Department of Nutrition Sciences

Grad Additional Info

Chair:	Barbara Gower, PhD
Phone:	(205) 934-4087
Email:	bgower@uab.edu
Website:	https://www.uab.edu/shp/nutrition/

The Department of Nutrition Sciences is the global leader in incorporating nutrition and lifestyle research and education to prevent chronic disease and facilitate optimum health in everyone. We work to achieve our goal by translating the science of nutrition and lifestyle into real-world programs and initiatives that improve people’s lives in an effort to create a happier, healthier world. 

At the undergraduate level, we have a B.S. in Nutrition Sciences that delves into the relationships among human health, mindfulness, nutrition, and medicine. We offer an M.S. in Nutrition Sciences with five tracks covering all angles from clinical to research. And at the doctoral level, we provide training and research experiences in basic and translational nutrition science. With a mixture of in-classroom and online courses, our undergraduate, master’s, and PhD programs are training the next generation of nutrition researchers, educators, dietitians, and practitioners.

Nutrition Sciences

Program Director: Eric P. Plaisance, PhD, FACSM

The B.S. in Nutrition Sciences program curriculum prepares students for entry into the nutrition and wellness workforce in many types of organizations, including nutrition and healthcare, universities, hospitals, food and nutrition providers, insurance agencies, corporations, or for graduate and professional study in health professions, including further study in Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education track. Students go on to become health and wellness educators, medical or health services managers, and clinical research staff, to name just a few exciting careers, and find positions in a wide range of private and public industries. You will learn about nutrition and wellness in this program, including the biological processes and behaviors within the science of nutrition and nutrition’s role in health, wellbeing, and disease prevention.

The UAB Nutrition Sciences Department has all resources you need to tailor your studies to the areas of nutrition and wellness that most interest you, including active clinical practices, research labs, and two NIH-funded interdisciplinary research centers – the UAB Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the UAB Diabetes Research Center (DRC). Our faculty have a wealth of expertise in nutrition-related areas, including lifecycle, metabolism, genetics, diabetes, obesity, cancer, aging, cardiometabolic disease, cardiovascular disease, personalized disease prevention, data analysis, and telehealth. If you would like to pursue a master’s degree or PhD after graduation, you will be well prepared for any nutrition sciences or allied health program you choose.

Program Admission

The UAB Office of Undergraduate Admissions accepts applications to the Nutrition Sciences program at any time. Students may begin the program at the start of any full academic term. Information and the online application for freshman, transfer, returning, and non-traditional admissions is available here.

Students intending to enroll in the Nutrition Sciences program must meet all undergraduate admission and academic requirements for UAB and the School of Health Professions.

Entering freshmen are admitted directly to the Nutrition Sciences program through the UAB Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Admission to the program from high school requires graduation from an accredited high school with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Transfer admissions from another college or university and UAB students changing their declared major to Nutrition Sciences must have an overall GPA of 2.75 or higher and an institutional GPA of 2.75 or higher, if applicable.

Academic Requirements

The minimum overall and institutional GPA required for admission to the program (2.75) must be maintained for continued enrollment throughout the program. A student whose GPA falls below the minimum will be allowed two semesters to recover before dismissal from the major. A student who is dismissed from the Nutrition Sciences major in such a manner may reapply once the student has raised his or her overall and institutional GPA to the program or track minimum. A letter grade of C or higher is required for each course in the program curriculum.

Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nutrition Sciences

Requirements		Hours
Blazer Core Curriculum		41
Local Beginnings
HRP 101	Experience the University Transition
Academic Foundations: Quantitative Literacy
MA 106	Pre-Calculus Trigonometry 1
Support Courses (C or better required)
BY 123 & 123L	Introductory Biology I and Introductory Biology I Laboratory	4
CH 115 & CH 116	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory	4
CH 117 & CH 118	General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory	4
CH 235 & CH 236	Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory	4
BY 261 & 261L	Introduction to Microbiology and Introduction to Microbiology Laboratory	4
BY 115	Human Anatomy	4
BY 116	Introductory Human Physiology	4
CHHS 141	Lifelong Health & Wellness	3
Approved Physics or Elective		6-8
Approved Statistics 2		3
Approved Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology Course 3		3
Major Courses
NTR 121	Well Being and You	3
NTR 201	Healthy People, Healthy Planet	3
NTR 222	Nutrition and Health	3
NTR 232	Lifecycle Nutrition	3
NTR 300	Nutrition Communication: From Science to Consumer	3
NTR 320	Nutrition and the Consumer	3
NTR 330	Nutrition and Metabolism	3
NTR 420	Nutritional Genetics	3
NTR 421	Nutrition Assessment and the Nutrition Care Process	3
NTR 433	Health and Wellness in the Information Age	3
NTR 444	Nutrition in Wellness and in Chronic Disease	3
NTR 450	Translational Research in Nutrition Sciences	3
NTR 490	Capstone Experience in Nutrition Sciences	3
Total Hours		123-125

