Nutritionist School in Arkansas

Arkansas Nutrition School

Nutritionists can spend up to seven to 10 years in school, (this depends on what colleges they attend and how far they go with their degrees). Since a Master's degree is the minimum education requirement for a Nutritionist in Arkansas, most students can expect to spend between $20,000–$40,000 on their educations, and spend between five to seven years in school. But before they do anything, they have to get a Bachelor's degree.

A Bachelor's degree in human nutrition, food and nutrition, dietetics, or food systems management from a regionally accredited university should do the trick, and Arkansas has a plethora of schools and degree programs (either online or on-site) to choose from. In their first two years, students take general classes in biology, chemistry, English, and other interdisciplinary courses. They devote their final years to their academic majors, which usually include courses in human nutrition, metabolism, anatomy and physiology, and community nutrition. Students may also have a chance to explore their future careers by obtaining experience through internship programs, volunteer opportunities, and on-campus organizations, which give them an edge in the eyes of Arkansas' graduate schools.

A Master's degree can extend a Nutritionist's understanding of their field through a steady balance of hands-on training and textbook theory. Depending on their specialty, students can expect to take classes in Geriatric Nutrition, Nutritional Services Administration, Trends in Nutrition, and/or Community Nutrition. These courses can either be taken online or on-site, and can work as a part of a thesis option or a non-thesis option. 

Nutritionist certification in Arkansas is granted on a national level through the Commission on Dietetic Registration, a branch of the American Dietetic Association.

Through campus based and online programs, aspiring Nutritionists in Little Rock, Fayetteville and Jonesboro, Arkansas may be able to prepare themselves for the possibility of employment in some of the largest hospitals and healthcare facilities in the state including Arkansas Regional Medical Center, Saint Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, Baptist Health Medical Center, and White County Medical Center North.