Graduates will attain the knowledge and skills to: 

• Develop research-based public policies and programs that enhance food security, nutrition, and health in communities
• Adapt programs to meet food and nutrient needs across the life cycle
• Apply health behavior theory
• Conduct needs assessment
• Develop, implement, and evaluation community-based programs

M.S., Community Nutrition and Health Promotion

Requires the following courses (15 credit hours):

• NUTR 805 Research Methods (3)
• NUTR 859 Nutrition: A Focus on Life Stages (3)
• NUTR 860 Health Behavior Theories and Approaches (3)
• NUTR 956 Community Nutrition (3)
• NUTR 976 Organization and Management in Community Nutrition and Health Promotion (3)

Experiential Learning (3)

• NUTR 857 Classroom and Outreach Experiences in Food and Nutrition (3) and/or NUTR 998 Special Topics in Human Sciences (1-3) -for a total minimum of 3 credits for non-thesis students
• NUTR 875 or NUTR 975 for students in the Professional Studies in Dietetics specialization (3)
• NUTR 899 Master's Thesis for research thesis students (3)

Other courses and programs of interest include:

• NUTR 807 Principles of Epidemiology for Nutrition and Public Health (3)
• NUTR 950 Integrated Principles of Human Nutrition (3) -important for students without a background in human nutrition
• Graduate Minor in Leadership Education at University of Nebraska-Lincoln (9)
• Graduate Certificate in Public Health at University of Nebraska Medical College (15)
• Graduate Certificate in Gerontology at University of Nebraska-Omaha (12)
• Courses in Physical Activity in Health Promotion at University of Nebraska-Omaha, e.g., KINS 8130/BMKI 9131 Implementing Physical Activity in Diverse Populations (3)

Descriptions of courses within the department can be found online at:  https://catalog.unl.edu/graduate-professional/courses/nutr/.

Total credits required:

• M.S. Option A: 30 total credit hours, requires research thesis
• M.S. Option B: 30 total credit hours, non-thesis

Preferred Courses Prior to Admission:

To be successful in the program, the following courses are preferred - consult with your advisor.

• Two semesters of general chemistry (CHEM 109A General Chemistry I and CHEM 110A General Chemistry II)
• One semester of organic chemistry with lab (CHEM 251/CHEM 253 Organic Chemistry)
• One semester of biochemistry with lab (BIOC 401/BIOC 401L Elements of Biochemistry or BIOC 431 Biochemistry I: Structure and Metabolism)

• Human Physiology with lab (BIOS 213/BIOS 213L Human Physiology)

Undergraduate Catalog

GRE is not required.