Campuses:
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Twin Cities Campus
Nutrition Ph.D.Food Science & Nutrition
College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, 225 Food Science and Nutrition Building, 1334 Eckles Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108 (612-624-6753; fax: 612-625-5272)
Email:
fsgrad@umn.edu
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the
General Information section of
this
website for requirements that apply to all major fields.
Nutrition is the study of how nutrients, both essential and nonessential, affect health and all life processes. Consequently, nutrition is an extremely broad field that encompasses physiology, biochemistry, education, public health, and public policy. The nutrition graduate program is interdisciplinary. Advisers and financial support may come from any of the departments or schools in which nutrition graduate faculty reside, including the Department of Food Science and Nutrition (College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences); Division of Epidemiology (School of Public Health); Departments of Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Lab Medicine and Pathology, and Family Medicine and Community Health (Medical School); Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Studies (College of Education and Human Development); Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (University of Minnesota Duluth); University of Minnesota Extension; Hormel Institute (Austin, MN.); V.A. Medical Center and Park Nicollet Institute (Minneapolis, MN.).
Three subspecialty areas are offered in the doctoral degree program: human nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, and public health nutrition. Thesis work may be conducted locally or internationally in the laboratory, clinic, or field.
Students may spend a maximum of 8 years in the program.
Program Delivery
Prerequisites for Admission
The preferred undergraduate GPA for admittance to the program
is 3.00.
Applicants to the program need a bachelor's degree in any field or its international equivalent, along with demonstrated research ability such as a MS degree or publications.
Other requirements to be completed before admission:
A strong foundation in the biological and physical sciences is required. This background includes college mathematics, the equivalent of one semester of general chemistry, organic chemistry, general biology, biochemistry, physiology, and statistics. For the doctoral program, additional prerequisite courses include calculus and physics. If there is evidence that the applicant has a good background in the sciences, some of the prerequisites can be met after admission. The PhD program also requires the following nutrition courses, or equivalents, which may be completed after admission to the program: Principles of Nutrition (FSCN 1112), Life Cycle Nutrition (FSCN 3612), and Human Nutrition (FSCN 4612).
Applicants must submit their test score(s) from the following:
International applicants must submit score(s) from one of the following tests:
Key to test
abbreviations
(GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB).
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the
General Information section of this
website.
Program Requirements
14
credits are required in the major.
12 credits are required outside the major. 24 thesis credits are required.
This program may be completed with a minor.
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
A minimum GPA of 3.00
is required for students to remain in good standing.
At least 2 semesters must be completed
before filing a Degree Program Form.
PhD students are expected to obtain teaching experience through assisting with course instruction three times. Teaching experience is subject to the policies of the advisor's department or division.
Thesis work may be conducted in the laboratory, clinic, or field, either locally or internationally.
Required Coursework
Orientation Course
NUTR 8621 - Presentation Skills
(1.0 cr)
Core Courses
NUTR 5625 - Nutritional Biochemistry
(3.0 cr)
NUTR 5626 - Nutritional Physiology
(3.0 cr)
NUTR 5622 - Vitamin and Mineral Biochemistry
(3.0 cr)
NUTR 5624 - Nutrition and Genetics
(2.0 cr)
Advanced Topics Courses
All students must take Nutr 8620.
NUTR 8620 - Advances in Nutrition
(2.0 cr)
Outside Coursework
All doctoral students must complete a minimum of 12 credits of outside coursework. Students must take one graduate level statistics course,one graduate level research methods course, and any other graduate level course to meet the 12 credit minimum.
Statistics Course
Take at least one statistics course from the following list. A different graduate level statistics course can be substituted with advisor approval.
PUBH 6450 - Biostatistics I
(4.0 cr)
or
PUBH 6451 - Biostatistics II
(4.0 cr)
or
PUBH 6414 - Biostatistical Literacy
(3.0 cr)
or
STAT 5021 - Statistical Analysis
(4.0 cr)
Research Methods Course
Take one or more courses totaling at least two credits of research methods coursework from this list, or graduate-level methods coursework from another field with advisor approval.
ANSC 5091 - Research Proposals: From Ideas to Strategic Plans
(3.0 cr)
or
NURS 8173 - Principles and Methods of Implementing Research
(3.0 cr)
or
PUBH 6341 - Epidemiologic Methods I
(3.0 cr)
or
PUBH 6617 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
PUBH 6803 - Conducting a Systematic Literature Review
(3.0 cr)
or
PUBH 6806 - Principles of Public Health Research
(2.0 cr)
Additional Outside Coursework
Other courses may be from any field, but must be at the 5000 or 8000 level. Exceptions: 6000 level courses from Public Health are allowed.
Doctoral Thesis Credits
Take at least 24 credits of the following:
NUTR 8888 - Thesis Credit: Doctoral
(1.0-24.0 cr)
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Credits: | 1.0 [max 1.0] |
Grading Basis: | S-N or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 2.0 [max 2.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 2.0 [max 2.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Nurs 8173/SAPh 8173 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | PubH 6320PubH /6341 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | OPT No Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 2.0 [max 2.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 1.0 -24.0 [max 100.0] |
Grading Basis: | No Grade |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |