Pathways to Careers in Nutrition

We’re entering March, which is National Nutrition Month (NNM) across the U.S. The NNM campaign, established 52 years ago by the Academic of Nutrition and Dietetics, promotes learning about making informed food choices and developing healthier habits, and over time we as a nation have only increased our knowledge of how what we eat impacts how we feel and how healthy we are. So how does all that tie into Johnson & Wales University?

While careers in nutrition and dietetics are helping to produce healthy populations, they are also demanding more education and skills to keep pace with other healthcare providers. In 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) sharply raised their minimum eligibility requirements to take the Registered Dietitian (RD) exam. Now students must hold a minimum of a master’s degree from a university accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized agency, plus at least 1,000 hours of supervised experiential education, to sit for the exams that will earn their RD credentials. Whether they become RDs or choose a related profession, JWU is providing the education and skills future dietitians and nutritionists need to build healthy communities.

College of Health & Wellness Dean Maura Iversen explains the different ways people are pursuing education in nutrition and dietetics. “In healthcare, some people may have always known they wanted to be an RD, while others may have wanted to do something in health and have been exploring,” she notes. “That’s why the programs are different; dietetics has lots of science, while culinary has lots of food prep and cooking. Then there’s the M.S. in Nutrition, which attracts individuals who are fitness certified, such as personal trainers, who want to augment exercise with nutrition, as well as healthcare workers such as nurses and physician assistants who want a more holistic approach to working with patients.”

Undergraduate to Graduate Pathway: Dietetics and Applied Nutrition

Students who complete the B.S. in Dietetics and Applied Nutrition (DiAN) program offered at JWU’s Providence Campus receive a verification statement helping them get into JWU’s M.S. in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics (MSCND) program, which will allow them to sit for the exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) upon completion. The program includes a dietetic internship where students can partner with an institution and take supervised experiential education hours needed for the exam.

With JWU’s reputation for culinary excellence, it’s no surprise that the DiAN degree offers a focus on culinary within that program, where students take courses meeting Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) requirements. Maeva Guidera, a registered dietitian and culinary nutritionist who serves as director of JWU’s Dietetics & Applied Nutrition Program, explains how JWU’s DiAN degree is different than other bachelor’s degrees in nutrition.

“It allows students to apply nutrition sciences to the culinary arts and actually see the impact of nutrition on an individual’s health,” she explains. “It’s a connection that students aren’t getting elsewhere.”

Pursing a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics (MSCND)

The MSCND is a 16-month graduate program covering health & wellness, counseling, culinary and clinical, with every semester involving coursework plus supervised experiential education. “We provide culinary supervised experiential education where students can work in our Food Innovation Design Lab (FIDL) and also in professional kitchens,” Soares explains. “When they graduate with their master’s degree they also experience cooking at the master’s level and have that learning practice with food and nutrition. They have a full perspective of counseling, clinical and food service, and they have their placement. We’re really looking forward to students finding themselves in whichever area they want to work by graduating ready for that experience and to sit for the exam.”

“Students who earned their B.S. in DiAN at JWU already have DPD verification,” Soares explains of the MSCND requirements. “If they earned at least a 3.0 GPA, they can interview with us for the graduate program. If they earned a different bachelor’s degree (also with a 3.0 GPA or higher) but don’t have that DPD verification, they would have to take nine prerequisites, earn their ServSafe verification and take two foundation courses in the summer to obtain the knowledge of nutrition that would prepare them for master’s-level courses and for their supervised experiential education.”

Notes Guidera, “It's a major advantage to have a pathway to the MSCND through JWU’s bachelor’s DiAN program because in addition to getting their verification statement and fully preparing for the master’s program without needing any prerequisites, they also know the culinary aspect. This forms a well-rounded professional — especially with the movement toward food as medicine where it’s a healing approach. It fosters an ability of professionals to talk to communities about how they cook, resources, food security and more.”

“At other institutions, students could learn to become a dietitian, but they wouldn’t be equipped to tell their clients how to shop for food because they’re not prepared; they’d have to do their homework to integrate food and nutrition,” Soares adds. “JWU students actually get culinary experience, go in kitchens, work with chefs and get both the science and food background.”

