Graduate Programs
The Nutrition Graduate Program offers both master of science (M.S.) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.  In addition, there is a Dietetic Internship for Graduate Students (DIGS) Program, which allows a student to satisfy the didactic and professional experience requirements towards becoming a Registered Dietitian while pursuing the master’s degree.  See the DIGS webpage for program information.  A graduate minor is also offered and described later on this page.

Three areas of specialization are available in the program.  These are 
Human Nutrition 
Nutritional Biochemistry
Public Health Nutrition

There are a number of program requirements that apply to all Nutrition M.S. and Ph.D students.  These are listed below:

• Presentation Skills, an orientation class, Nutr 8621 (1 cr) offered fall semester by the DGS
  
• The Graduate Nutrition Core series: 
  Nutr 5621W Macronutrient Metabolism (fall semester, 4 cr)
  Nutr 5622 Vitamin and Mineral Biochemistry (spring semester, 3 cr)
  Nutr 5624 Nutrition and Genetics (spring semester, 2 cr)
  
• A graduate level biochemistry course
• A graduate level physiology course
• A graduate level statistics course
  (Any 3 credit 5xxx course in these three disciplines will fulfill this requirement.  In addition, Biochem 4332, Biochem 6011 and Phsl 6051 will fulfill these requirements.)
  
• One 8xxx level nutrition course
  
• Presentation of your thesis or project work in the Nutrition Graduate Program seminar.

 All of the listed required courses, except Nutr 8621, must be taken A/F.

In addition, all students are expected to obtain teaching experience.  Satisfaction of this requirement is dependent on the policies of the department or division in which your advisor is housed.  For example, within the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, all Nutrition graduate students are expected to assist in teaching a course one semester a year for two years for M.S. students or three years for Ph.D. students.  Please see the FScN Teaching Assistant policy in the Handbook for details. 

Master's Program
There are two ways to get a master’s degree in the program.  These are the
Master’s degree with thesis (Plan A) or
Master’s degree without thesis (Plan B).

There are different requirements, depending on which you choose.  The degree with thesis (Plan A) requires an original research project to be done, which subsequently is written up as a thesis.  In contrast, the degree without a thesis (Plan B) focuses more on coursework.  It requires the student to complete a special (Plan B) project, the purpose of which is to demonstrate familiarity with the tools of research, to work independently, and to effectively present the results of the project.

 Below are requirements that are common to both plans, as follows:

• 14 credits in graduate-level nutrition courses (any nutrition course that is 5xxx or 8xxx taught through FScN, or 6xxx or 8xxx taught through Public Health)
  
• 6 credits of graduate-level courses in one or more related fields outside the major (5xxx, 6xxx [Public Health only], or 8xxx) 
  
• Maintenance of a 2.8 GPA
  
• Passage of a final oral exam

Students pursuing a master’s degree with thesis (Plan A) must register for a minimum of 10 master’s thesis credits (Nutr 8777) that are not graded.

Students pursuing a master’s degree without thesis (Plan B) must take an additional 10 credits of coursework or independent study, to be agreed upon by the advisor and student, pending DGS approval. 

See the program Handbook for complete details.

M.S. Nutrition Minor
A master's minor requires a minimum of 6 course credits in nutrition, including NUTR 5621W (4cr).

Ph.D. Program
The doctor of philosophy degree is primarily a research degree.  Consequently, the focus is much more on the research project and less on coursework.  The specific course requirements for the doctorate are the same as those for the master’s degree listed above, with the following additional requirements:

• There are no minimum number of credits that must be taken in nutrition
  
• Two 8xxx-level nutrition courses must be taken
  
• At least 12 credits must be taken in a minor or related field
  
• Maintenance of a 3.0 GPA 
  
• Passage of a preliminary written exam
  
• Passage of a preliminary oral exam (taken only after passage of the preliminary written exam)
  
• A minimum of 24 thesis credits (Nutr 8888) (taken only after passage of the preliminary oral exam)
  
• Completion of a doctoral thesis
  
• Passage of a final oral exam

Students accepted into the doctoral program generally already have an M.S. degree. Exceptionally strong students without an M.S. degree are occasionally considered for direct admission to the doctoral program.  However, most students without an M.S. degree are admitted into the master’s program. Students enrolled in the master’s program may bypass the M.S. degree if they have the support of their advisor and several conditions are met.  See Appendix E for more information regarding a change of status.

