Scope is really good. Nutrition and Dietetics is a fast growing field in India with people becoming more health conscious. After completing this course you can work with government hospitals, government's health department, school, colleges, organizations and office cafeterias for planning nutritional regiment.

Sports hostels, athletes camps, Health and recreation clubs, canteen and nursing care facilities also require the services of Nutritionists and dietitians.

You can also opt for research career mainly in universities, public or private sector research institutes, food product manufacturing companies and hospitals. You can even work as a teacher of nutrition & dietetics in colleges and universities.

The best colleges are: The Women’s Christian College

School of Health Science, Kerala

Lovely Professional University , Punjab

D Y Patil University (DYPATIL), Navi Mumbai

University of Mysore

University of Madras

Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University

Mar Athanasious College for Advanced Studies

Central Food Technology Research Institute

Acharya N.G Ranga Agricultural University

Jadavpur University

CAREER PROSPECTS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Diverse job opportunities exist in front of nutritionists and dieticians in India. Both Government and private sector job opportunities are available in front of them.



Nutritionists or dieticians may build a career in the following sectors- R&D (Research and Development), Healthcare sector (hospitals, clinics, health centres etc), Government schemes and organizations, NGOs, Teaching and Education sector.



To build a career in the R&D sector, qualifications like M.Phil. and PhD will be of use. M.Sc., M.Phil. and PhD qualifications will also enable one to take up the job post of a lecturer or instructor.



Talking about Government sector, some of the well known recruiters include-

Government hospitalsCommunity health centresGovernment Schemes and Missions (like ICDS, NHRM etc)Government Organizations (like FNB, ICMR, Public Health Foundation etc)Government R&D unitsGovernment Nursing homesGovernment Nutrition Education Institutes



Coming to the private sector, some of the well known recruiters include-

Private clinics and hospitalsNursing homesNGOsFood products manufacturing firmsPharmaceutical firmsPrivate R&D unitsPrivate Nutrition Education InstitutesHealth ClubsFitness CentresSports Centres and FranchisesHotels



Other than the above mentioned jobs, self employment is another good opportunity available in front of nutritionists and dieticians. If one has access to decent financial resources and entrepreneurship skills, starting own private clinic or consultancy will be a good idea!



UN and International Organizations like WHO, UNICEF are also known to hire nutritionists and dieticians. In such a setup, nutritionists have to take care of community nutrition activities.



If you want to become a registered dietician (RD), follow the steps mentioned below-



HOW TO BECOME REGISTERED DIETICIAN IN INDIA?

Educational qualifications required: B.Sc. in Home Science (Food and Nutrition) or B.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics or other relevant B.Sc. course. After B.Sc., one must also complete M.Sc. or PG Diploma in Clinical Nutrition or Food & Nutrition.



After completing relevant B.Sc. and M.Sc. courses, one must go through 6 months long internship stint at any one of the many hospitals recognized by the IDA OR possess 2 years work experience at any multidisciplinary hospital .


After satisfying the educational qualifications and internship period, one may appear for RD exam held by the IDA and clear it. After clearing the exam, one may register with the IDA and become a registered dietician (RD).



SALARY

Starting salary depends on factors like ones qualifications, job profile, profile of the employer and job location. Depending upon the above mentioned factors, a nutritionist or dietician could earn anywhere between 10-20k Rupees per month (at start). After gaining work experience, this figure will increase. In case of Government job, the salary will be based on the pay band and scale.