Overview of the Graduate Program

The Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program offers multidisciplinary training that provides a broad understanding of the field of nutrition as well as the specialized knowledge needed to conduct research in a sub-field. We have two major emphasis areas: basic nutrition and applied and community nutrition. Basic nutrition scientists conduct their research using the tools of molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and physiology to understand how organisms utilize nutrients to maintain optimal health. Applied nutritionists use sociological, psychological, anthropological methods, and education theory to investigate factors that influence the nutritional status of individuals and communities. The Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers draws its faculty from the Departments of Nutritional Sciences, Animal Sciences, Food Sciences, and Human Ecology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, other divisions of Rutgers University, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). Students also benefit from the courses offered and broad research expertise of faculty in related departments in other divisions of Rutgers University and UMDNJ.

Examples of Nutritional Sciences Graduate Faculty's current research are:

Basic Nutrition	Applied and Community Nutrition
Cellular lipid transport and lipid-binding proteins Adipose tissue metabolism Regulation of glutamine metabolism Energy metabolism Bone metabolism during weight loss and disease states Nutrition and alcohol metabolism Nutrient and phytochemical effects on cancer development Taste and fat preference in humans	Community food security Diet and behavior in socioeconomically at-risk infants and children Nutrition and limited-resource audiences Disordered eating in college students Nutritional epidemiology Program evaluation strategies Food and nutrition in diverse populations Nutrition Education

See Graduate Faculty Research Pages for more details.

The Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences offers courses of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. A Master's/Dietetic Internship program is offered jointly with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Newark. All students take a core curriculum in basic nutritional biochemistry and physiology, and statistics. The remainder of the course requirements are individualized depending on the student's goals. Original research leading to a Master's or Ph.D. thesis is conducted under the guidance of well-established nutrition researchers.

To Apply:

Admissions are conducted centrally through Rutgers University Graduate Admissions

Graduate Admissions
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
18 Bishop Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1103
Phone: (732) 932-7711

For Further Information:

Dawn L. Brasaemle, Ph.D
Director, Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
96 Lipman Dr.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525
Phone: 732-932-6524
Fax: 732-932-6837
Email: nutridir@aesop.rutgers.edu

Dolores Wardrop
Graduate Program Secretary
Phone: 732-932-9439
Email: nutridir@aesop.rutgers.edu