Human Nutrition

Note: Biology majors pursuing the Human Nutrition concentration work with their advisors to develop their own packages of NS courses. These packages of courses should meet the needs and interests of the individual students while remaining true to the spirit of the program, which is to offer courses with both substantial biology and nutrition content. The decision about which NS courses are included so that the complement provides a program of study with substantial biology and nutrition content that matches the student’s interests is made by the advisor.

Nutritional Sciences draws upon several disciplines, including biology, to understand the relationships between food, nutrients, and human health. The concentration in Human Nutrition offers biology majors courses concerned with the nature and biochemical function of essential and non-essential nutrients, nutrient requirements, the role of nutrients in gene expression, and the role of diet in both risk of chronic disease and treatment of existing disease states.

Students in this concentration are encouraged to complete a diverse set of advanced courses affording a perspective on current knowledge of nutrient requirements and function and how this knowledge can be put to use. With the exception of a core course in the structure and function of nutrients, the course requirements are left unspecified. Faculty advisors work with individual students to develop a curriculum that fits the students’ interests. As part of their program, students are encouraged to obtain laboratory experience either through coursework or research. Faculty in Nutritional Sciences are engaged in a wide variety of research activities, including nutritional regulation of gene expression, nutrient function, and regulation of nutritional status, employing diverse approaches such as cell culture, animal experimentation, and human metabolic studies.

Students completing the concentration in Human Nutrition most often choose to continue their education in medical or graduate school, and pursue careers in the applied aspects of nutrition or in laboratory-based or epidemiological research.

Program Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate core knowledge of metabolism and function of the essential nutrients.
2. Demonstrate breadth in biological aspects of nutrition beyond the core

Human Nutrition Requirements

Students are required to take NS 3310 - Nutrient Metabolism .

And at least 9 credits of additional coursework in the biological aspects of nutrition, from the following list:

Note:

1. For students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, credits in NS courses count toward the required 55 CALS credits. For students in the College of Arts and Sciences, NS credits count toward the 100 hours required in A&S if those credits fulfill major requirements. Students should consult with their faculty advisor(s) regarding the selection of the courses to be used for the additional 9 credits.

2. Independent study credits cannot be used toward the 13 credit minimum.