Department of Nutrition

The Undergraduate program in Nutrition has three areas of focus:

1. To develop and educate students for positions as nutritionists in schools, health services, and community settings; and for entry into a dietetic internship,
2. To prepare for careers in volunteer and community health organizations, worksite wellness programs, and the fitness industry, and
3. To teach the science of nutrition.

Undergraduate students choose from three areas of study:

1. Human Nutrition and Dietetics
2. Nutrition and Wellness
3. Nutrition Science

The Graduate Programs offered by the department include:

1. Master of Science (M.S.), non-thesis option
2. Master of Science (M.S.), thesis option
3. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

The M.S., non-thesis option is designed to prepare students for consulting, administrative, and practitioner positions in nutrition. A comprehensive exam is required.

The M.S., thesis option is research-based and designed to prepare students for research, administrative, and practitioner positions in nutrition, or for progression to the Ph.D. program.

The Ph.D. program focuses on the development of critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and organizational skills and the application of these skills to a nutrition-related research dissertation.

Applicants interested in thesis or doctoral degrees should identify an area of research they are interested in before applying for admission. Current areas of faculty research can be seen either by reviewing an overview of all faculty research (through the Research link on the left side of the screen) or by visiting the web pages of specific faculty (through the Faculty and Research link).