Nutritionist Specialization: What Public Health Students Should Know
- Common Course Requirements
- Career Requirements
- Average Salary
- Typical Employment Settings
- Common Responsibilities
There are many things that public health students should know about nutritionist specialization before choosing this concentration. Five of these important issues are described briefly in the sections that follow. By learning about these issues, public health students can determine if a nutritionist specialization is the right career path for them to follow.
Common Course Requirements
Some of the most important things that public health students should be aware of are the courses they will need to complete to graduate from their programs. These courses may vary somewhat depending on the school that students choose to attend, but there are some courses that are common to most nutritionist specializations. These classes examine such topics as nutritional epidemiology, issues in public health nutrition, maternal and child nutrition, health and social programs, food and nutrition policies and programs, program planning, transforming food systems, probability and statistics in public health, and health and social behavior.
Career Requirements
Another thing that public health students show know about nutritionist specialization is what is required to begin this exciting career. A bachelor’s degree in public health with an emphasis in food and nutrition can help graduates obtain a variety of positions in this area. But a master’s degree can significantly boost their chances of finding an ideal job. Many positions may also require candidates to pass a certification exam and obtain dietitian certification from the American Dietetic Association. Students working towards a master’s degree may want to consider applying for a Certified Nutrition Specialist credential from the Certification Board of Nutrition Specialists.
Average Salary
The average salary of public health workers specializing in nutrition is another thing that public health students will want to know about. According to statistics provided by the United States Department of Labor, the average salary for public health nutritionists during the year 2017 was $57,910. This figure is just slightly lower than the average salary for all nutritionists during the same year, which was $59,410. The salary range for these professionals was $36,910 to $83,070. Positions in this area are expected to grow at a rate of about 15 percent for the next several years.
Typical Employment Settings
Yet another thing that every public health student will want to know about nutritionist specialization is where they can work after graduation. There are many great employment options for public health nutritionists, and some of the most common work settings are public health centers. Other popular employment choices for public health professionals specializing in nutrition include public hospitals, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) offices, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) departments of State Departments of Social Services, and public schools.
Common Responsibilities
The common responsibilities of public health nutritionists are also among the things that public health students should know about nutritionist specialization. The main goal of public health workers specializing in nutrition is to improve the nutritional habits of persons in their community. They accomplish this by developing strategies to improve nutrition, providing educational material and nutrition counseling to community members, creating and implementing nutritional programs, designing individual meal plans, and identifying nutrition problems within their community.
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Public health is a lucrative field that offers many terrific career options. And for public health students specializing in nutrition, the information described above can help them gain insight into their chosen careers.