The Nutrition concentration is designed for BS Health Sciences students who want to pursue either graduate work in nutrition or dietetics, or immediately move to a career in the field. The field of nutritional sciences draws upon several disciplines, including biological sciences, to understand the relationships between food, nutrients, and human health. The concentration in Nutrition offers health science majors courses concerned with the nature and biochemical function of essential and non-essential nutrients, nutrient requirements, the role of nutrients in gene expression, and the role of diet in both risks of chronic disease and treatment of existing disease states. Students completing the concentration in Nutrition most often choose to continue their education in graduate school and pursue careers in the applied aspects of nutrition or in laboratory-based or epidemiological research.
Learning outcomes
As a result of completing the B.S. in Health Sciences, graduates will be able to apply principles of health and wellness as a lifelong process of learning grounded in the study of basic and applied health sciences.
- Students will understand the fundamental biological, chemical, and physical properties underlying life systems.
- Students will understand the basic principles of community health, exercise & fitness, and nutrition as they relate to the health sciences professions.
- Students will be aware of professional, clinical, ethical, and privacy issues that are pertinent to careers in the health sciences.
- Students will be knowledgeable about fundamental concepts and practices related to the study of disease distributions in populations.
- Students will be able to produce research and/or grant proposals utilizing the proper scientific methodology of evidence-based experimental data.
- Students will be able to read, critically evaluate, construct, and present peer-reviewed scientific publications in an organized and effective manner.
- Students will understand the principles of human nutrition and its relationship to health and wellness using evidence-based strategies.
Accelerated master’s degree: BS-MS Human Nutrition option
An accelerated master’s degree: BS-MS Human Nutrition option is available for eligible UB undergraduate Health Science students with a concentration in Nutrition. Students will be able to complete the coursework1 for both degrees within five (5) years of their initial matriculation in the undergraduate Health Sciences program. Students in this program take the prerequisite courses for the MS in Human Nutrition program while working toward their bachelor’s, which will earn them nine (9) credit hours of advanced standing in the MS program. Qualified students2 will also take up to seven (7) credit hours of graduate core curriculum courses during their senior undergraduate year. These seven credits will double-count as undergraduate electives and MS Human Nutrition graduate credits.
1 All courses for both degrees can be completed in five years. Comprehensive exam must be taken 2-3 months after the completion of master’s course work as a requirement of earning the MS degree.
2 To qualify for this accelerated program, the student must complete CHEM 113/114, HSCI 230, and BIOL 113/114 with a grade of B or better prior to their senior year and have completed 90 credits of undergraduate course work. Overall GPA must be 3.0 or better as the student enters their senior year.