See the program Handbook for complete details.

Nutrition Ph.D Graduate Minor
A doctoral minor may be completed by taking FScN 5621, Nutr 5622,  Nutr 5623W, and three additional credits in nutrition including at least one 8xxx course.

Nutrition Graduate Program Courses
Nutr 5621. Nutrition and Metabolism. (formerly FScN 5621W) (4 cr; QP–3612, BioC 3021, Phsl 3051; SP–3612, BioC 3021, Phsl 3051) Facilitates understanding of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism using a "systems" or "holistic" approach to emphasize how metabolic pathways interrelate.

Nutr 5622. Vitamin and Mineral Biochemistry. (formerly FScN 5622) (3 cr; QP–3612, BioC 3021, Phsl 3051; SP–3612, BioC 3021, Phsl 3051) Nutritional, biochemical, and physiological aspects of vitamins and essential minerals in humans and experimental animal models.

Nutr 5623W. Regulation of Energy Balance.  (formerly FScN 5623W) (2 cr; QP–5620; SP–5621) Regulation of energy balance in humans including regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.

FScN 8211. Risk Analysis in Food Science and Nutrition. (2 cr) Risks and benefits in various areas of the field (e.g., food preservatives and supplements).

FScN 8212. Advances in Nutrition: Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. (2 cr) Seminar examines topics related to effects of diet on exercise metabolism.

Nutr 8610. Nutrition Graduate Seminar. (1 cr; SP–Grad nutr major; S- N only) Presentation of thesis (M.S. or Ph.D.) or plan B project work in a public seminar.

Nutr 8612. Advances in Nutrition: Diet and Chronic Disease. (2 cr [max 4 cr]; SP–Grad student in nutr or related field) Recent research on relationship of diet to development and treatment of chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Clinical, animal, and cell culture studies examined epidemiologically, as appropriate. Instructor varies with topic.

Nutr 8613. Advances in Nutrition: Lipoproteins, Cholesterol, and Atherosclerosis. (2 cr; SP–Grad student in nutr or related field) Lipoprotein biochemistry and physiology, environmental and genetic factors influencing cholesterol metabolism, efficacy of diet therapy and lipid lowering in heart disease prevention, use of drugs in atherosclerosis, putative role of lipoprotein oxidation in atherosclerosis. Human studies and animal models in atherosclerosis research.

Nutr 8614. Advances in Nutrition: Advanced Energy Balance. (2 cr; SP–Grad student in nutr or related field) Recent literature on energy balance and body composition in animals and humans

Nutr 8621. Presentation Skills. (1 cr; SP–New grad nutr major; S-N only) Orientation to nutrition graduate program and training in presenting scientific seminars, including use of electronic presentation programs and equipment.

Public Health Courses
PubH 5384. Human Physiology. (3 cr; QP–Epi major or #; SP–Epi major or #) Basic human physiologic, chemical, and biologic principles, emphasizing homeostasis as a unifying concept. Cellular, organ, and organ systems function. Health applications and "clinical" problem solving. Course guided by principle that this physiologic information should form background knowledge to critically judge merits of biologic research.

PubH 5387. Cancer Epidemiology. (2 cr; QP–5330, 5340, hlth sci grad and professional school student or #; SP–5330, 5340, hlth sci grad and professional school student or #) Epidemiologic aspects of cancer, including theories of carcinogenesis, incidence, site-specific risk factors, and issues of cancer control and prevention.

PubH 5389. Nutritional Epidemiology. (2 cr; QP–5330 or #; SP–5330 or #) Study of nutrition/disease relationships through application of epidemiologic methods. Characterization of various exposures to food and nutrient intakes, biological basis for nutrition/disease relationships, studies of specific chronic diseases and nutritional intake, design and interpretation of studies using nutritional measures.

PubH 5395. Obesity and Eating Disorders. (2 cr; QP–Grad or professional school student or #; SP–Grad or professional school student or #) Definition, measurement, and prevalence; social, behavioral, physiological causes; health consequences; treatment, prevention.

