Minor in Nutritional Sciences

A woman adds a slide to a microscope in a lab.

The minor in Nutritional Sciences is for students with a solid foundation in science who are interested in learning how nutrition impacts the different aspects of human health, such as illness, disease, pregnancy, and energy metabolism.

This minor helps prepare students with a foundation in nutrition in career paths like medicine, nursing, agriculture, kinesiology, biology, chemistry, and other similar fields.

Requirements

Students are required to take three 3-credit courses and can use the remaining nine credits to their advantage by choosing classes that fit their academic interests.

Some courses are only offered in the fall or spring semesters. For information on when courses are offered, see Penn State's Schedule of Courses.

Please see the Penn State Minor Policy for additional considerations regarding minors at Penn State.

Prescribed Courses (9 credits): NUTR 251 Introductory Principals of Nutrition
NUTR 358 Assessment of Nutritional Status*
*Prerequisite: NUTR 251
NUTR 445 Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism*
*Prerequisites: NUTR 251, BIOL 161-164, BMB 211, NUTR 211R

Additional Courses (9 credits): Students must take an additional six credits in 400-level nutritional sciences courses, excluding NUTR 495. NUTR 496 may be counted towards completion of the minor up to a three-credit maximum.

The remaining three credits can be any nutritional sciences course, excluding NUTR 100.

Check the University Bulletin for all nutritional sciences courses and their prerequisites.

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Not sure if this minor fits your academic needs? Consider the Nutrition Studies minor to determine which one best fits your career goals.

Minor in Nutrition Studies