Nutrition - BS, Human Health Track
Nutritional sciences prepares majors with a comprehensive knowledge of the biological and social sciences to understand the relationships between nutrients, food components and human health. Prevention of diseases that are related to lifestyle, particularly diet and nutrition, is a focus of the curriculum. Core courses emphacize the integration of nutrients in biochemistry, genetics, physiology and anatomy, microbiology and immunology underlying wellness, disease, and enhancing the quality of life to promote a healthy lifespan. The major also provides an excellent background for those interested in pursuing graduate degrees in biological, nutritional or food sciences; professional degrees in medicine; dentistry, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy, nursing, public health and other health professions; or dietetic internships.
The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) and the Graduate Degree/Dietetic Internship Program are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Students who successfully complete the DPD and a dietetic internship are eligible to take the Registration Examination to become a Registered Dietitian (RD).
Two curricular tracks are offered (Didactic Program in Dietetics and Human Health) to provide flexibility in one’s chosen career path. In addition to post-graduate studies, the Nutrition major prepares students for corporate wellness positions, health promotion programs, the food industry, public health programs, pharmaceutical sales, clinical dietetics, medical and research laboratories, biotechnology firms, government agencies and related fields. For more information, visit the Department of Nutrition website.
Human Health Track
The Human Health Track provides a wide range of approved electives in order to customize a degree suited to research interests and career objectives. Through this program, students are prepared to work in community nutrition programs, education, research, and as technical representatives in the nutrition and health industry. This program especially designed for students wanting to go to graduate or professional schools such as medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, physician assistant, or pharmacy.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Credit Hours | |
| BIOL 111 | Introductory Biology I | 4 |
| CHEM 119 | Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 4 |
| ENGL 103 or ENGL 104 | Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition or Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| NUTR 204 | Perspectives in Nutrition | 1 |
| NUTR 203 | Scientific Principles of Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 210/FSTC 210 | Horizons in Nutrition and Food Science | 1 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 112 | Introductory Biology II | 4 |
| CHEM 120 | Fundamentals of Chemistry II | 4 |
| NUTR 301 | Nutrition Through Life | 3 |
| American history | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CHEM 257 | Organic Chemistry I - Structure and Function | 4 |
| ENGL 210 | Technical and Professional Writing | 3 |
| American history | 3 | |
| Mathematics 1 | 3 | |
| Social and behavioral science 2 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 258 | Organic Chemistry II - Reactivity and Applications | 4 |
| POLS 206 | American National Government | 3 |
| Creative arts 2 | 3 | |
| Mathematics 1 | 3 | |
| General elective | 1 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| POLS 207 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| NUTR 366 | Nutrients and the Human Body I | 4 |
| Nutrition elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Scientific Principles of Foods | ||
| Religious and Ethnic Foods | ||
| Nutrition in Sports | ||
| Understanding Obesity - A Social and Scientific Challenge | ||
| Nutritional Physiology of Vitamins and Minerals | ||
| Advanced Nutrition in Sports | ||
| Nutritional Pharmacometrics of Food Compounds | ||
| Community Nutrition | ||
| Nutrigenomics and Precision Nutrition | ||
| Experimental Nutrition Laboratory | ||
| Evidence-Based Practice and Synthesis Methods | ||
| Directed Studies | ||
| Special Topics in... | ||
| Research | ||
| Technical elective 3 | 3 | |
| General elective | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| GENE 301 | Comprehensive Genetics | 3 |
| NUTR 367 | Nutrients and the Human Body II | 4 |
| GENE 312 | Comprehensive Genetics Laboratory | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Biometry | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Technical elective 3 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BICH 409 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| NUTR 440 | Microbes and Microbiome in Nutrition | 4 |
| Nutrition elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Scientific Principles of Foods | ||
| Religious and Ethnic Foods | ||
| Nutrition in Sports | ||
| Understanding Obesity - A Social and Scientific Challenge | ||
| Nutritional Physiology of Vitamins and Minerals | ||
| Advanced Nutrition in Sports | ||
| Nutritional Pharmacometrics of Food Compounds | ||
| Community Nutrition | ||
| Nutrigenomics and Precision Nutrition | ||
| Experimental Nutrition Laboratory | ||
| Evidence-Based Practice and Synthesis Methods | ||
| Directed Studies | ||
| Special Topics in... | ||
| Research | ||
| Technical elective 3 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| NUTR 400 | Ethics in Nutrition and Healthcare | 1 |
| NUTR 475 | Nutrition and Physiological Chemistry | 3 |
| NUTR 481 | Seminar | 1 |
| Language, philosophy and culture 2 | 3 | |
| Nutrition elective | ||
| Select from the following: | 6 | |
| Scientific Principles of Foods | ||
| Religious and Ethnic Foods | ||
| Nutrition in Sports | ||
| Understanding Obesity - A Social and Scientific Challenge | ||
| Nutritional Physiology of Vitamins and Minerals | ||
| Advanced Nutrition in Sports | ||
| Nutritional Pharmacometrics of Food Compounds | ||
| Community Nutrition | ||
| Nutrigenomics and Precision Nutrition | ||
| Experimental Nutrition Laboratory | ||
| Evidence-Based Practice and Synthesis Methods | ||
| Directed Studies | ||
| Special Topics in... | ||
| Research | ||
| Technical elective 3 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
MATH prefix required.
- 2
The Graduation requirements include a requirement for 3 hours of International and Cultural Diversity and 3 hours of Cultural Discourse. Selection must be from courses in the Core Curriculum. Selection can be courses that also satisfy the requirement for social and behavioral sciences; creative arts; language, philosophy and culture; or electives. For more information on core requirements visit the University Core Curriculum catalog page.
- 3
Students may choose from the following technical electives: ACCT 209; BICH 431/GENE 431; BIOL 352, BIOL 413 or BIOL 414; CHEM 238, CHEM 315 and CHEM 318; COMM 203, COMM 315 or COMM 325; FINC 409; HLTH 236, HLTH 334, HLTH 354/PHLT 354, ISTM 209; MGMT 209, MGMT 309; MKTG 409, SOCI 205; PBSI 300-499; PHYS 201, PHYS 202; VTPP 425.
A total of 120 hours is required for graduation; 36 hours of 300/400 level courses are required to meet the Texas A&M University residency requirement.