Hello,

Nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Based on the person’s qualification, he/she may work as nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietician nutritionist, clinical nutritionist or sports nutritionist.

Dietician mainly deals with dietetics. Regulation of diet according to the nutritional and calorific needs of the patients or clients is what a dietician takes care of. To practice as a dietician, a professional license and recognition from relevant authority/governing body is required.

Dietetics is the science of diet and its effects on human health. This field focuses on the scientific understanding of nutrition and its practical application in the field of healthcare and rehabilitation of patients.

To become a professional nutritionist in India, there is no need to obtain license. But to become a Dietician, one must possess license and become RD (Registered Dietician) from IDA

Tasks

• Scientific study of nutrition and food science
• Provide guidance on eating habits and nutrition to people
• Plant diets according to the needs of patient/client
• Conduct or take part in research activity (depending upon qualification)

Though nutritionists and dieticians share many common tasks, an RD (Registered Dietician) is more like an allied healthcare professional.

An RD is more involved in the healthcare setup. He/she can be seen working in hospitals and clinics, monitoring patients and preparing diet plans for them. RDs work in tandem with consulting Doctors. They observe the Doctor’s diagnosis and inputs, and prepare diet plans for patients based on those observations and inputs.

Other than healthcare centres, they can also be seen working at fitness centres, sports centres and their own clinics. A nutritionist is more involved in the research and food manufacturing sectors.

COURSES

Like other professional courses, nutrition and dietetics courses are available in 3 formats in India. They are Diploma courses, Undergraduate (Degree) courses and Postgraduate (PG) courses (Certificate courses are also available, but they are not highly valued or detailed).

1 DIPLOMA COURSES

• Diploma in Nutrition and Health Education
• Diploma in Dietetics
• Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics
• Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition
• Diploma in Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition
• Diploma in Nutrition and Food Technology

Course duration : Regular Diploma course is 2-3 years long. Depending upon the institute, course duration may vary. Some institutes are known to offer distance education course format.

Eligibility criteria : 10+2 passed from a recognized board

Admission process : Depending upon the institute, it could be direct admission process or merit based admission process.

Further studies : Valid Diploma certificate holders may pursue relevant Bachelor’s Degree course. B.Sc. Degree can then be followed up with PG Degree or PG Diploma courses.

2 BACHELOR’S DEGREE COURSES

• B.Sc. in Clinical Nutrition
• B.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics
• B.Sc. in Food Science and Nutrition
• B.Sc. in Applied Nutrition
• B.Sc. in Dietetics
• B.Sc. in Home Science (Nutrition and Food Science specialization)

Course duration : Bachelor of Science Degree course is 3 years long.

Eligibility criteria : 10+2 Science stream passed from a recognized board

Admission process : Depending upon the institute, it could be direct admission process or merit based admission process.

Further education and PG courses : Bachelor of Science Graduates may go for PG Degree or PG Diploma courses. M.Sc. is the most popular PG Degree course out there.

3 PG COURSES & FURTHER EDUCATION

Graduates have handful of PG courses to choose from. M.Sc. and PG Diploma courses can be used to specialize in disciplines such as-

• Clinical Nutrition
• Paediatric Nutrition
• Public Health Nutrition
• Food Science/Technology
• Sports Nutrition/Dietetics
• Gerontological Nutrition
• Renal Nutrition

Some of the well known PG courses available in India are- M.Sc. Clinical Nutrition, M.Sc. Food Science, M.Sc. Public Health Nutrition, M.Sc. in Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, PG Diploma in Therapeutic Nutrition, PG Diploma in Sports Science and Nutrition, PG Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition.

Course duration : M.Sc. course lasts for a period of 2 years. PG Diploma course lasts for a period of 1 year.

Eligibility criteria : Must possess relevant Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized University/Institute. Minimum aggregate marks required could be around 50-55%

Further studies : After Master’s or PG Diploma course, you may go for further advanced programs like M.Phil. and PhD.

CAREER PROSPECTS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

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

Government sector

• Government hospitals
• Community health centres
• Government Schemes and Missions (like ICDS, NHRM etc)
• Government Organizations (like FNB, ICMR, Public Health Foundation etc)
• Government R&D units
• Government Nursing homes
• Government Nutrition Education Institutes

Private sector

• Private clinics and hospitals
• Nursing homes
• NGOs
• Food products manufacturing firms
• Pharmaceutical firms
• Private R&D units
• Private Nutrition Education Institutes
• Health Clubs
• Fitness Centres
• Sports Centres and Franchises
• Hotels

Self employment is another good opportunity.

UN and International Organizations like WHO, UNICEF are also known to hire nutritionists and dieticians.

Hope it helps

Feel free to ask us if you have any questions

Good luck!

OPPORTUNITIES