All programs in the Department of Nutritional Sciences strive to train students to become leaders in nutrition who are able to integrate the span of knowledge from molecules to organisms to populations with the goal of improving human health.
The Department of Nutritional Sciences offers a breadth of educational, research, and experiential opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students that provide them with the foundational knowledge and skills to pursue careers in research, pre-professional, industry, food systems management, and community settings.
Nutritional Sciences Academic Programs
- Undergraduate Program in Nutritional Sciences
- Applied Sciences Option
- Basic Sciences Option
- Nutrition Minor
- Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences
- Master's Degree
- Ph.D. Degree
Highlights
- Hiding vegetables in kids’ foods can increase vegetable intake
- For parents, getting kids to eat more vegetables can be a challenge. In a new study, researchers at Penn State have found that by adding puréed vegetables to favorite foods, preschool children consumed nearly twice as many vegetables and 11 percent fewer calories over the course of a day. “Childhood obesity rates are on the rise, and at the same time children are not eating the recommended amount of vegetables," said Barbara Rolls. "Vegetables have been shown to help lower calorie intake. The problem is getting kids to eat enough vegetables.”
- Healthy Eating, Activity, and Sleep Needed to Curb Childhood Obesity, Report Says
- According to a new report from the National Institute of Medicine, limiting television and other media use, encouraging infants and young children in preschool and child care to spend more time in physically active play, and requiring child care providers to promote healthy sleeping practices are some of the actions needed to curb high rates of obesity among America's youngest children. Leann Birch, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Penn State, chaired the NIH committee who produced the report. Read more about the report and the recommendations to curb obesity among young children.
- Grant award establishes obesity prevention training program
- A $4.5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture establishes the Childhood Obesity Prevention Graduate Training Program (COPT). This grant will provide support for nine graduate students, matched by two graduate fellowships from the University and will have on average 11 students each year split between nutritional sciences and human development and family studies. Read more details about the COPT grant.
- Graduate program among nations best
- Recently released results from the National Research Council ranks the Penn State Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences among the nation's best. See "A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States" for additional information.
