Nutrition Science Major (B.S.)

Major code BS6479*

College of Health Sciences and Professions
Food and Nutrition Sciences
Grover Center E160
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.566.0470
amandaknotts@ohio.edu
www.ohio.edu/chsp/food-nutrition/undergraduate/nutrition-science

Jana Hovland, contact person hovland@ohio.edu

Program Overview

The nutrition science (pre-health professional) major is for those interested in applying to graduate-level health professional programs such as medical school, physician assistant programs, optometry, dentistry, pharmacy, occupational therapy, veterinary medicine, and more. The major is designed to give students a strong nutrition science background while meeting the requirements for most graduate-level health professional programs. Students gain insight into the role of food and nutrition in preventing and treating diseases. Students develop clinical assessment skills while applying nutritional biochemistry.

To remain active in this program students must:

maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 (C) or better in all hours attempted at Ohio University; and
earn at least a 2.0 (C) or better in all major and related required courses.

Additional elective courses may be needed to gain admission into some professional/graduate programs. Each student will be assigned an advisor who will assist them in selecting courses.

Note: Admission to graduate and professional programs can be very competitive, with most programs requiring a minimum accumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher. Completing the graduation requirements of Ohio University and the Nutrition Science program does not guarantee that students will be accepted into post-baccalaureate programs. Students must apply to and be granted acceptance into such programs.

*This program was previously BS6474 which awarded the Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutrition Sciences degree. Pending Board of Trustees approval (anticipated June 2024), the new program code will be BS6479 and will award the Bachelor of Science degree effective the 2024-25 catalog year.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program:

Students will be able to integrate nutrition-related information and research into nutrition-related practice.
Students will be able to integrate food-related information and research into food-related practice.
Students will be able to demonstrate effective written communication through portfolio development for professional level practice.
Students will be able to develop and implement a nutrition and wellness intervention for individuals/groups, considering the role of environment, food, nutrition, and lifestyle choices on health promotion and disease prevention.
Students will be able to describe basic concepts of nutritional genomics.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Change of Program Policy

No selective or limited admission requirements.

External Transfer Admission

No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

The nutrition science major prepares students for a variety of opportunities upon graduation. First, students are prepared to apply to graduate-level health professional programs such as medical school, physician assistant programs, optometry, dentistry, pharmacy, occupational therapy, veterinary medicine, and more. Second, graduates are prepared to pursue graduate programs in nutrition and food. Third, students can pursue careers in food and nutrition research, nutrition education, nutrition policy development, or related areas.

Requirements

University-wide Graduation Requirements

Ohio University requires completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours for conferral of a bachelor’s degree. However, the nutrition science major requires a minimum of 123 semester hours. For more information on the minimum hours requirement and other university-wide requirements, please review the Graduation Requirements – University-wide page.