Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services at Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC · Public · Bachelor's Degree
44 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
50
Optimistic
44
Base Case
32
Pessimistic
Earnings $17,970/yr (-47% vs median)
AI Risk High (55% exposed)
Job Market Medium (10,200 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption
Base Case
Gradual AI
Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $599K $268K $127K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 33.1x 14.8x 7.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 17.6x 7.8x 3.7x
Viable Career Paths 2 of 2 2 of 2 2 of 2
DegreeWorth Score 50 44 32

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$18,128
Out-of-state: $34,128
Median Debt at Graduation
$23,952
16.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$43,962
145% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 10,200 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Dietitians and nutritionists $73,850 6,200 +5.5% 55%
Dietetic technicians $37,040 4,000 +2.5% 54%

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services at Western Carolina University?
This program scores 44/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 50 (optimistic) to 32 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services graduates retain 2 of 2 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $127,111 (pessimistic) to $599,456 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services graduates?
The career paths mapped to Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services have roughly 10,200 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services at Western Carolina University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 14.8x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 7.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.