Nutrition — MS, PhD
The Department of Nutritional Sciences offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science (MS) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in nutrition. For the MS degree, the student may specialize in general, community, clinical or sports nutrition. The department emphasizes the integration of knowledge from various fields for the purpose of understanding and developing professional skills for careers in higher education, government, and food, and healthcare industries.
For admission to the MS or PhD programs, the student must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, a satisfactory GPA, a satisfactory GRE score, and acceptable undergraduate academic preparation. The admission committee will evaluate all application items, including transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, a statement of intent, and resume. International applicants are also required to submit satisfactory TOEFL scores. Applicants lacking background requirements in chemistry and anatomy and physiology for the nutrition program must make up deficiencies prior to starting the program.
The MS degree with a thesis track requires a minimum of 30 semester hours and a thesis. The MS degree with the nonthesis track requires a minimum of 33 semester hours and a scholarly research project.
Required courses for the thesis track in nutrition include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NTRI 7500 | Minerals | 3 |
| NTRI 7510 | Vitamins | 3 |
| NTRI 7520 | Macronutrients Integr Metabo | 4 |
| NTRI 7530 | Human Nutrient Metabolism | 4 |
| ERMA 7300 | Design and Analysis in Ed I | 3-4 |
| or STAT 7000 | Experimental Statistics I | |
| NTRI 7050 | Methods Of Research | 2 |
| NTRI 7850 | Research Seminar for MS | 1 |
| NTRI 7990 | Research And Thesis (minimum of 5 hours) | 1-10 |
| Elective Graduate Level Courses | 5 | |
The non-thesis track in Nutrition is available through both distance education and on campus.
Required courses for the non-thesis track in nutrition include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NTRI 7500 | Minerals | 3 |
| NTRI 7510 | Vitamins | 3 |
| NTRI 7520 | Macronutrients Integr Metabo | 4 |
| NTRI 7530 | Human Nutrient Metabolism | 4 |
| ERMA 7300 | Design and Analysis in Ed I | 3-4 |
| or STAT 7000 | Experimental Statistics I | |
| NTRI 7050 | Methods Of Research | 2 |
| NTRI 7850 | Research Seminar for MS | 1 |
| NTRI 7980 | Nonthesis Research (minimum of 5 hours) | 1-6 |
| Elective Graduate Level Courses | 8 | |
The MS in Nutrition (Non-Thesis) with Dietetic Internship Experience offers a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised field experience in conjunction with the MS degree to enable baccalaureate degree graduates of Didactic Programs in Dietetics (DPDs) the opportunity to fulfill the experiential requirements to sit for the Registration Examination for Dietitians. Students complete 9-credit hours of field experience taking NTRI 7010 Advanced Practicum in Dietetics as the elective courses for the non-thesis option. Academic coursework is completed over the first year, followed by the field experience. Supervised practice will occur in various settings, including acute and critical care, outpatient, long-term care, wellness, public health, community, school foodservice, and other professional settings. The Auburn University Dietetic Internship Experience emphasis is in Public Health and Community Nutrition. The supervised practice is completed regionally in Alabama and Georgia (within an approximate 60 mile radius) or may be arranged via distance at student-coordinated sites subject to approval by the Dietetic Internship Director. Graduates who successfully complete the Auburn University MS in Nutrition with Dietetic Internship Experience will be eligible to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians.