¹

MA 106 or higher

²

Choose one of the following: HCM 360, MA 180, PY 216, or QM 214 and QM 215

³

Choose one of the following: PY 107, PY 305, SW 315, PUH 204, or SOC 280

Contact Information

Department of Nutrition Sciences
Telephone: (205) 975-2984
Nutrition Sciences Program

Proposed Program of Study for a Major in Nutrition Sciences 

Freshman
First Term	Hours	Second Term	Hours
Academic Foundations: Writing	3	Academic Foundations: Writing	3
HRP 101	3	BY 123	4
CH 115	3	BY 123L	0
CH 116	1	NTR 222	3
NTR 121	3	PY 101	3
MA 106	3	CH 117	3
		CH 118	1
	16		17
Sophomore
First Term	Hours	Second Term	Hours
CH 235	3	NTR 320	3
CH 236	1	NTR 330	3
NTR 232	3	BY 115	4
Thinking Broadly: Humans & their Societies	3	Academic Foundations: Reasoning	3
Approved Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology Course1	3	NTR 421	3
Thinking Broadly: Creative Arts	3
	16		16
Junior
First Term	Hours	Second Term	Hours
BY 116	4	NTR 201	3
NTR 450	3	NTR 300	3
Academic Foundations: Communicating in the Modern World	3	Thinking Broadly: History & Meaning	3
Approved Statistics Course2	3	BY 261	4
CHHS 141	3	BY 261L	0
	16		13
Senior
First Term	Hours	Second Term	Hours
NTR 420	3	NTR 433	3
NTR 444	3	NTR 490	3
City as a Classroom	3	Thinking Broadly: History & Meaning	3
Approved Physics or Elective	3-4	Approved Physics or Elective	3-4
Elective	3	Elective	3
	15-16		15-16
Total credit hours: 124-126

¹

Approved Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology Course (3): PY 107 Psychology of Adjustment, PY 305 Medical Psychology, SW 315 Human Behavior and Social Environment, PUH 204 Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health, and SOC 280 Intro to Medical Sociology, 

²

Choose one of the following statistics courses: HCM 360, MA 180, PY 216, or QM 214 and QM 215

Minor in Nutrition Sciences

The Department of Nutrition Sciences offers a minor option for undergraduate students matriculating in programs in the School of Health Professions.  Interested students from other schools may be admitted upon approval from the Nutrition Sciences minor program director. The Nutrition Sciences minor requires completion of 18 semester hours of course work, maintenance of a 2.5 GPA overall, and no grade lower than a C in minor courses.

Requirements		Hours
NTR 222	Nutrition and Health	3
NTR 232	Lifecycle Nutrition	3
NTR 330	Nutrition and Metabolism	3
Select elective coursework from the list below		9
NTR 300	Nutrition Communication: From Science to Consumer
NTR 320	Nutrition and the Consumer
NTR 420	Nutritional Genetics
NTR 421	Nutrition Assessment and the Nutrition Care Process
KIN 405	Sports Nutrition
HRP 415	Mentored Research in the Health Professions
Approved research experience course
Total Hours		18

Nutrition and Dietetics Undergraduate Certificate

The Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate is an optional undergraduate certificate program that is available only to students enrolled in the Nutrition Sciences program. The Nutrition Sciences program with the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate has been granted candidacy accreditation as a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Students who receive the BS in Nutrition Sciences degree with the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate are eligible to apply for a dietetic internship and graduate program in nutrition and wellness, leading to eligibility for the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) credentialing exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

Program Mission Statement

To prepare graduates for entry into supervised practice and graduate programs in nutrition and wellness, leading to eligibility for the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) credentialing exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, through a comprehensive curriculum design that promotes effective communication, innovative leadership and application of evidence-based practices to support quality health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Certificate Program Prerequisites

Students majoring in Nutrition Sciences who are interested in pursuing the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate must have successfully completed (grade C or higher) the following Nutrition Sciences degree courses that are prerequisite requirements for certificate courses:

• English: EH 101 (3 credit hours) and EH 102 (3 credit hours)
• Math: MA 106 or higher (3 credit hours)
• Chemistry: CH115 or higher (3 credit hours) and lab (1 credit hour) and CH 117 or higher (3 credit hours) and lab (1 credit hour) and CH235 or higher (3 credit hours) and lab (1 credit hour)
• Nutrition: NTR 121 Well Being and You (3 credit hours), NTR 201 Healthy People, Healthy Planet (3 credit hours), and NTR 222 Nutrition and Health (3 credit hours)
• Biology: BY 123 or higher (4 credit hours) and lab (0 credit hours)
• Psychology: PY 101 (3 credit hours) and approved Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology course (3 credit hours)

Students majoring in Nutrition Sciences who are interested in pursuing the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate must be currently enrolled in or have successfully completed (grade C or higher) the following courses when applying to the certificate program:

• Nutrition: NTR 320 Nutrition and the Consumer (3 credit hours) and NTR 330 Nutrition and Metabolism (3 credit hours)
• Human Anatomy: BY 115 (4 credit hours)

GPA Requirements

Students enrolled in the Nutrition Sciences program and have a 2.75 GPA are eligible to apply for the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate. Once admitted into the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate program, a student must maintain academic good standing in the Nutrition Sciences program to remain in the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate program. A student whose GPA falls below 2.75 will be allowed two semesters to recover before dismissal from the program.

