Program Director: Douglas “Doug” R Moellering, PhD, MS

The B.S. in Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness 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 Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness 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 at https://www.uab.edu/students/admissions/apply.

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

Entering freshmen are admitted directly to the Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness 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 Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness 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 Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness 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.

Course Requirements

The Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness degree requires a total of 123-125 semester hours.

Contact Information

For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness, contact 

Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness (BNW)
Department of Nutrition Sciences
Telephone: (205) 975-2984
BNW Program

Bachelor of Science in Biobehavioral Nutrition & Wellness

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

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Choose one of the following: PY 107, PY 305, SW 315, PUH 204, SOC 280, ANTH 319

Proposed Program of Study for a Major in Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness

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A six semester hour sequence in literature or history is required; if a second literature is chosen it will apply as three of the elective hours  in Core Curriculum Area II: Humanities and Fine Art; if a second history is chosen it will apply as three of the elective hours in Core Curriculum Area IV: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate

Program Description

The Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate is an optional undergraduate certificate program that is available only to students enrolled in the BS in Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness (BNW) program. The BS in BNW 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 BNW 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 Pre-Requisites

Pre-Requisite Requirements:

BNW major students who are interested in pursuing the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate must have successfully completed (grade C or higher) the following BNW 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)
• Approved Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, or Anthropology course (3 credit hours)

BNW major students 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 BNW degree requirements 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 BS in BNW program and have a 3.0 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 BS in BNW program to remain in the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate program (cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher).

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

BS in BNW students 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.

Typical Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness degree and Dietetics Certificate Curriculum 

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PY 107, PY 305, SW 315, PUH 204, SOC 280, ANTH 319

Course Registration:

Students must register for all courses for which they wish to earn undergraduate credit. The UAB class schedule is accessible via BlazerNET located at www.uab.edu/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 Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness (BNW) degree with the Nutrition and Dietetics Certificate:

• Maintenance of good academic standing (minimum 3.0 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 Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) 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

For more information, contact 

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

Faculty