Examples of elective courses for the MS in nutrition may include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NTRI 6820 | Nutrition In The Life Cycle | 3 |
| NTRI 6560 | Nutr And Food Service Mgt | 3 |
| NTRI 6020 | Medical Nutrition I | 4 |
| NTRI 6030 | Medical Nutrition II | 4 |
| NTRI 6620 | Sports Nutrition | 3 |
| KINE 7680 | Adv Physiology of Exercise | 3 |
| KINE 7700 | Adv Physiology of Exercise II | 3 |
| KINE 8780 | Biochemistry of Exercise | 3 |
| KINE 6500 | Clin Ex Test | 2 |
| KINE 6400 | Ex Assessment Rx & Programming | 3 |
| KINE 7750 | Advanced Sport Psychology | 3 |
| VBMS 7070 | Endocrinology | 4 |
| BIOL 6220 | Intro Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 6190 | Cell And Mol Signal Transduct | 3 |
| BCHE 7220 | Prin Of Cellular Molec Enzy | 3 |
| BIOL 6500 | Immunology | 3 |
| BCHE 7280 | Topics In Biochemistry | 1-3 |
| NTRI 7910 | Practicum In Nutr and Dietetic | 1-12 |
| ADED 7600 | Nature Of Adult Education | 3 |
| ADED 7060 | Curic And Pgm Plan In Adult Ed | 3 |
| NTRI 7930 | Advanced Independent Study | 1-6 |
| NTRI 7010 | Advanced Practicum in Dietetic | 1-9 |
PhD Degree
The PhD degree requires a minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, a general doctoral examination with written and oral components, and a dissertation describing original research in the area of nutrition. The student becomes a candidate for the degree on successful completion of the general examinations. Course requirements for the PhD degree in nutrition are the same as for the corresponding Master’s degree or an equivalent course from another institution plus NTRI 8970, NTRI 8850, and NTRI 7280. Laboratories are available for human, animal, chemical, and physical research. Supporting courses to strengthen the nutrition major may be in, but not limited to, biochemistry, physiology, chemistry, animal science, kinesiology, education, and biostatistics.
Course requirements for the PhD degree in nutrition include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NTRI 7500 | Minerals | 3 |
| NTRI 7510 | Vitamins | 3 |
| NTRI 7520 | Macronutrients Integr Metabo | 4 |
| NTRI 7530 | Human Nutrient Metabolism | 4 |
| NTRI 7280 | Lab Meth In Food Sci And Nutr | 3 |
| ERMA 7300 | Design and Analysis in Ed I | 3-4 |
| or STAT 7000 | Experimental Statistics I | |
| ERMA 7310 | Design & Analysis in Ed II | 3 |
| or STAT 7010 | Experimental Statistics II | |
| NTRI 7050 | Methods Of Research | 2 |
| NTRI 8850 | Research Sem For Doct Program | 1-2 |
| NTRI 8970 | Adv Tops Nut, Die, & Hosp Mngt | 1-6 |
| NTRI 8990 | Research And Dissertation | 1-10 |
| Elective Graduate Level Courses | ||
Examples of elective courses for the PhD degree in nutrition may include:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| NTRI 6020 | Medical Nutrition I | 4 |
| NTRI 6030 | Medical Nutrition II | 4 |
| NTRI 6560 | Nutr And Food Service Mgt | 3 |
| NTRI 6620 | Sports Nutrition | 3 |
| NTRI 6820 | Nutrition In The Life Cycle | 3 |
| KINE 7680 | Adv Physiology of Exercise | 3 |
| KINE 7700 | Adv Physiology of Exercise II | 3 |
| KINE 8780 | Biochemistry of Exercise | 3 |
| KINE 6500 | Clin Ex Test | 2 |
| KINE 6400 | Ex Assessment Rx & Programming | 3 |
| KINE 7750 | Advanced Sport Psychology | 3 |
| VBMS 7070 | Endocrinology | 4 |
| BIOL 6220 | Intro Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 6500 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOL 6190 | Cell And Mol Signal Transduct | 3 |
| BCHE 7220 | Prin Of Cellular Molec Enzy | 3 |
| BCHE 7280 | Topics In Biochemistry | 1-3 |
| NTRI 7910 | Practicum In Nutr and Dietetic | 1-12 |
| ADED 7600 | Nature Of Adult Education | 3 |
| ADED 7060 | Curic And Pgm Plan In Adult Ed | 3 |
| NTRI 7930 | Advanced Independent Study | 1-6 |
| NTRI 7010 | Advanced Practicum in Dietetic | 1-9 |