About this Program
Nutrition is the study of nutrients and bioactive compounds in foods and their metabolic and physiological function for disease prevention and treatment. It’s understanding the relationship among diet, health and disease. Nutrition is interdisciplinary and is deeply rooted in chemistry, biology and the social sciences. Dietetics (includes clinical nutrition), food security, molecular nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, public health nutrition and immunology nutrition are some of the many areas of specialization. The American Society of Nutrition (ASN) states that “proper nutrition offers one of the most effective and least costly ways to decrease the burden of many diseases and their associated risk factors, including obesity. Nutrition research holds the key to increasing our understanding of the causes of obesity and its related comorbidities and thus holds promise to markedly influence global health and economies.”
Program Overview
Some of the priorities identified by ASN and environmental scan conducted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) are: 1) the interactions between genes and nutrition; 2) chronic disease prevention and management; 3) nutrition communication; 4) research; 5) nutrition-related behavior; 6) food systems – supply, environment, and access. The proposed Master of Science in Nutrition has tracks that are modern, cutting-edge and meet the priorities listed by the ASN and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Students will gain advanced knowledge in the following areas:
- Nutrient metabolism
- Nutrition education and motivational counseling
- Nutrition communication – mass and social media
- Sustainability farming – regenerative agriculture
- Food systems, access and security
- Leadership and management
- Clinical nutrition
- Research – clinical and community-based participatory
- Health promotion
- Community (public health) nutrition
- Global health, diversity, equity and inclusion in health care
Degrees Offered
- MS
Are you ready to go further?
The M.S. in Nutrition Science – Future Graduate Program Track has a dietetic clerkship accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The future graduate (FG) program is an eligibility pathway to become a credentialed nutrition practitioner – Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs).
A total of 42 credits are required for the FG track. Program requirements for the FG track are listed below:
NUTR 500 Sustainable Food Systems and Food Security | 3 |
NUTR 501 Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy | 3 |
NUTR 502 Nutritional Status Assess & Motivational Counselling | 2 |
NUTR 503 Pathophysiology & Pharmacology | 3 |
NUTR 504 Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry Seminar | 2 |
NUTR 505 Leadership, Management, and Advocacy, Seminar | 2 |
| NUTR 506 Global Health and Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 507 Dietetics Clerkship | 3-9 |
| NUTR 509 Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation | 3 |
| NUTR 512 Nutritional Genomics & Microbiome | 3 |
| NUTR 530 Health Communication | 3 |
| NUTR 579 Non-Thesis Research | 3 |
| MATH 500 - Research Method/ENV 505 – Biostatistics/BIFX 503 Statistics for Bioinformatics | 3 |
TOTAL CREDITS | 42 |
The M.S. in Nutrition Science – Applied Track is a traditional track for advanced studies in the field of nutrition. A total of 32 credits are required for the NS track. The core is 17 credits and 15 electives are required. Program Requirements NS track:
Core (17 Credits required)
NUTR 505 Leadership, Management, and Advocacy, Seminar | 2 |
NUTR 506 Global Health and Nutrition | 3 |
NUTR 509 Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation | 3 |
NUTR 512 Nutritional Genomics & Microbiome | 3 |
NUTR 579 Nutrition Independent Study | 3 |
MATH 500 Research Method/ENV 505 Biostatistics/BIFX 503 Statistics for Bioinformatics | 3 |
TOTAL CREDITS | 17 |
Electives (15 credits required)
NUTR 500 Sustainable Food Systems and Food Security | 3 |
NUTR 503 Pathophysiology & Pharmacology | 3 |
NUTR 504 Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry Seminar | 2 |
NUTR 530 Health Communication | 3 |
NUTR 556 Healthy Aging | 3 |
NUTR 599 Special Topics in Nutrition | 3 |
ENV 501 Introduction to Environmental Biology | 3 |
SUS 415/NUTR 515 Urban Agriculture | 3 |
SUS 410/NUTR 510 Bioengineering for Sustainability | 3 |
BMS 512 Biochemistry of Intermediary Metabolism | 3 |
TOTAL CREDITS | 30 |
The Sustainability Studies Track (SN) will be a joint collaboration with the sustainability studies major at Hood College and will focus on sustainable food systems/regenerative agricultural practices and community engagement to increase access to high-quality nutritious foods, improving health outcomes, while protecting the environment.
A total of 32 credits are required for the SN track. The core is 20 credits and 12 electives are required. Program requirements for the SN track:
Core (20 Credits required)
NUTR 500 Sustainable Food Systems and Food Security | 3 |
NUTR 505 Leadership, Management, and Advocacy, Seminar | 2 |
NUTR 506 Global Health and Nutrition | 3 |
NUTR 509 Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation | 3 |
NUTR 511 Nutrition Concepts and Controversies | 3 |
NUTR 579 Nutrition Independent Study | 3 |
MATH 500 Research Method/ENV 505 Biostatistics/BIFX 503 Statistics for Bioinformatics | 3 |
TOTAL CREDITS | 20 |
Electives (12 credits required)
NUTR 530 Health Communication | 3 |
NUTR 599 Special Topics in Nutrition | 3 |
ENV 501 Introduction to Environmental Biology | 3 |
ENV 502 Principles of Ecology | 3 |
ENV 503 Pollution Biology | 3 |
SUS 410/NUTR 510 Bioengineering for Sustainability | 3 |
SUS 415/NUTR 515 Urban Agriculture | 3 |
TOTAL CREDITS | 21 |
Program Contact
Anne Davis, PhD, RDN, FAND
Program Director, Nutrition Science
Nick Masucci
Assistant Director of Graduate Admission