The types of holistic nutrition courses there are to choose from vary from general knowledge to specific areas of interest, such as nondegree holistic cooking courses. Diploma and degree courses require you to take a range of courses, including anatomy and physiology, comparative dietary systems, herbology, nutritional counseling and others. It is also possible to take specific classes from an online degree program without enrolling for the entire program.
The features of online courses will vary depending on whether you are engaging in casual study or are seeking a degree or career in holistic nutrition. Because of the impracticality of assessing food preparation online, cooking classes are generally limited to nondegree courses of study and come in the form of "follow-along" DVDs and recipes that can be prepared in the home kitchen. More comprehensive nondegree courses may include textbooks and DVDs. The cooking segments of these courses are assessed from the notes you email to the course instructors.
If you are seeking a degree in holistic nutrition, you will occasionally attend "virtual classrooms" via live video feeds, as well as live video conferences and chat rooms with your instructor and fellow students. You will also need to purchase textbooks and other study materials. You will be required to submit notes, essays and term papers via email attachments, by which your progress and grades will be determined.
Before you enroll in an holistic nutrition course, you need to consider the cost and time commitments of the program. If you are seeking general knowledge, you may want to take a less expensive, noninteractive single course of study from either a nonaccredited or accredited institution. If, however, you are considering pursuing a career in holistic nutrition, you may wish to enroll in a single class from an accredited institution before committing to a full course of study and make sure you take the course for credit. This way, should you decide to pursue a bachelor's or master's degree, you can apply your first course credits to your degree. You can take self-paced degree programs and finish your degree as time and money allows rather than commit to full time study.
There are increasing numbers of career options available to professional practitioners with degrees in holistic nutrition. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of careers available to individuals with bachelor's degrees in the field are as dieticians and nutritionists in public institutions such as hospitals and nursing care facilities.
Because the general public is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of holistic nutrition, a general knowledge of the subject and indivudual courses in holistic cooking can also lead to careers in catering or cooking, even if you do not pursue or obtain a degree.
If you are enrolling for a single class, your tuition will depend upon the number of units per class. For example, as of the fall semester 2010, online tuition for a single unit costs around $125, so a three-unit class will cost $375. If you enroll in a full Bachelor of Science in holistic nutrition course, a typical tuition may be $1500 per year. Discounts are often available if you pay the full amount upfront or you can choose to pay monthly.
Tuitions and fees vary, but as a rule, online courses are far less expensive than campus-based courses.