Nutrition - BS | Milken Institute School of Public Health

Nutrition - BS

Nutrition is the study of how nutrients and food components influence growth, metabolism, health, and disease and also includes human behavior as it relates to food choices and dietary patterns. Nutrition is a multi-faceted and cross-disciplinary field, encompassing chemistry, biology, physiology, psychology, and public health. Nutrition scientists work to develop, extend, and apply all aspects of nutrition through research to improve clinical practice and public health.

The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Nutrition program mission is to provide undergraduates with an in-depth understanding of the scientific aspects of food and nutrition. The program provides student with a comprehensive foundation in nutrition and lays the groundwork for integrating nutrition across disciplines. The program consists of a common set of core nutrition courses, while also providing students with opportunity to tailor their coursework towards pursuing future schooling and careers in dietetics, medicine and the health sciences, public health nutrition, and nutrition policy.

Students have the option to pursue the following four curriculums within the BS in Nutrition program:

BS in Nutrition, no concentration
BS in Nutrition, Nutrition Science concentration
BS in Nutrition, Pre-Medical Professional concentration
BS in Nutrition, Applied Nutrition concentration

Please go to Dual Degrees for information on the BS Nutrition/MPH Dual Degree program.

See the BS Nutrition Program Guide and the GWSPH Undergraduate Handbook for more information and program policies.

Program Director: Allison Sylvetsky

Undergraduate Advising

Join T.E.A.M Milken! T.E.A.M. Milken is open to all GWSPH undergraduate majors. Our goal is to provide individualized support to students so you will thrive at GW and be prepared to launch your public health career.

Per GW policy, undergraduate students may not take courses on-line during the fall or spring semesters.

University General Education Requirements - all concentrations

University Writing: UW 1020-University Writing or HONR 1015 (4 credits)
WID: Two WID courses (may also be counted in another category) (6 credits)
Humanities: One course in Humanities (3 credits)
Math/Stats: One course in Mathematics or Statistics (3 credits)
Science: One Natural or Physical Science Course with Laboratory (4 credits)
Social Science: Two courses in the Social Sciences (6 credits)

* Note some classes will double count: for GenEd and Exercise Science Core requirements.

GER TOTAL 26 credit hours

See the University Bulletin for most up-to-date version of GenEd requirements and approved courses: GenEd's Here

Nutrition Core Courses - all concentrations

PUBH 1010 | First Year Experience Course (1 credit)

PUBH 1101 | Introduction to Public Health (3 credits)

BISC 1111* | Intro Biology: Cells & Molecules

EXNS 1110 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology I & Lab (4 credits)

EXNS 1111 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology II & Lab (4 credits)

CHEM 1110 | Fundamentals of Chemistry (2 credits)

EXNS 1109 | **Professional Foundations in Nutrition (1 credit)

EXNS 2119 | Introduction to Nutrition Science (3 credits)

EXNS 2120 | Assessment of Nutritional Status (3 credits)

PSYC 1001 | General Psychology (3 credits)

EXNS 2123 | Nutrition and Chronic Disease (3 credits)

EXNS 2124 | Nutrition throughout the Lifecycle (3 credits)

EXNS 3111W | Exercise and Nutrition Science Research Methods (3 credits)

EXNS 4112 | Nutrition Senior Capstone Seminar (1 credit)

COMM* | 1040 or 1041 (satisfies Social Science & Oral Communication requirement)

ANTH* | 1002 or 1003 or 1004 (satisfies Social Science & Global/Cross Cultural Perspective requirement)

STAT* | 1051 or 1053 or 1127

This course fulfills a General Education requirement and is counted in GenEd.

Note: All SPH programs require students to earn a C– or above in the core curriculum applicable to their major, including required and elective courses and prerequisites for core courses. Nutrition majors must earn a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the Exercise Science core to graduate.

NUTRITION CORE TOTAL: 34 credits

Exercise and Nutrition Science Department Course Descriptions

Nutrition Guided Electives

Guided Electives - the courses provided on the Guided Electives list have been identified as highly relevant to the BS in Nutrition curricula. Each concentration requires a different minimum number of credits to be selected from this approved list of 'guided elective' courses. Please see the program guide.

NUTRITION GUIDED ELECTIVES TOTAL: VARIES

Non-Academic Requirements

Professional Enhancement

Students in GW SPH programs must participate in eight hours of Professional Enhancement. These activities may be Public Health-related lectures, seminars, or symposia related to your field of study.

