Dietetics involves the study of nutrition and how nutrition impacts health and disease. Dietitians are nutrition experts who have as their goal the optimal health and nutrition of the population.
A growing and aging population will increase the demand for meals and nutritional counseling in community health programs, home health care agencies, nursing homes, prisons, and schools. Public interest in nutrition with an emphasis on sensible lifestyles and health education will also propel demand.
Dietitian career opportunities range from small communities to large cities in food industry companies, health agencies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, pharmaceutical companies, public health programs, schools, the armed forces, and wellness centers.
The general dietetics program at Iowa State prepares students for admission to dietetic internships or other professional experience programs accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
According to the 2011 Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession, the median annual income of registered dietitians in the U.S. who have been working in the field for four years or less was $52,000.