The nutrition program celebrated 100 years of graduates in 2022 and commemorated the milestone with special events and stories thoughout the year. Learn more here.
At UNH, you have three curriculum options (Dietetics Option, Nutrition and Wellness Option, Nutritional Sciences Option) for pursuing a bachelor's degree in nutrition. Students typically declare an option within the nutrition major no later than the second semester of their sophomore year.
Read more about our Nutrition and Wellness option below.
Nutrition and wellness is a flexible program that provides students with a foundation in chemistry, anatomy, physiology and microbiology, while also including courses on stress, wellness and exercise science. Students gain real-world experience providing hands-on nutrition and health guidance. To help align their degree program with career goals, students are strongly encouraged to pursue a minor in areas such as kinesiology, business or health management, or a dual major in EcoGastronomy.
The nutrition and wellness program at UNH prepares students for employment in a variety of wellness and health promotion settings including schools, fitness centers, nonprofit organizations and community agencies. Students have exceptional opportunities within a dynamic curriculum that includes specific courses in weight management, sports nutrition and the physiological impacts of stress, as well as applied research and community engagement. We also offer the UNH-in-Italy program, which allows students to experience the medieval city of Ascoli Piceno while studying diet, nutrition and food culture in another part of the world.
Nutrition is the study of how nutrients and food components function at molecular, cellular, and whole-body levels to impact human health and disease. Students are grounded in fundamental sciences as they develop nutrition-specific competencies in nutrition and health, foods, nutritional assessment, wellness, life cycle nutrition, and/or metabolic biochemistry.
The nutrition program prepares students for entry-level positions in health care, education, or the biotechnology industry, or entry into post-baccalaureate professional programs. Nutrition faculty have expertise in clinical nutrition, sports nutrition, and food science, as well as assessing risk factors of chronic disease risk (i.e. obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, cognitive) in diverse populations (pediatric, young adult, older adult).
Students who complete the Nutrition and Wellness option are prepared for jobs in agencies or businesses that have an emphasis on health and wellness, including schools, fitness centers, and non-profit or community organizations.
SAMPLE Course Sequence for Nutrition and Wellness
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| NUTR 400 | Nutrition in Health and Well Being | 4 |
| NUTR 401 | Professional Perspectives on Nutrition | 1 |
| BMS 507 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| SOC 400 or PSYC 401 |
Introductory Sociology or Introduction to Psychology |
4 |
| ENGL 401 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| NUTR 476 | Nutritional Assessment | 4 |
| BMS 508 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| HMP 401 | United States Health Care Systems | 4 |
| Discovery course | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CHEM 411 | Introductory Chemistry for Life Sciences | 4 |
| NUTR 403 | Culinary Arts Skills Development | 4 |
| OT 513 | Stressed Out: The Science and Nature of Human Stress | 4 |
| Inquiry course | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| NUTR 506 | Nutrition and Wellness | 4 |
| BMCB 501 | Biological Chemistry | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
BIOL 528 |
Applied Biostatistics I | |
PSYC 402 |
Statistics in Psychology | |
SOC 402 |
Statistics | |
| Elective (WI) | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| NUTR 546 | Nutrition in Exercise and Sports | 4 |
| NUTR 610 | Nutrition Education and Counseling | 4 |
| BMS 501 | Microbes in Human Disease | 4 |
| EXSC 620 or HPE 648 |
Physiology of Exercise or Current Issues in Teaching Health |
4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| NUTR 650 | Life Cycle Nutrition | 4 |
| ENGL 502 or ENGL 503 |
Professional and Technical Writing or Persuasive Writing |
4 |
| HMP 501 | Epidemiology and Community Medicine | 4 |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| NUTR 755 | Treatment of Adult Obesity | 3 |
| NUTR 758 | Practicum in Weight Management | 2 |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Discovery Course or Elective | 4 | |
