Dietetics involves the study of food preparation and intake as it relates to human beings. Most undergraduate degrees in dietetics provide students with the option to focus their studies on nutrition. At Texas Christian University in Forth Worth, four degree programs in the field of dietetics are offered, including nutrition and food management. The nutrition-focused degree program is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge to help people attain and maintain good health through nutrition in a variety of settings. The food management degree prepares students to enter the commercial food industry in many settings, including food development and distribution, restaurant management and supermarket supervision.
Students who pursue a degree in food science are required to complete a multidisciplinary program of study that combines several sciences, including microbiology, chemistry and nutrition. For instance, students enrolled in Michigan State University's food science degree program are trained to develop new food products and to create new processes that improve the quality of food products. MSU reports that there are more job vacancies in the food industry for food scientists than there are graduates to fill them. Graduates with a food science degree often find work with food manufacturers, government agencies and universities.
MSU also offers a degree in nutritional sciences which educates students in the relationship between human health and nutrients. Core requirements for this degree cover a variety of topics, including energy metabolism, vitamins, minerals, proteins and community nutrition. While many graduates of this program go on to study medicine or dentistry in graduate school, many put their degrees to work with public health programs, the food industry or pharmaceutical sales. Students are also taught techniques for conducting nutritional research and experiments in a laboratory setting.
Kinesiology is a branch of physiology that studies human movement. Nutrition is a related field that is only touched on in kinesiology, but can be an area of emphasis when pursuing a degree in the science. At San Diego State, students desiring to work in the nutrition field may want to enroll in the Kinesiology - Fitness, Nutrition and Health Emphasis bachelor's degree program. Students who complete this degree will be trained in how to evaluate and program exercise and nutrition programs for people who have diverse fitness and nutritional needs. Graduates with this degree often find work at schools and fitness clubs.