The impact of nutrition on health and disease has produced major clinical and public policy challenges that are shaping research and career opportunities for highly trained nutritional scientists in academia, industry and government. Disease prevention efforts, increased health consciousness and an aging population are further fueling the demand for nutritional scientists. The interdisciplinary Division of Nutritional Sciences enables students in Masters of Science program to explore the interrelationship between environmental factors and nutrients and their effect on biochemistry, physiology and disease development. More than 50 faculty members provide teaching and individualized research guidance across over 20 departments and divisions in the University’s Colleges of Medicine, Health Sciences and Agriculture, as well as the Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Education. A primary area of research and training targets nutrition and chronic diseases, with a focus on obesity and associated disorders of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Other specialty areas include nutrition and oxidative stress, nutrition and aging, clinical nutrition, animal nutrition and food science.
Students in the MS in Nutritional Sciences program choose from one of the four emphasis areas: clinical nutrition, molecular and biochemical nutrition, community nutrition, and wellness/sports nutrition.
Admission Requirements
- Transcript showing a baccalaureate degree from a fully accredited institution of higher learning.
- A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.9 on undergraduate coursework and a 3.0 on all graduate work.
- For international applicants, a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which has a maximum score of 667; score of 213 on the computer-based TOEFL (maximum 300), or 79 on the internet-based TOEFL. The minimum International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) score is a 6.5. All applicants must demonstrate proficiency in verbal and written English.
- Admission for the M.S. in Nutritional Sciences with Clinical Nutrition Emphasis is limited to those with a B.S. in Dietetics, having an RD, or being RD eligible.
- Course Prerequisites: you would need to have taken an undergraduate physiology course (PGY 206 at UK) and it is highly recommended that you have taken 1 year of general chemistry (CHE 105 and 107 at UK) and 1 semester of organic chemistry (CHE 236 at UK). Biochemistry is also a prerequisite course but it can be taken your first semester for graduate credit (BCH 401G). It has prerequisites of CHE 107 and CHE 236.
Degree Requirements
Program Websites: https://pharmns.med.uky.edu/pharmns-masters-program and https://pharmns.med.uky.edu/pharmns-nutritional-sciences
The MS in Nutritional Sciences degree program is available in two options:
Core Courses for MS (12-15 credits)
*Plan B Only
**Plan A Only
Courses for Emphasis in Clinical Nutrition
Prerequisite- B.S. in Dietetics and/or meeting ADA Dietetics requirements for internship
Emphasis Credits = 7-9
Electives to equal a minimum of 30 credit hours
Courses for Emphasis in Wellness and Sports Nutrition
Emphasis credits = 11
Electives to equal a minimum of 30 credit hours
Courses for Emphasis in Community Nutrition
Emphasis credits= 9
Electives to equal a minimum of 30 credit hours
Courses for Emphasis in Molecular and Biochemical Nutrition
Emphasis Credits= 8
Electives to equal a minimum of 30 credit hours
Students can focus their curriculum in one of the four emphasis areas outlined above by selecting elective courses that meet their professional needs and personal interests. A full list of approved electives with course descriptions is available in the handbook on the program website.
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