Professional Enhancement activities supplement the rigorous academic curriculum of the SPH degree programs and help prepare students to participate actively in the professional community. You can learn more about opportunities for Professional Enhancement via the Milken Institute School of Public Health Listserv, through departmental communications, or by speaking with your advisor.

Students submit a completed Professional Enhancement Form to the Office of Student Records which is required documentation to be cleared for graduation.

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training

All students are required to complete the Basic CITI training module in Social and Behavioral Research. This online training module for Social and Behavioral Researchers will help new students demonstrate and maintain sufficient knowledge of the ethical principles and regulatory requirements for protecting human subjects - key for any public health research.

Academic Integrity Quiz

All Milken Institute School of Public Health students are required to review the University’s Code of Academic Integrity and complete the GW Academic Integrity Activity. This activity must be completed within 2 weeks of matriculation. Information on GWSPH Academic Integrity requirements can be found here.

Past Program Guides

NOTE: Please reach out to your current advisor for any questions.

See the BS Nutrition Program Guide and the GWSPH Undergraduate Handbook for more information and program policies.

BS Nutrition - no concentration

Students majoring in nutrition and who do not declare a concentration must fulfill the following graduation requirements.

26 credits | General Education Requirements
34 credits | BS in Nutrition Core Curriculum
18 credits | Nutrition Guided Electives
42 credits | General Electives

120 CREDITS | TOTAL BS NUTRITION, NO CONCENTRATION

Nutrition Science Concentration

Concentration Requirements

BISC 1112 | Intro Biology: Biology of Organisms (4 credits)
CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHEM 1112 | General Chemistry II (4 credits)
CHEM 2151 | Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
CHEM 2153 | Organic Chemistry I Lab (1 credit)
CHEM 2152 | Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
CHEM 2154 | Organic Chemistry II Lab (1 credit)
BISC 3165 or CHEM 3165 | Biochemistry (3 credits)
EXNS 4199 | Metabolism in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (3 credits)
BISC 2336 | Introduction to Microbiology (3 credits)
BISC 2337 | Introduction to Microbiology Lab (1 credit)

CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 30 CREDITS

120 CREDITS | NUTRITION SCIENCE CONCENTRATION TOTAL

Pre-Medical Professional (PMP) Concentration

Concentration Requirements

BISC 1112 | Intro Biology: Biology of Organisms (4 credits)
CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHEM 1112 | General Chemistry II (4 credits)
CHEM 2151 | Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
CHEM 2153 | Organic Chemistry I Lab (1 credit)
MATH ≥ 1220 | Calculus with Precalculus 3 (or higher-level MATH) (3 credits)
CHEM 2152 | Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
CHEM 2154 | Organic Chemistry II Lab (1 credit)
BISC 3165 or CHEM 3165 | Biochemistry (3 credits)
PHYS 1011 | General Physics 1 (4 credits)
PHYS 1012 | General Physics 2 (4 credits)
EXNS 1113 | Medical Terminology (3 credits)

CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 37 CREDITS

See Advising Notes for Pre-Medical Professional (PMP) Concentration in the program guide. Note: Students following the PMP concentration must consult with the University Pre-Health advising team (https://prehealth.gwu.edu/) regarding pre-health expectations and procedures.

120 CREDITS | TOTAL PRE-MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL CONCENTRATION

Applied Nutrition Concentration

Concentration Requirements

EXNS 1114 | Community Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 2126W | International Nutrition (3 credits)
EXNS 2122 | Food System in Public Health (3 credits)
EXNS 2127 | Introduction to Food Policy (3 credits)
PUBH 2112 | Principles of Health Education/Promotion (3 credits)
PUBH 3131 | Introduction to Epidemiology: Measuring Health and Disease (3 credits)

CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 18 CREDITS

120 CREDITS | TOTAL APPLIED NUTRITION CONCENTRATION

The Nutrition Science major will accept all qualified applicants into the major through the internal transfer process. Students must have a 2.5 GPA or higher to qualify for the major.

You may access the internal transfer form here. Internal transfer forms must be submitted by February 15th (for fall transfer) and October 15th (for spring transfer).

Prospective high school students may apply directly to the public health program via the Common Application. Prospective GW students should review the undergraduate admissions page for details about the process.

For more information, visit Undergraduate Advising.