Nutrition Degree Programs

Since nutrition can be such a broad subject, narrowing down your focus a bit can help direct you to the best location for what you want to learn and how you want to use your nutrition degree after graduation.

Despite the bad rap the United States gets for its “Standard American Diet” (S.A.D., indeed), there’s also a huge local food movement making waves throughout the country. States like California have been known for a unique local food culture for decades, and many cities throughout the U.S. have now revamped farmer’s markets to help people explore local delicacies.

For more of a culinary spin on your nutrition degree abroad, try Italy or India. Indian spices don’t just taste delicious, they also possess health benefits. Turmeric, ginger, and red pepper are known to lower cholesterol, and onions and garlic may help lower heart disease. Win-win! In Italy, nutrition students can learn about agritourism, the slow food movement, and the the emphasis on growing and eating regional foods. You might even consider adding on a one-year certificate in culinary arts to complement your nutrition degree in italy (there’s a lot of wine to taste, and it has health benefits as well!).

It’s time to eat your superfoods and start studying! The many licenses, credentials, and nutrition degree programs out there are enough to make your head spin.

Course levels. A bachelor’s degree generally takes about four years to complete, but is worth the investment if you want to become a nutritionist; it’s the baseline you need to be able to practice in the field. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, a master’s degree will allow you to specialize in a specific area, such as disease management and eating disorders, or even teach nutrition courses.

What makes your studies abroad more (or equally) as valuable as in your home country. A typical nutrition curriculum will include courses in food science, nutrition counseling, and nutrition theory. And when you complete this abroad, you gain a global perspective and some international living experience, too!

Your future is bright. To put it simply, a bachelor’s degree in nutrition is typically needed to pursue a career in nutrition. For more specialized careers, a master’s degree or higher level degree may be required. In addition to the minimum schooling required, many employers also require specific credentials, which often include an exam as well as hands-on training hours in order to earn it.

Understanding the numerous and varying credentials and licenses might drive you bananas at first. But don’t fret! Throw that banana into a smoothie with a little matcha powder, and do your homework before you enroll in a nutrition degree program abroad. A credential you earn in one location may not be valid in another (which is all the more reason to go where you want to practice). However, once you focus in on exactly where and what tickles your tastes buds, it’ll be one smooth downhill bike ride.

Studying nutrition in another culture will give you unparalleled first-hand knowledge. How do the French eat cheese and wine while maintaining overall health? What’s all the rage about the Mediterranean diet you’ve been hearing about? How bad does the durian fruit really smell? In order to truly understand a society’s interaction with food and how it impacts culture (and vice versa), you’ve got to go and see it for yourself. By immersing yourself in another culture, you’ll gain communication skills as well as the ability to interact with those that are different from you: two skills that will enhance both your professional and personal life.

As cheesy (no pun intended) as it sounds, you’ve always wanted to help people lead healthy lives, so take it to the next step! Embark on a career as colorful as the rainbow of fruits and veggies on your plate by pursuing one of the multitude of degrees in nutrition abroad.