Nutrition (NUTR)

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The Department of Nutrition and Food Science offers courses that may involve the use of animals. Students who are concerned about the use of animals in teaching have the responisbility to contact the instructor, prior to course enrollment, to determine whether animals are to be used in the course, whether class exercises involving animals are optional or required, and what alternatives, if any, are available.

Abstract

The Graduate Program in Nutrition is an interdepartmental program administered by the Department of Nutrition and Food Science (NFSC). It involves faculty from the Departments of Animal and Avian Sciences, Anthropology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Nutrition and Food Science, and Pediatrics (UMAB Campus), and scientists in nearby research institutions. The program offers graduate study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in nutrition. Both M.S. and Ph.D. programs require completion of a research project either a thesis for the masters degree or a dissertation for the doctoral degree. A graduate faculty is responsible for graduate admission and curriculum maintenance. Currently, there are approximately 23 graduate students enrolled in the Graduate Program in Nutrition and and there are 18 graduate faculty members. Research interests of the faculty include; the genetic and metabolic basis for dietary requirements of animals and humans; nutritional biochemistry; nutritional aspects of chronic disease; international nutrition, community nutrition, food and nutrition policy; and nutrition, neuroscience and behavior. Programs of research are individually planned with the student and an appropriate Graduate Faculty Advisory Committee.

Admissions Information

Completion of a four-year Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required. Preference is given to students having a Bachelor's degree in nutrition, chemistry, biology, food science, animal science or related fields. However, consideration will be given to others having adequate background courses and who demonstrate potential for a research career. A faculty member of the Graduate Program in Nutrition must agree to serve as an advisor or a prospective graduate student may not be admitted to the Program. Required background courses in order to be eligible to apply include: Mathematics sufficient to undertake upper level statistic courses- UMCP's equivalent of Math 115-Precalculus or better, one semester of the equivalent of UMCP's Chem 233-Organic Chemistry I (with lab),and one semester of the equivalent of UMCP's Chem 243-Organic Chemistry II (with lab). Preferred courses include(students admitted without the following courses may be required to take the equivalent), as part of their graduate program: one semester of the equivalent of UMCP's BCHM 461-Biochemistry I, one semester of the equivalent of UMCP's BCHM 462-Biochemistry II, one semester of the equivalent of UMCP's BSCI 440-Mammalian Physiology, and one semester of the equivalent of UMCP's NFSC 440-Advanced Human Nutrition. Offers of admission (or rejection) are made by the Graduate School based upon the recommendation of the Director of the Graduate Program in Nutrition and the Graduate Faculty Admissions Committee.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Complete application (all application materials,including official transcripts, and official test scores) for both domestic and international students must be received by the deadline, December 15 .

All students must apply by June 01and Dec. 15. Complete application must be received by the deadline (all application materials, including official transcripts, and official test scores) June 1 .

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

GRE General Test. A minimum score of 500 is required in each of the Verbal and Quantitative sections and a score of 3.5 - 6 is required in the Analytical Writing section. If the GRE general test was taken prior to October 2002, the minimum score required in each section of the GRE is 500, for a total of 1500.

3 Letters of Recommendation

TOEFL-Test of English as a Foreign Language for International Applicants,a minimum score of 575 is required or a minimum computer base score of 232 is required.
TSE-Test of Spoken English for International Students who wish to be considered for a Teaching Assistant Position is required.

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Complete application (all application materials,including official transcripts, and official test scores) for both domestic and international students must be received by the deadline, December 15 .	All students must apply by June 01and Dec. 15. Complete application must be received by the deadline (all application materials, including official transcripts, and official test scores) June 1 .

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.)
Requirements for the M.S. degree in Nutrition are a minimum of 30 graduate credits of course work including a minimum of 12 credits of 600 level courses and a minimum of 6 graduate credits of masters thesis research (NFSC 799). A minimum g.p.a. of 3.0 is required to maintain good academic progress for graduation. The student must complete a thesis and successfully defend their research before a graduate faculty examining committee approved by the Graduate School. In addition the student must write a manuscript, i.e. one or more research papers based upon the thesis and be submitted to a refereed journal for review and publication. An average duration of a Master's project is 2-3 years depending upon prior education and experience.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Requirements for the Ph.D. degree in nutrition include a mastery of the broad fundamentals of nutrition as a science, as well as the demonstrated ability to conduct independent research. Course requirements include: a minimum of 27 graduate credits of course work including 9 credits of advanced nutriton course work,beyond the M.S. degree and 12 credits of NFSC 899 Doctoral Dissertation Research. A minimum g.p.a. of 3.0 is required to maintain good academic progress for graduation. Students are admitted to full candidacy for the Ph.D. upon passing a comprehensive written and oral exam on basic core knowledge of nutrition science and submittal of a research proposal. In addition the student must prepare and successfully defend a dissertation before their faculty advisory committee. The average duration of a Ph.D. degree program is 4 years, depending upon prior education and experience.

Facilities and Special Resources

The program maintains equipment for conducting both basic and applied research through the individual participating faculty members. The facilities are located in the Departments of Nutrition and Food Science, Animal and Avian Sciences, Anthropology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Pediatrics (UMAB). There are also collaborative arrangements with the NIH, FDA, and USDA. The library facilities are extensive. In addition to our excellent campus libraries, we are a few miles from the National Archives, the National Agricultural Library, the Library of Congress, and the National Library of Medicine.

Financial Assistance

Financial support for graduate students is available on a competitive basis. The Department of Nutrition and Food Science offers a limited number of graduate teaching assistantships. Applicants interested in a teaching assistant position should complete the Merit-Base Award Form and submit to the Graduate Program in Nutrition office by the stated graduate application deadline. International students who wish to be considered for a teaching assistant position must take the TSE test (Test of Spoken English). In addition international teaching assistants who are not native speakers of English are required by the University of Maryland to take part in the International Teaching Assistant evaluation. This includes international teaching assistants who may have been educated entirely in English and those with Bachelor and Master's degrees from universities in English-speaking countries. A limited number of research assistantships are available from grant funds with the student assisting in the research supported under the grant. The research often may be applicable to the thesis or dissertation. Research assistantships generally are not awarded until after students have attended classes and are known to faculty. The University of Maryland emphasizes diversity in its recruitment and support of graduate students. Other types of financial aid are also available, including a work-study program, grants, fellowships, and loans.

Contact Information

Additional information concerning admission requirements, courses, faculty, and facilities are available from:

Sara Kao, Coordinator, Student Programs
0112 Skinner Building College Park
MD 20742-7640
Telephone: (301) 405-8980
Fax: (301) 314-3313
sarakao@umd.edu

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/nfsc/staff.htm

Dr. Liangli Yu, Director of the Graduate Program in Nutrition
3303 Marie Mount Hall College Park State: MD
MD 20742-7640
Telephone: (301) 405-0761
Fax: (301) 314-3313
lyu5@umd.edu

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/nfsc/

Courses:

Related Programs and Campus Units

Animal Sciences
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Anthropology
Animal Sciences
Kinesiology
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
Food Science
Family Science