Careers in community nutrition include positions in public health, outpatient care, wellness/health promotion, sports nutrition, nursing homes/intermediate care facilities, and mental health/mental retardation  facilities. Other employment opportunities include corporate wellness, food industry marketing and sales, writing/advertising positions within the newspaper, magazine, radio/television industry, and private practice in fields such as pediatrics, diabetes management, cardiac rehabilitation, obstetrics, eating disorders, geriatrics, immunology, and numerous other nutrition specializations. 

The dissemination of accurate, up-to-date nutrition information to individuals in the community is an on-going challenge for nutritional sciences professionals. Registered dietitians and other nutrition and consumer science professionals are employed as nutrition educators for school districts, child care centers, health clubs and spas, health food stores, senior citizens centers, WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) programs, and other community and government entities. An understanding of the normal nutrition needs of individuals throughout the life span is critical to success as a community nutritionist. In addition, knowledge of medical nutrition therapy and the relationship between diet and disease is important, as community nutritionists often counsel and advise clients with debilitating conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and cancer. The Nutritional Sciences curriculum for students majoring in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics and the Didactic Program in Dietetics at TCU provides the foundations for this career. 

Courses such as NTDT 20403 - Nutrition, NTDT 30123 - Nutrition Throughout the Life Cycle, and NTDT 40363 - Community Nutrition give students the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the nutrition assessment of individuals of various ages and socioeconomic status, to plan appropriate menus for the young and old, to create and present nutrition education modules for preschoolers/elementary school children/elderly, to create and deliver nutrition messages to the general public, and to evaluate current nutrition information in the print media. Students in the Coordinated Program in Dietetics complete approximately 280 hours of community supervised practice during Spring of the senior year. Students in the Didactic Program in Dietetics also participate in a variety of community nutrition activities/experiences. A variety of rotations provide students with hands-on experiences under the direct supervision of a registered dietitian, nutrition professional, or a consumer science professional.