Nutrition Sciences (BS)
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
The Nutrition Science Bachelor of Science degree has two sub-plans to choose from: the Science track or the Applied track. The Science curriculum is designed for those students with an interest in graduate school or post-graduate training in a human health profession for which physics and 4 semesters of chemistry are required. The Applied curriculum is designed for those interested in health-related jobs immediately after graduation, obtaining further training to become a Registered Dietitian after graduation, or going on for post-graduate training in a human health profession for which no physics courses and only 3 semesters of chemistry are required.
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| LSC 103 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | 1 | |
| Communication | 3 | ||
| Public Speaking | |||
| Interpersonal Communication | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| Mathematics & Sciences | |||
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 | |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 | |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 4 | |
| CH 201 & CH 202 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 4 | |
| CH 221 & CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | 4 | |
| CH 223 & CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4 | |
| PY 211 | College Physics I | 4 | |
| PY 212 | College Physics II | 4 | |
| MA 121 | Elements of Calculus | 3 | |
| or MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | ||
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| PSY 200 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 | |
| Required Courses | |||
| LSC 101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 | |
| FS 201 | Introduction to Food Science 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 301 | Introduction to Human Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 302 | Introduction to Nutrition Research, Communication, and Careers 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 401 | Advanced Nutrition and Metabolism 1 | 3 | |
| GN 311 | Principles of Genetics | 4 | |
| MB 351 & MB 352 | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | 4 | |
| NTR 490 | Senior Capstone Experience in Nutrition 1 | 4 | |
| Restricted Electives | |||
| Restricted Nutrition Elective 1 | 3 | ||
| Application Electives | 6 | ||
| ZO 250 | Animal Anatomy and Physiology | 4 | |
| Nutrition Electives 1 | 9 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (verify requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2 | 6 | ||
These electives cannot be remedial nor can they be taken at an elementary level after you have taken comparable coursework at a more advanced level. They can be taken S/U unless they are being used to fulfill the requirements for a minor. | |||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
| 1 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
| 2 | Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement. |
Restricted Nutrition Elective
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANS 454 | Lactation, Milk and Nutrition | 3 | |
| ANS 554 | Lactation, Milk and Nutrition | 3 | |
| FS 555 | Exercise Nutrition | 3 | |
| FS 557 | Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods | 3 | |
| NTR 320 | Nutrition Education | 3 | |
| NTR 330 | Public Health Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 410 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 419 | Human Nutrition and Chronic Disease | 3 | |
| NTR 454 | Lactation, Milk and Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 510 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 555 | Exercise Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 557 | Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods | 3 |
Application Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Electives I | |||
| AEC 360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| AEE 230 | Introduction to Cooperative Extension | 3 | |
| AEE 325 | Planning and Delivering Non-Formal Education | 3 | |
| AEE 478 | Advanced Issues in Extension Education | 3 | |
| ANS 415 | Comparative Nutrition | 3 | |
| ANS 515 | Comparative Nutrition | 3 | |
| ANT 374 | Disease and Society | 3 | |
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| ARE 201A | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| BCH 351 | General Biochemistry | 3 | |
| BIO 414 | Cell Biology | 3 | |
| BIO 424 | Endocrinology | 3 | |
| BIO 488 | Neurobiology | 3 | |
| BIO 588 | Neurobiology | 3 | |
| COM 332 | Relational Communication | 3 | |
| COM 362 | Communication and Gender | 3 | |
| COM 441 | Ethical Issues in Communication | 3 | |
| COM 466 | Nonprofit Leadership & Development | 3 | |
| CS 224 | Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies | 3 | |
| CS 230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 | |
| CS 430 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| FS 330 | Science of Food Preparation | 3 | |
| FS 402 | Chemistry of Food and Bioprocessed Materials | 4 | |
| FS 403 | Analytical Techniques in Food & Bioprocessing Science | 4 | |
| FS 405 | Food Microbiology | 3 | |
| FS 416 | Quality Control in Food and Bioprocessing | 3 | |
| FS 421 | Food Preservation | 3 | |
| FS 502 | Chemistry of Food and Bioprocessed Materials | 4 | |
| FS 505 | Food Microbiology | 3 | |
| FS 516 | Quality Control in Food and Bioprocessing | ||
| FS 521 | Food Preservation | 3 | |
| GPH 201 | Fundamentals of Global Public Health | 3 | |
| HESM 478 | Exercise Physiology and Sports Science | 3 | |
| HI 360 | U.S. Agricultural History | 3 | |
| HI 380 | History of Nonprofits, Philanthropy, and Social Change | 3 | |
| MB 405 | Food Microbiology | 3 | |
| MB 505 | Food Microbiology | 3 | |
| NTR 415 | Comparative Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 515 | Comparative Nutrition | 3 | |
| PB 213 | Plants and Civilization | 3 | |
| PB 215 | Medicinal Plants | 3 | |
| PB 360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| PHI 325 | Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 | |
| PHI 420 | Global Justice | 3 | |
| PO 415 | Comparative Nutrition | 3 | |
| PO 515 | Comparative Nutrition | 3 | |
| PRT 200 | Health, Wellness and the Pursuit of Happiness | 3 | |
| PS 203 | Introduction to Nonprofits | 3 | |
| PS 231 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 | |
| PS 236 | Issues in Global Politics | 3 | |
| PS 312 | Introduction to Public Administration | 3 | |
| PSY 311 | Social Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 312 | Applied Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 360 | Community Psychology Principles and Practice | 3 | |
| PSY 376 | Developmental Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 410 | Learning and Motivation | 3 | |
| PSY 411 | The Psychology of Interdependence and Race | 3 | |