Partnerships to Foster Experiential Education

“JWU students take classes and get experience at same time in the community, which helps them retain more information, see how it’s applied and translate that into careers,” explains Professor Luciana Soares, director of JWU’s Nutrition & Dietetics department and director of the Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics program. “Their internships range from organizations like the Rhode Island Department of Health, Meals on Wheels, food banks, Farm Fresh Rhode Island — even church-based programs.”

In these partnerships, students are helping with delivery, program planning and community assessment. "They love getting to know all the challenges we have and how theories relate to practice,” Soares continues. “They’re really excited about experiencing and getting to know different cultures, different areas and different ways of communicating with people about nutrition.”

Nutrition and Dietetics students get to share their partnership experiences with the JWU community in a poster presentation that helps them think broadly about what to do and why, who their efforts were helping and what impact they expect to have on the community. “They’re also bringing the posters back to their place of internship so they can actually practice presenting to their supervisors and colleagues,” Soares adds.

How Alexandra, Haleigh and Kaitlin Pursued an MSCND at JWU

Seeking New Opportunities in a Familiar Place

Alexandra Larson graduated from JWU’s DiAN program last May and jumped right into the MSCND program, from which she’ll graduate in 2025.

“It was amazing,” she says of her JWU undergraduate experience. “I think I learned so much from the faculty and students alike, because they're so focused on food. Everyone at this college is a foodie.”

When it came to looking at graduate programs, she looked at other schools but ultimately chose to continue her studies at JWU. “Aside from the academics, I really wanted to be in an environment that immersed me with different people, experiences and opportunities, because it inspires both my personal and my academic growth,” she notes. “JWU Providence has really given me that balance, and I'm happy with the life and friendships I built here. So I didn't see a reason to change. Plus, this was a 16-month program compared to 24-month programs offered in other cities like Boston — and as a JWU alum, I got a 25% discount on the tuition.”

Alexandra quickly found value in her graduate program. “I had a broad range of internships, from Boston Children's Hospital to UGA football nutrition to the Providence Public Schools. But my internship at the Rhode Island Department of Health is incredibly valuable to me because I'm able to be mentored from the best in the field, and I know I'm really fortunate to have gained first-hand experience in what excellent practices in the field looks like.”

She also appreciates the balance between flexibility and structure offered by the program: “I’m better able to manage my life inside and outside the classroom. This program has supported my professional growth by offering the right resources, opportunities and experiences to build a strong foundation, and it has prepared me for my career by instilling the confidence that I'm ready for in the field.”

Alexandra hopes to apply her newly gained knowledge and confidence into her career someday, whatever that may be. “My hope is to connect, educate and empower others to form deeper, more intentional relationships with how they think, feel and approach food and nutrition in any context,” she explains. “As long as I can leave a positive impact on people's lives, then I'm achieving my goals.”

Her advice to others considering advancing their nutritional education: “You should always be here for the right reasons, because a graduate degree is a big step and a commitment. Success isn't solely measured by your personal achievements or accolades, but by the impact that you can make on others and within the field. I think that true success is an inspiring and guiding the next generation by genuinely wanting to pass on the knowledge, skills, values and love for nutrition to everyone.”

Finding a Supportive Graduate Program

Haleigh Teixeira earned her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from Merrimack College. When she knew she wanted to pursue a MSCND, she had criteria in mind for her future grad school.

“I was looking for support from the faculty, and I wanted to make sure that they were experts in the field already,” she shares. “I felt like having a connection with the professors during your learning helps you make that professional connection with them, which can benefit you in your future career. I loved how inviting the faculty was at JWU, and how they're all currently in the practice itself.”

Experience was also a big plus for Haleigh. “I also liked how JWU offered a variety of rotations to gain experience in. Other schools that I looked at had a very narrow focus, like nutrition for sports and athletics, but this program ran through everything from community to counseling to food service to clinical settings. Having the ability to participate in the supervised learning experience is very helpful, as we're able to apply the knowledge that we might be working on in class at the same time as being at our sites.”

Haleigh also likes the small size of her cohort at JWU: “We're all very like open, since it's such a small group of us. I feel like we all kind of clicked really fast.” She has also enjoyed attending career fairs to chat with students and with representatives from area businesses and organizations.

Only in her first semester, Haleigh feels like she’s already learned a lot. “I think that we're doing a lot of work outside of the classroom, which is very beneficial to us to make the connections and grow in our careers. And then personally, I think it's changed challenged me to become step out of my comfort zone and do things that I'm not always used to doing.”

When she graduates, Haleigh knows who she wants to work with: “I've always worked with children throughout different jobs, and I feel like incorporating that with nutrition is something that I'm passionate about.”

Her advice for others considering entering the master’s program: “Keep an open mind. I think that things are always changing, and the faculty is constantly trying to be in the present moment to keep the content real. There might always be a little bit of moving parts, but they're all for the better. Learning by the book is great, but the real learning comes from working hands-on out in the community, doing real things with real people.”

Exploring a Nontraditional Approach

Kaitlin Boyer (Irvine) graduated from JWU’s DiAN bachelor’s program in 2021. “I was most looking for a program that emphasized more than just the clinical experience that most programs offer,” she says of her decision to come to JWU. “I also really appreciated that we have a say in our rotation placements, and that the faculty does take our interest into consideration. They work with you to place at place, you at your preferred sites, which is very uncommon among other programs. Here, they really do ask you what you're interested in and try to work with sites to get you placed there.”

Thus far in the master’s program, she has loved her experience. “My favorite part of the program thus far has been open communication and all the support from the staff,” she notes. “Plus, just getting to know our small cohort, because there's only seven of us — so that's been fun.”

She also appreciates the staff, from Dr. Soares to her supervised experience learning coordinator, Dr. Christo. “They have been very supportive. They periodically check in with all of us just to see how everything's going and if there's any challenges that we're facing. I anticipate this program to effectively prepare us for the skills and evidence-based knowledge that we need to successfully lead in the field of dietetics and nutrition.”

Kaitlin’s current goal is to become a clinical pediatric dietitian at Boston Children's. “I am currently a dietetic technician there, so I have developed a very unexpected passion for clinical pediatrics,” she notes. However, she has an ultimate goal: to create a nutrition program for adolescent athletes in her hometown back in New York.

Her advice to others considering a similar pathway to becoming a dietitian: “Recognize that the program is very rigorous, but it is going to be very rewarding — and that it is going to help you become a leader in any area of nutrition and dietetics that you choose. So I would ask yourself what you want to gain both from academic coursework and your supervised experience learnings.”

Alternative Pathways for Careers in Nutrition

If you’re seeking a fully culinary-centric degree, JWU’s B.S. in Culinary Nutrition, offered at both the Providence and Charlotte Campuses, provides the expertise needed to provide healthy cuisine in healthcare, athletics, restaurants, tourist destinations and more. Students in this program learn to harness food’s therapeutic power, taking both didactic and applied nutrition coursework in order to ensure food safety and quality standards and create wellness education programs for communities, cities or organizations. Students in this program learn to create, modify and manage specialized diets across the life span, helping identify meals that both taste good and adhere to dietary guidelines. Students in the program take the Conference for Food Protection national exam as part of their studies, rather than preparing for Commission on Dietetic Regulation license exams to become registered dietitians.

Don’t want the cooking aspect at all? You have an option to pursue JWU’s online M.S. in Nutrition to prepare for, or accelerate, careers in nutrition counseling. In that program, students don’t have to meet competencies such as experiential education hours that are required for RD exams, but they still learn essential nutrition science and dietetics skills and knowledge so they can practice and educate others on health optimization, disease prevention and other vital food and nutrition concepts.

And if you don’t wish to pursue any graduate studies in nutrition or dietetics, your bachelor’s degree can still open doors to careers as nutrition educators, wellness consultants and health coaches.

“Our goal is to offer a broad number of nutrition programs so that whichever module or area of practice you want, you have an opportunity to learn nutrition with us,” Soares explains.

For more on what those opportunities look like, listen to the This Week at JWU Podcast throughout the month of March. You’ll hear stories from students and educators in JWU’s dietetics and nutrition programs on what they’re doing and what journeys they’re following.

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