Biomedical Sciences: B.S. Nutritional Sciences

Program Overview

The Nutritional Sciences undergraduate degree program is a joint offering of the departments of Biomedical Sciences and Kinesiology. The field of Nutritional Sciences is rooted in the study of natural sciences (e.g., chemistry and biology), social sciences (e.g., psychology and sociology) and health sciences (e.g., human growth and development).  The B.S. Nutritional Sciences degree program provides students with a strong foundation in science in order to understand the relationships among food, nutrients, eating behavior, and human health. As part of this program, students will explore why we make the food choices we do and learn how to help others modify their diet and eating behavior. Students will build upon their foundational courses to study food and nutrition issues within various population groups, throughout the lifecycle, on a spectrum from disease treatment, to disease prevention, to health promotion.

Students who successfully complete two years of preparatory coursework by meeting stringent GPA requirements will move into two years of advanced study in nutrition.  The coursework is rigorous in natural sciences (particularly chemistry and biology), and students will be expected to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.000 in all nutrition-related courses.  In their final two years of the program, students will supplement their learning with coursework in Kinesiology, Biomedical Sciences, Education, Communication, and/or Sociology, or use elective credits to prepare for advanced study in healthcare (including medicine), public health, molecular biology, and related fields.

Students should plan for four years of science-intensive study to complete the degree requirements. Career options for students completing this program are provided below. The program will not grant students the professional credential of “Registered Dietitian” or “Dietitian.”

Depending on the specific coursework completed, students with a degree in Nutritional Sciences could be employed in various career outlets, including:

  • General nutrition education programming and implementation.
  • Health promotion and/or nutrition program planning.
  • Health inspection for a regulatory body or government agency.
  • Quality control for food processing plants.
  • Nutrition for women, infants, and children
  • Research assistance for nutrition studies in hospitals or universities.
  • Food services menu planning, purchasing and budgeting.
  • Weight loss programming.
  • Marketing and sales for food industries.
  • Food and nutrition writing (print or electronic media) for health newsletters and/or magazines, food production and promotional companies, and newspapers.
  • Food planning in camps, schools, private company cafeterias, community agencies, sports teams, and hotels.
  • Restaurant menu consultation.
  • Involvement in the Peace Corps.
  • Pharmaceutical Research.
  • Catering.
 
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