Community Nutrition Educators

High School

If you want to be a community nutrition educator, take health, family and consumer science, psychology, computer science, statistics, and mathematics classes. You’ll need to be skilled at conveying information orally and in writing, so take as many English, speech, and writing classes as possible to hone your skills. Web and graphic design classes will come in handy because some educators have to design and create educational brochures, posters, and Web sites. Many educators work with immigrants who do not speak English fluently. Taking a foreign language—such as Spanish or Mandarin—will help you to better communicate with these groups. Take marketing and advertising classes because it not enough to know about nutrition; you will need to be skilled at conveying this information to people via brochures, social media posts, YouTube videos, and other methods.

Postsecondary Education

Educational requirements for community nutrition educators vary by employer and job duties. Some employers require applicants to only have a high school diploma and complete on-the-job training, while others require applicants to have completed a minimum of 15 college credit hours in nutrition. Many others require candidates to have associate’s or bachelor’s degrees in nutrition, dietetics, public health nutrition, health education, family and consumer science (with an emphasis on foods and nutrition), and related fields. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics provides information about accredited programs at https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend/accredited-programs/about-accredited-programs.

Some colleges and universities offer degrees in health education and promotion (a category that includes nutrition education). Visit https://www.healtheddirectory.org for a list of schools.

The jobs that offer the highest pay and provide the best advancement opportunities are those that require at least an associate’s degree. As a result, it’s a good idea to earn a college degree to improve your attractiveness as a job candidate, build your knowledge base and skills, and give yourself an educational base that will allow you to pursue an advanced degree or be eligible for other positions that require a degree.

Certification

Many colleges and universities offer certificate programs in nutrition, dietetics, health education, or related fields. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.

Other Education or Training

The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior offers a variety of live and prerecorded webinars that educators can take to keep their skills up to date and learn about industry trends. Recent webinars included Promoting Diverse, Balanced, and Healthy Diets Through Fruit and Vegetable Consumption; How to Ensure That Teaching Kitchens Are Age-Friendly; Leveraging Local Food Systems for Healthy Food Access; and Statistics for Survey Design: Solutions for Success. Visit https://www.sneb.org/about-sneb-webinars to learn more. The National Association of Community Health Workers, American Public Health Association, Society for Public Health Education, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Society for Nutrition, and other organizations also offer continuing education classes and webinars. Visit their Web sites for more information.