PubH 5420. Statistical Computing I: Using Statistical Packages. (1 cr; QP–5450 or 5450, hlth sci grad student or #; SP–5450 or 5450, hlth sci grad student or #) Use of the statistical computer package SAS for analysis of biomedical data. Data manipulation, description, and basic statistical analyses (t-tests, chi-square, simple regression).

PubH 5450. Biostatistics I. (3 cr; QP–Math 1111 or Math 1201, hlth sci grad student or #; SP–Math 1111 or Math 1201, hlth sci grad student or #) Descriptive statistics; Gaussian probability models, point and interval estimation for means and proportions; hypothesis testing, including t, chi-square, and non-parametric tests; regression and correlation techniques; one-way analysis of variance; health science applications using output from statistical packages.

PubH 5900. Public Health Nutrition: Principles and Programs. (2 cr; QP–Pub hlth nutr major or #; SP–Pub hlth nutr major or #) Principles of public health nutrition, roles and functions of public health nutritionists, programs and delivery mechanisms for promoting nutritional status of populations. Students explore their beliefs and competencies in relation to principles and philosophy of public health nutrition.

PubH 5902. Maternal and Infant Nutrition. (2 cr; QP–3xxx nutr course or equiv or #; SP–3xxx nutr course or equiv or #) Nutritional needs of childbearing women and infants and how to meet these through programs and services.

PubH 5905. Human Nutrition and Health. (2 cr; QP–Jr or sr or grad or professional school student; SP–Jr or sr or grad or professional school student) Broad range of nutrition topics of contemporary interest. Concepts and facts about science of human nutrition in relation to personal and community nutrition problems and concerns. Applied, introductory graduate-level course with labs.

PubH 5907. Assessment of Dietary Intake. (1 cr; QP–Pub hlth nutr major or #; SP–Pub hlth nutr major or #) Methods for assessing dietary intake of populations and individuals; appropriate uses of dietary assessment methods in public health, clinical, and research settings; evaluation and interpretation of dietary data.

PubH 5908. Anthropometric Assessment of Nutritional Status. (1 cr; QP–5450 or 5414 or equiv, grad or professional school student; SP–5450 or 5414 or equiv, grad or professional school student) Anthropometry as used to assess nutritional status; training and experience in taking basic measurements; practical experience in anthropometry; conceptual rationales and interpretation of anthropometric data.

PubH 5932. Nutrition: Adults and the Elderly. (2 cr; QP–Grad or professional school student or #; SP–Grad or professional school student or #; A-F only) Current literature and research on nutrition needs and factors affecting nutritional status of adults and the elderly.

PubH 5933. Nutrition: Health/Disease Relationships. (2 cr; QP–5330, FScN 5622 or MdBc 5201 or equiv or #; SP–5330, FScN 5622 or MdBc 5201 or equiv or #) Issues in nutrition and public health; biological and epidemiologic bases for public health dietary recommendations. Relation of nutrition to heart disease, cancer, hypertension, obesity, and other conditions.

PubH 5935. Child and Adolescent Nutrition. (2 cr; QP–Grad or professional school student or #; SP–Grad or professional school student or #) Current issues and literature. Major nutrition issues of youth; biological, cultural, and psycho-social factors influencing food behaviors; and strategies for improving nutritional health.

Animal Science Courses
AnSc 8320. Concepts and Developments in Nutritional Physiology. (2 cr [max 4 cr]; SP–#; A-F only) Review and critical evaluation of pertinent scientific literature.

AnSc 8330. Concepts and Developments in Ruminant Nutrition. (1 cr [max 2 cr]; SP–#; A-F only) Review and critical evaluation of recent research reports.

AnSc 8340. Concepts and Developments in Swine Nutrition. (1 cr [max 2 cr]; SP–#; A-F only) Review and critical evaluation of scientific literature.

AnSc 8311. Animal Bioenergetics. (3 cr; QP–BioC 5331 recommended; SP–#; BioC 4331 recommended; A-F only) Integrated systems approach to energy metabolism of animals. Application of classical techniques of calorimetry and comparative slaughter, development of systems for expressing energy content of feeds, and techniques for measuring whole body and organ metabolism of specific nutrients. Offered alternate years.

All FScN Courses
All University of Minnesota Courses
Class Schedule