North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is accepting applications for a new nutrition and dietetics concentration in its food and nutritional sciences master’s degree program. Classes will begin in spring 2026.
The curriculum has provisionally been accepted for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), Interim program director June Thompson, RDN, said. Academy officials will visit the university next year to review the program in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences for full accreditation.
Thompson recommends prospective students apply through DICAS (Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Service), a centralized application service that allows them to apply to multiple university programs with one application.
“There is a shortage, particularly of dietitians of color,” Thompson said. “When I started in 1979, we represented 3 percent of the population and here we are in 2025 and we are still under 5 percent of the population.
“Eighty percent of those we serve are folks of color,” she said. “Research has shown that people tend to relate if they can see themselves within the person that is working with them.”
In the U.S., dietitians are credentialed by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, part of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In 2024, the commission began requiring candidates to have a master’s degree.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of dietitians is projected to grow 7 percent from 2023-2033 because of the increased emphasis on the role of food and nutrition in preventing and treating diseases, a growing and aging population, and public interest in nutrition. According to the 2024 Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession, the median full-time salary of RDNs is $79,000 per year.
“The demand for dietitians is rising as people realize how important food and nutrition are to their overall health,” said Muditha Senanayake, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Thompson, who works with kidney dialysis patients at a center in Greensboro, said that she has received job offers from companies as far away as Paris and Hawaii.
The work itself can take many forms, including:
- Advising people on proper diets
- Managing food service operations
- Advising food vendors, distributors and corporate wellness programs
- Developing public awareness campaigns
- Helping athletes, police officers and others understand the connection between food, fitness and performance in the field
- Conducting research into nutrition and finding alternative foods or nutrition recommendations for the public.
While the master’s level nutrition and dietetics concentration is new, the university’s master’s degree in food and nutritional science was approved by the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors prior to June 1, 1972, spokesman Andy Wallace said in an email.
As a STEM career, nutrition courses can be challenging, according to Thompson.
“We do a lot of math and science,” she said. “But it’s an amazing career where you really get to see the impact of what you do every single day.”