Prior Learning and Transfer Credit Policy

Credit will not be awarded for prior learning experiences. Only courses deemed equivalent courses by the Transfer Evaluation Team in the UAB Office of Enrollment are accepted as transfer courses at UAB.

Certificate Application Process

Students majoring in Nutrition Sciences are eligible to apply for the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate during spring term of their sophomore year. Students must be enrolled as full-time students (at least 12 credit hours per semester) to apply for the certificate program. Students will apply to the certificate program through an internal application system.

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Course Registration

Students must register for all courses for which they wish to earn undergraduate credit. The UAB class schedule is accessible via BlazerNET. Students are able to register for courses and adjust their schedule by adding and dropping courses through the end of the drop/add period which is denoted on the Academic Calendar.

Program Completion Requirements

The following is an overview of the main steps required to earn the BS in Nutrition Sciences degree with the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate:

• Maintenance of good academic standing (minimum 2.75 GPA);
• Completion of 130 credit hours (21 credit hours included in Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate program);
• Conferring of degree.

Award of Verification Statement

Upon successful completion of ACEND program requirements and conferring of degree, students receive a Verification Statement signed by the Nutrition and Dietetics certificate program director. Students will then be eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program. Verification Statements will be retained by the Department of Nutrition Sciences indefinitely.

Contact Information

Mrs. Carleton Rivers
Department of Nutrition Sciences
Telephone: (205) 934-3223
Email: meadows4@uab.edu

Faculty

Berg, Kelly, Assistant Professor, 2022, RDN, MS (Illinois State)

Bertrand, Brenda, Professor and Program Director, MS in Nutrition Sciences, 2014, PhD, RDN, FAND (Auburn), Knowledge, attitudes, barriers and beliefs about nutrition among healthy and chronically diseased populations, qualitative (phenomenology) approach

Bush, Nikki, Assistant Professor, 2010, PhD (UAB), Glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity and body composition

Cedillo, Yenni, Assistant Professor, 2022, PhD, RDN (UAB), Socio-environmental factors, acculturation process, stress and body composition

De Luca, Maria, Associate Professor, 2008, PhD (University of Calabria), Genetics of fat storage and innate immune function, Obesity, Aging

Ferguson, Christine, Assistant Professor and Assistant Director, Dietitian Education Program, 2024, PhD, RDN, CSG (University of Alabama), Inclusion nutrition science for populations with disabilities, Parkinson's disease, mixed methods

Fernandez, Jose, Professor, 2001, PhD (Pennsylvania State System), Identification of genes contributing to racial differences in obesity, diabetes, and cancer: the genetic admixture approach

Johnson, Maria, Assistant Professor, 2001, PhD (University of Aberdeen), Body composition and metabolism

Martins, Catia, Associate Professor, 2021, PhD, RDN (University of Surrey), Low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diet effects on energy homeostasis and metabolism

Moellering, Douglas, Professor, 2008, PhD (UAB), Mitochondrial physiology, bioenergetics, and free radical-mediated tissue injury and disease pathologies. Currently, research is focused on mitochondrial free-radical production contributing to altered bioenergetics, the development of obesity, insulin resistance and T2DM, increased cardiovascular disease susceptibility, and aging

Pearson, Keith, Associate Professor and Program Director, Dietetic Internship Track, 2024, RDN, PhD (UAB), Dietary patterns and cardiometabolic disease; improving nutrition in people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Plaisance, Eric, Associate Professor, Vice Chair and Program Director, BS in Nutrition Sciences, 2013, PhD (Auburn), Diet and exogenous ketone effects on energy homeostasis, metabolism, and inflammation

Rivers, Carleton, Assistant Professor and Program Director, Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate, 2016, RDN, MS (UAB)

Smith, Daniel, Associate Professor, 2010, PhD (University of Virginia), The interaction of diet and metabolism in relationship to aging and disease; obesity, calorie restriction, brown adipose tissue

Wyatt, Holly, Professor, 2019, MD (Baylor College of Medicine), Physiological, behavioral, and holistic approaches to sustainable weight loss, obesity prevention, and long-term weight maintenance