| PSY 420 | Cognitive Processes | 3 | |
| PSY 430 | Biological Psychology | 3 | |
| PSY 431 | Health Psychology | 3 | |
| SOC 241 | Sociology of Agriculture and Rural Society | 3 | |
| SOC 241A | Sociology of Agriculture and Rural Society | 3 | |
| SOC 311 | Community Relationships | 3 | |
| SOC 342 | International Development | 3 | |
| SOC 350 | Food and Society | 3 | |
| SOC 351 | Population and Planning | 3 | |
| SOC 381 | Sociology of Medicine | 3 | |
| SOC 404 | Families and Work | 3 | |
| SOC 440 | Social Change | 3 | |
| STS 323 | World Population and Food Prospects | 3 | |
| STS 325 | Bio-Medical Ethics | 3 | |
| WGS 200 | Introduction to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | 3 | |
| WGS 330 | Women and Health | 3 | |
| WGS 362 | Communication and Gender | 3 | |
| Application Electives II (Max: 3 Units ) | |||
| GPH 425 | Global Health and Physiology | 6 | |
Nutrition Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANS 454 | Lactation, Milk and Nutrition | 3 | |
| ANS 554 | Lactation, Milk and Nutrition | 3 | |
| FS 555 | Exercise Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| FS 557 | Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods 1 | 3 | |
| IDS 211 | Eating through American History | 3 | |
| NTR 220 | Food and Culture 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 320 | Nutrition Education 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 330 | Public Health Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 410 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 419 | Human Nutrition and Chronic Disease 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 420 | Applied Nutrition Education 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 421 | Life Cycle Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 454 | Lactation, Milk and Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 510 | Maternal and Infant Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 521 | Life Cycle Nutrition | 3 | |
| NTR 555 | Exercise Nutrition 1 | 3 | |
| NTR 557 | Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods 1 | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| LSC 101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 |
| LSC 103 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | 1 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 |
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| MA 121 or MA 131 | Elements of Calculus or Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 |
| NTR 301 | Introduction to Human Nutrition 1 | 3 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| CH 221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| NTR 302 | Introduction to Nutrition Research, Communication, and Careers 1 | 3 |
| CH 223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab | 1 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| PSY 200 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Free/Minor Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| FS 201 | Introduction to Food Science | 3 |
| Nutrition Elective | 3 | |
| Application Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Physiology Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| NTR 401 | Advanced Nutrition and Metabolism 1 | 3 |
| Nutrition Elective | 3 | |
| Application Elective | 3 | |
| Writing/Speaking Elective | 3 | |
| Free/Minor Electives | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GN 311 | Principles of Genetics | 4 |
| Restricted Nutrition Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | |
| CH 201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 |
| CH 202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| PY 211 | College Physics I | 4 |
| MB 351 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| MB 352 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 1 |
| Nutrition Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PY 212 | College Physics II | 4 |
| NTR 490 | Senior Capstone Experience in Nutrition 1 | 4 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
| 1. | A grade of C- or better is required |
Career Opportunities
Consumer demand for safe, high quality, nutritious foods and biopharmaceutical products, as well as for educational programs designed to promote healthy eating, creates a variety of career opportunities in the food, pharmaceutical and the allied health industries. Industrial opportunities include management, research and development, process supervision, quality control and assurance, procurement, distribution, and sales. Public health opportunities include educational program development, delivery, and assessment. In addition, graduates hold positions with government agencies and many with advanced degrees have teaching and/or research positions in colleges and universities.
Nutrition Sciences
Nutrition professionals provide evidence-based guidance on what we should eat, study relationships between diet and health, assess eating behavior, design and evaluate community nutrition programs, teach nutrition and healthy eating skills, and advocate for policies that support good nutrition.
Nutrition students gain a strong foundation by studying chemistry, statistics, genetics, physiology and psychology. They develop skills for applying that knowledge through research, internships and service-learning programs.
Graduates are prepared to tackle health challenges head-on, with a sound understanding of nutrient functions, nutrition in disease processes, life cycle and exercise nutrition, research methods, principles of nutrition education and public health.
Our students have the flexibility to choose between two options when pursuing their B.S. in Nutrition Science. The Nutrition Science option is designed to fulfill the prerequisites for medical school and other health professional programs, such as dentistry, physical therapy and pharmacy.
The Applied Nutrition option helps students become qualified to consult or develop programming for public health initiatives on healthy eating and other health-related activities to improve quality of life and lower health care costs. It is also designed for students planning to pursue post-graduate programs to become a nurse, physician assistant or registered dietitian.
Graduates in nutrition are competitive job and professional school applicants because of their deep understanding of the physical, social and life sciences as they relate to human health. They stand out due to the many opportunities to apply their knowledge to the major health challenges facing our country and the world today.
- Note: Only entering freshmen studying Biochemistry, Nutrition Sciences, or Plant Biology participate in the Life Sciences First Year Program.
Scholarships
The department provides both merit and financial need scholarships to encourage and assist students preparing for careers in Food, Bioprocessing, or Nutrition Science.