| Elective (any course) | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 16-17 | |
| Spring | ||
| NUTR 720 | Community Nutrition | 4 |
| 700-level Elective | 4 | |
| Discovery Course | 4 | |
| Elective (any course) | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Total Credits | 128-130 | |
A minimum grade of C-minus or better must be earned in all NUTR courses required by the major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | ||
| BMS 507 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BMS 508 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| SOC 400 | Introductory Sociology | 4 |
| or PSYC 401 | Introduction to Psychology | |
| Choose ONE statistics course | 4 | |
BIOL 528 | Applied Biostatistics I | |
PSYC 402 | Statistics in Psychology | |
SOC 402 | Statistics | |
| Science Core Courses | ||
| CHEM 411 | Introductory Chemistry for Life Sciences | 4 |
| BMS 501 | Microbes in Human Disease | 4 |
| BMCB 501 | Biological Chemistry | 4 |
| Nutrition Core Courses | ||
| NUTR 400 | Nutrition in Health and Well Being | 4 |
| NUTR 401 | Professional Perspectives on Nutrition | 1 |
| NUTR 476 | Nutritional Assessment | 4 |
| NUTR 650 | Life Cycle Nutrition | 4 |
| Nutrition and Wellness Courses | ||
| NUTR 403 | Culinary Arts Skills Development | 4 |
| NUTR 506 | Nutrition and Wellness | 4 |
| NUTR 546 | Nutrition in Exercise and Sports | 4 |
| NUTR 610 | Nutrition Education and Counseling | 4 |
| NUTR 720 | Community Nutrition | 4 |
| NUTR 755 | Treatment of Adult Obesity | 3 |
| NUTR 758 | Practicum in Weight Management | 2 |
| OT 513 | Stressed Out: The Science and Nature of Human Stress | 4 |
| ENGL 502 | Professional and Technical Writing | 4 |
| or ENGL 503 | Persuasive Writing | |
| HMP 401 | United States Health Care Systems | 4 |
| HMP 501 | Epidemiology and Community Medicine | 4 |
| EXSC 620 | Physiology of Exercise | 4 |
| or HPE 648 | Current Issues in Teaching Health | |
| 700-level elective | 4-5 | |
Nutrition and Wellness Capstone Experience
One capstone experience, supervised and approved within the major, is required of all seniors. The capstone explores areas of interest based on the integration of prior learning. The capstone requirement for Wellness students is satisfied through the completion of NUTR 720 Community Nutrition or NUTR 755 Treatment of Adult Obesity during their senior year.
NOTE: Both NUTR 720 Community Nutrition and NUTR 755 Treatment of Adult Obesity are required courses; one of these courses must be taken during the student's senior year to fulfill the university's capstone requirement.
Students entering the University as first-year or transfer students may declare Nutrition as part of the UNH admission process. First-year and transfer students who are admitted directly into Nutrition will be assigned an academic faculty advisor who will work with you throughout your course of study.
We welcome applications from UNH students who wish to transfer to the Nutrition Major from other degree programs. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
The following guidelines will be used in review of submissions from UNH students wishing to transfer into the Nutrition Program.
All students wishing to transfer into the Nutrition Program must have:
All students may transfer into one of the following:
Students interested in transferring into the Nutrition: Dietetics Option, must also meet the following 3 requirements:
To facilitate a change of major into Nutrition, students will submit an application requesting the transfer from another degree program.
Students admitted to the Nutrition major at UNH are required to declare, and be formally admitted into, one of the following options:
Nutrition majors designate an option once they have successfully completed: 1) NUTR 400, 2) NUTR 401, & 3) BMS 507 or CHEM 403 (CHEM 411 for Wellness). The Fall and Spring semester deadlines are September 15th and February 15th, respectively.
CHANAS is a wonderful venue for those interested in undergraduate and graduate research projects. Each semester UNH students work as research assistants for the project and, in the process, gain valuable research and clinical skills.
Advising is available for UNH students, alumni, and post baccalaureates pursuing health professional careers.
The Pre-Health Advising Office provides support throughout the process of preparing for health professions school from advising on the courses they should take to helping navigate through the complex steps of the application process.
