Students in the master's program (Non-thesis option: Option B) and in the Nutrition and Exercise Specialization will be advised by Dr. Shinya Takahashi.

Doctoral students or master’s students (Thesis option: Option A) who plan to continue through the doctoral program interested in exercise physiology and nutrition research will be advised by Dr. Terry Housh.  

Students will acquire core competencies in nutrition, exercise, research design, and statistics. Most students in the master’s program will be non-thesis and focus on courses individualized to their future career goals. Master's students who are completing a research thesis, as well as doctoral students, will conduct research in faculty members' laboratories.  

M.S., Nutrition and Exercise Specialization

Requires the following courses (16 credit hours) which are also available to doctoral students:

• NUTR 856 Clinical Exercise Physiology (3)*
• NUTR 858 Exercise, Sports & Performance Nutrition (3) or NUTR 960 Nutrient Function During Exercise (3)
• NUTR 884 Physiology of Exercise (3)*
• NUTR 886 Exercise Testing (4)* 
• NUTR 950 Integrated Principles of Human Nutrition (3) or 900-level metabolism course 

*If you have already completed these as undergraduate courses (NUTR 484, NUTR 486, or NUTR 456), then, in consultation with your advisor after admission, you will select graduate courses within the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences appropriate to your career goals as well as graduate courses within other departments. Examples of courses of interest to our students can be found here.

Total credits required: 

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

Work Opportunities and Fellowships

Masters Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantship with Dr. Shinya Takahashi 

• Available yearly starting in the fall.
• Teaching is in the fall and spring semesters.
• Preference is for students who have completed an undergraduate program in Kinesiology or Exercise Science and are preparing for careers in nutrition, exercise, and health sciences.
• This assistantship involves supervising students in exercise practicums, grading assignments, and teaching courses in healthy living. 
• To be considered for this assistantship, students must have completed their application to our graduate program and must plan to complete the Nutrition and Exercise specialization.

More information regarding assistantships and fellowships can be found here. 

Doctoral Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantship with Dr. Terry Housh.

• Available yearly starting in the fall.
• Only students with completed applications will be considered for this graduate assistantship.
• To be considered for this assistantship, students should remain committed to a research career and assure completion of courses in Exercise Science.

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 (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)
• Human Anatomy with lab (BIOS 214 Human Anatomy)

Undergraduate catalog

The Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is committed to creating an environment that is welcoming to all; where each person feels accepted, valued, and safe. To learn more, visit https://cehs.unl.edu/nhs/nhs-deib/.