Nutritional Sciences (PhD)
Department website: https://nutrition.utexas.edu/
The Nutritional Sciences graduate program includes study in the following areas: molecular and cellular aspects of nutrient function; molecular and cellular approaches to the study of nutrition and disease; nutritional biochemistry; behavioral and child nutrition; nutrient requirements and intakes and health assessment; nutrition and cancer, obesity, ingestive behavior, aging, immunity; genetics and genomics, community nutrition, dietetics, and nutrition education.
The Doctoral degree program is designed to prepare students for research, teaching, and other academic positions in colleges, universities, government, and industry. Competence in related fields is emphasized, and supporting work is selected from areas such as biochemistry, biology, molecular biology, computer science, genetics, communication, geriatrics, immunology, physiology, kinesiology, psychology, ingestive behavior, or health promotion. Nutritional Sciences offers research concentrations in Behavioral/Population Nutrition, Clinical/Translational Nutrition, and Molecular Nutrition.
Graduate Handbook
Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.
Admission
The foundational training of students seeking a graduate degree should include courses in the following fields: inorganic chemistry with laboratory, organic chemistry with laboratory, biochemistry with laboratory, vertebrate or human physiology, cellular and molecular biology, statistics, and nutrition. The Graduate Studies Committee may recommend that some or all of these courses be completed as a prerequisite for admission to the program or in addition to the courses required for the graduate degree.
Students are expected to meet the following requirements for admission to PhD candidacy by the end of the second year:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Hours chosen from: Nutrition, consisting of the following courses with a grade of at least B in each: | 12 | |
| Advances in Nutritional Sciences I | ||
| Experimental Design and Statistics | ||
| Advances in Nutritional Sciences II | ||
| Topics in Graduate Seminar in Nutritional Sciences (any topic) | ||
| Hours chosen from: Additional graduate coursework in nutrition | 6 | |
| Hours chosen from: Graduate coursework outside nutrition in fields germane to the dissertation research, such as biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, educational psychology, curriculum and instruction, health education, and kinesiology | 6 | |
| Presentation and defense of a dissertation research proposal and satisfactory response to questions on nutrition and related sciences | ||
| Approval by the Graduate Studies Committee of the proposed course plan and proposed dissertation research program | ||
| Total Hours | 24 | |
A handbook available from the graduate coordinator gives details of policies, procedures, and requirements.
Total Hours Required: 33
Requirements
The doctoral program typically requires four to five years of full-time study.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All students must also follow the following requirements and policies: | ||
| Graduate Natural Sciences Requirements | ||
| Graduate University Requirements | ||
Additional Requirements and Policies
All doctoral candidates must write a dissertation based on the results of their original research and must make a formal oral defense of the dissertation. The Graduate Studies Committee must certify that all of the degree requirements have been completed.