Human Nutrition

In addition to the concentration requirements outlined below, all students must complete the Biological Sciences foundation requirements:

Biological Sciences Foundation Requirements

Nutritional Sciences draws upon several disciplines, including biological sciences, to understand the relationships between food, nutrients, and human health. The concentration in Human Nutrition offers Biological Sciences 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.

The Human Nutrition concentration requires one core course, NS 3310 NS 3310 - Human Nutrition and Nutrient Metabolism (Spring, 4 cr), as well as at least 9 credits selected from a list of didactic NS courses related to 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. Faculty advisors work with individual students to develop a curriculum that fits the students’ interests.

As part of their program, students are also 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 metabolism 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.

For additional information about the Division of Nutritional Sciences and its academic and research opportunities, see the Division of Nutritional Sciences section or contact the Division of Nutritional Sciences Student Services Office, B36 Kinzelberg Hall, (607) 255-4410, dnsstudentservices@cornell.edu.

Human Nutrition Requirements

All requirements need to be taken for letter grade unless the course is offered S/U only. Exceptions to the grading option need to be approved by the student’s faculty advisor via the biological sciences petition.
A grade of D- or better must be obtained to count course for concentration.
A minimum of 13 credits of concentration requirements.
Students are required to take NS 3310 - Human Nutrition and Nutrient Metabolism .

In addition to the above requirement, students must also take 9 credits of coursework in the Biological Aspects of Nutrition category, from the following list:

Notes:

Only courses on the list above may be used.
Students must pass a course with a “D-” or higher for it to count toward the requirement.
Independent study credits cannot be used toward the 13 credit minimum.
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, up to three NS courses may be petitioned to count toward A&S credit if those credits fulfill major requirements.
Students in the Human Nutrition concentration of the Biological Sciences major in CALS may not also major in Nutritional Sciences. To double major in Biological Sciences and Nutritional Sciences, students must choose a different Biological Sciences concentration.

Human Nutrition Curriculum Learning Objectives

After completing the concentration in Human Nutrition, students will be able to:

Demonstrate core knowledge of metabolism and the function of the essential nutrients.
Apply knowledge of the biological aspects of nutrition to the regulation of human health.