Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences
Nutritional Sciences is the study of how food impacts human health, including nutrition-related chronic disease, malnutrition, metabolism, dietary patterns, and food insecurity. Nutritional scientists use chemistry, biology, nutrition, and the social sciences to understand and influence how diet shapes the health of individuals and populations.
The doctoral program in Nutritional Sciences is interdisciplinary in nature. Nutritional Sciences graduate students are exposed to a rich academic and research environment. In addition to the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department’s array of nutrition graduate courses, students are expected to broaden their program by enrolling in graduate courses in biochemistry, chemistry medical sciences, animal science, epidemiology, gerontology, physiology, veterinary medicine, bioinformatics, anthropology, microbiology, and statistics.
Learn more about the Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences on the UF Catalog website, including information on requirements for the degree, lists of courses, and student learning outcomes.
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Quick Facts
- Emphasis areas include basic nutritional sciences, biochemistry and molecular biology, genetics, immunology, physiology, animal nutrition, human nutrition, and biostatistics.
- Research areas of emphasis include:
- Human nutrition: encompasses clinical nutrition and dietetics, supplement studies, and metabolic trials; these research projects often involve use of our campus’s fully-equipped UF Clinical Research Center.
- Molecular and cellular nutrition and metabolomics: comprises nutrient transport, basic metabolism, nutrient-gene interactions, genetics, and genomics
- The minimum credit requirement is 60 credits beyond the M.S. or 90 credits beyond the B.S. in Nutritional Sciences or a related field. Entering students without the necessary undergraduate prerequisites may be required to complete certain courses without credit toward their degree.
- Some FSHN faculty participate in a separate Nutritional Sciences Doctoral program under the auspices of the Center for Nutritional Sciences.
- The Nutritional Sciences Doctoral Program is interdisciplinary and includes 28 faculty members from 5 colleges and 13 different departments on campus. All faculty in the Nutritional Doctoral Program are part of the Center for Nutritional Sciences.
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Nutritional Sciences Faculty
Learn more about our exciting faculty research on our Faculty Research page.
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Nutritional Sciences Curriculum
A curriculum is arranged based on student interest and goals, but it must include the Required Core Courses plus at least one Advanced Nutritional Sciences Course in each of these five areas: lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals (see below).
Required Core Courses:
- Advanced Metabolism
- Nutritional Sciences Seminar (Colloquium)
- Statistical Methods in Research (or appropriate substitute)
- Research Planning
Advanced Nutritional Sciences Courses (12 credits required)
- Nutritional Aspects of Lipid Metabolism
- Nutritional Aspects of Carbohydrates
- Proteins and Amino Acids in Nutrition
- Vitamins in Human Nutrition or Vitamins
- Minerals in Nutrition or Mineral Nutrition and Metabolism
- Metabolic Response to Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition
- Nutrition and Immunity
- Advanced Human Nutrition
- Analytical Techniques in Nutritional Biochemistry
- Advanced Clinical Nutrition
Learn more about specific courses offered through the FSHN Department on the Schedule of Courses website.
- Step 1: Choose the semester from the first dropdown menu.
- Step 2: Select 'Campus/Web/Special Program' from the next menu.
- Step 3: Choose 'Graduate' in the next menu.
- Step 4: Click on 'Food Science and Human Nutrition' in the last menu.
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Information for Current Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students
See Canvas for graduate forms, program plans, rubrics, seminars, the Nutritional Sciences graduate program handbook, and more. The handbook contains information on critical dates and deadlines, course selection, complete list of course requirements, degree requirements, grade requirements, presentation of research, changing majors, graduate assistantships, and much more.
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Financial Information for Graduate Students
Learn more here.
- HOW TO APPLY
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Contact Us
Dr. Bobbi Langkamp-Henken, Graduate Coordinator