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: Gabby Headrick

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 online during the fall or spring semesters.

University General Education Requirements - all concentrations

University Writing
One of the following University Writing Courses (4 credits):
UW 1020 | University Writing
HONR 1015 | Origins & Evolution of Modern Thought

Writing in the Disciplines (WID)
Two WID courses, which may also be counted in another category (6 credits)

Humanities
One course in the Humanities (3 credits). Click here for eligible classes.

Mathematics/Statistics
One course in Mathematics or Statistics (3 credits). Suggested courses are:
STAT 1051 | Introduction to Business & Economic Statistics (3 credits)*
STAT 1053 | Introduction to Statistics in Social Science (3 credits)*
STAT 1127 | Statistics for the Biological Sciences (3 credits)*

Science
One Natural or Physical Science Course with Laboratory (4 credits). Suggested course is:
BISC 1111 | Introduction to Biology: Cells & Molecules & Laboratory (4 credits)*

Social Science
Two courses in the Social Sciences (6 credits). Suggested courses are:
one of the following:
COMM 1040 | Public Communication (3 credits)*
COMM 1041 | Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)*
and one of the following:
ANTH 1002 | Sociocultural Anthropology (3 credits)*
ANTH 1003 | Archaeology (3 credits)*
ANTH 1004 | Language in Culture & Society (3 credits)*

* Some classes will double count towards University General Education (GenEd) requirements as well as Nutrition Core requirements. Confirm with Advisor that these courses count towards GenEd and Nutrition core requirements.

GENERAL EDUCATION TOTAL: 26 CREDITS

See the University Bulletin for most up-to-date version of GenEd requirements and approved courses here.

Nutrition Core Courses - all concentrations

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)
EXNS 2123 | Nutrition & Chronic Disease (3 credits)
EXNS 2124 | Nutrition throughout the Lifecycle (3 credits)
EXNS 2210 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology I & Lab (4 credits)
EXNS 2211 | Applied Anatomy & Physiology II & Lab (4 credits)
EXNS 3111W | Exercise and Nutrition Science Research Methods (3 credits)
EXNS 4112 | Nutrition Senior Capstone Seminar (1 credit)
PUBH 1010 | First Year Experience Course (1 credit)
PUBH 1101 | Introduction to Public Health (3 credits)
PSYC 1001 | General Psychology (3 credits)
and one of the following:
CCAS 2154 | Elective Internship (1 credit)
EXNS 3110 | Field Experience in Exercise & Nutrition Science (1 credit)
EXNS 3120 | Experiences in Community Nutrition (1 credit)
EXNS 3995 | Undergraduate Research (1 credit)

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 Nutrition core to graduate.

NUTRITION CORE TOTAL: 34 CREDITS

Course Descriptions

Guided Electives - all concentrations

Guided Electives
The courses provided on the Guided Electives list have been identified as highly relevant to the BS in Nutrition Each concentration indicates a minimum number of credits that must be selected from this approved list of 'guided elective' courses. See Concentration tab and program guide for more information.

For the most up to date list of program courses and program requirements, please reference the program guide or click the button below for EXNS and SPH course descriptions.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Non-Academic Requirements

Professional Enhancement

Students in 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

Students in the BS in Nutrition program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program. For the current program guide, click the red "PROGRAM GUIDE" button.

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

Guided Electives are courses that have been identified as highly relevant to the BS in Nutrition curricula. These preapproved courses can be found on the Guided Electives list on the program guide.

General Electives are any undergraduate course at the university, except LSPA designated courses. Students are welcome to take additional courses from the Guided Electives list as General Electives.

For the most up to date list of program and concentration requirements, please reference the program guide.

Nutrition - no concentration

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

26 credits | General Education Requirements (GenEd) & WID Courses
34 credits | BS in Nutrition Core Curriculum
18 credits | Guided Electives
42 credits | General Electives

NUTRITION, NO CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 120 CREDITS

Nutrition Science Concentration

Students majoring in nutrition who declare the Nutrition Science concentration must fulfill the following graduation requirements. The Nutrition Science concentration is recommended for students wishing to pursue an advanced degree in dietetics and become a registered dietitian. Please note that as of 2024, it is required that students have a Master’s degree to become a Registered Dietitian.

BISC 1112 | Intro Biology: Biology of Organisms (4 credits)
BISC 2336 | Introduction to Microbiology (3 credits)
BISC 2337 | Introduction to Microbiology Lab (1 credit)
BISC 3165 or CHEM 3165 | Biochemistry (3 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)
EXNS 4199 | Metabolism in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (3 credits)

CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 30 CREDITS

NUTRITION, NUTRITION SCIENCE CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 120 CREDITS

Pre-Medical Professional (PMP) Concentration

Students majoring in nutrition who declare the Pre-medical Professional concentration must fulfill the following graduation requirements. The Pre-medical Professional concentration is recommended for students wishing to apply to medical school or who plan to pursue other medical professions following completion of their undergraduate studies.

BISC 1112 | Intro Biology: Biology of Organisms (4 credits)
BISC 3165 or CHEM 3165 | Biochemistry (3 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)
MATH 1220 | Calculus with Precalculus (3 credits) or higher level MATH course
EXNS 1113 | Medical Terminology (3 credits)
PHYS 1011 | General Physics I (4 credits)
PHYS 1012 | General Physics II (4 credits)

CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 37 CREDITS

See Advising Notes in the program guide.

NUTRITION, PRE-MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 120 CREDITS

Applied Nutrition Concentration

Students majoring in nutrition who declare the Applied Nutrition concentration must fulfill the following graduation requirements. The Applied Nutrition concentration is recommended for students interested in the application of nutrition to public health and is well-suited to students with interests in nutrition policy, health promotion, nutritional epidemiology and the role of the food system in influencing dietary and health outcomes.

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

CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 18 CREDITS

NUTRITION, APPLIED NUTRITION CONCENTRATION TOTAL: 120 CREDITS

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.