North Carolina A&T State University, a historically Black educational institution in Greensboro, has launched a new concentration for its existing master’s degree in food and nutritional sciences.
In the United States, dietitians are credentialed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Commission on Dietetic Registration. Last year, the commission began requiring candidates to have a master’s degree. NCA&T’s new concentration in nutrition and dietetics aims to prepare the next generation of qualified dietitians – a profession expected to grow by 7 percent over the next decade.
Graduate students who choose to enroll in the new concentration will learn about a wide-range of topics within the dietetics field, including how to advise people on proper diets; manage food service operations; collaborate with food vendors, distributors, and corporate wellness programs; develop public awareness campaigns; help athletes, law enforcement officers, and others understand the connection between food, fitness, and performance; and conduct research in nutrition and find alternative foods or nutrition recommendations for the public.
“There is a shortage, particularly of dietitians of color,” said June Thompson, interim program director for dietetics. “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 who we serve are folks of color. Research has shown that people tend to relate if they can see themselves within the person that is working with them.”
The master’s degree concentration in nutrition and dietetics will be available for enrollment in the spring 2026 semester.
