ROI Major

Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services at University of Akron (The)

OH · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 51.31

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services degree from University of Akron (The) earn a median salary of $55,736 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in OH, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $61,860. The degree typically pays for itself in 10 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$43,598

Typical Career

$55,736

Top Performers

$66,162

Estimated break-even: 10 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$372

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,645. Most students can comfortably afford about a $372 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Ohio buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 21.4%
Educational Services 14.8%
Manufacturing 11.1%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$61,860

Nominal: $55,736 in Ohio (COL 90.1% of national avg) · 11% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

10 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $32,447 $44,346 $54,584
5 Years After Graduation $43,598 $55,736 $66,162
10 Years After Graduation $44,657 $60,508 $76,114

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $55,736 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in OH, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $55,736 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9010) = $61,860 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services program at the University of Akron experience a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $44,346, increasing to $55,736 five years post-graduation, and reaching $60,508 a decade later. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $61,860.16, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to national standards, particularly given Ohio's lower cost of living index of 0.901.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (21.4%), Educational Services (14.8%), and Manufacturing (11.1%), suggesting a diverse range of employment opportunities. The estimated break-even point for pursuing a degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 10 years, indicating a long-term return on investment for graduates. Overall, pursuing a career in dietetics and clinical nutrition services appears to offer a favorable ROI, especially within Ohio's economic context.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services degree at University of Akron (The) stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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