $58,255 | $21,625 | +335% | Strong return |
| 16 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA | Associate's | $54,979 | — | +333% | Strong return |
| 17 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Associate's | $59,967 | $20,524 | +323% | Strong return |
| 18 | Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA | Certificate | $64,049 | — | +301% | Strong return |
| 19 | Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI | Associate's | $60,588 | $27,871 | +281% | Strong return |
| 20 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI | Associate's | $61,151 | — | +280% | Strong return |
| 21 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA | Associate's | $56,624 | — | +278% | Strong return |
| 22 | University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL | Associate's | $55,220 | $18,445 | +278% | Strong return |
| 23 | University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO | Associate's | $55,591 | — | +266% | Strong return |
| 24 | University of Delaware Newark, DE | Bachelor's | $69,250 | — | +241% | Strong return |
| 25 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA | Certificate | $69,366 | — | +240% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.