One bachelor's degree option for a dietitian is a degree in nutrition or foods and nutrition, depending on the school. If you pursue this degree you will study various aspects of nutrition and appropriate nutrition for various types of food needs. For example, you might study nutrition for diabetics or for individuals with anemia. The focus is on nutrition, though there is some study of sciences like biology and chemistry along with the nutrition.
The other main degree option for a dietitian at the undergraduate level is a dietetics degree. This program is similar to the nutrition program in that it involves foods and nutrition, but it goes into further detail and requires more scientific courses and studies. In a bachelor's program for dietetics you will also learn how to design nutrition programs for a variety of facilities like schools and hospitals, how to educate others like clients or facility managers in appropriate food storage and nutrition needs, and about regulations regarding food.
A registered dietitian must complete continuing education courses every five years to maintain the status of "registered dietitian." Failure to complete the 75 hours of continuing education courses results in the loss of RD status and will require the dietitian to retake the exam.
Higher education programs, such as a master's degree or doctoral degree, are usually in other fields of study for specialization purposes. For example, an RD who obtains a managerial position might take a master's program in business while an RD specializing in a specific disease might take further education in a medical course relating to the disease, such as nursing. Also, most colleges offering undergraduate nutrition programs have master's programs in nutrition available.