Undergraduate

Nutrition: Health and Wellness

Here you'll explore cutting-edge approaches to individual and community wellness, learning advanced techniques in nutrient metabolism, chronic disease prevention, and lifestyle intervention.

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Location

Durham, NH

Courses

20*

Credit

128 hrs.*

Full-time

4 yrs.

Part-time

Varies

View course catalog

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Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems

The Health and Wellness major at UNH prepares you for a career focused on preventive care and nutrition. You’ll study nutrient metabolism, chronic disease prevention and behavior change strategies, while gaining experience through internships, research and community outreach.

With an emphasis on real-world application, the program equips you to promote individual and community health through roles in wellness coaching, health education and public health.

*Number of courses and course credit hours may vary, please reach out to your academic advisor for exact requirements.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems Department

Key Links

Tuition Costs

Contact Cards

Gretchen Arnold

Program Coordinator | Nutrition

Clinical Associate Professor

Gretchen.Arnold@unh.edu

Kendall Hall, Room 125, Durham, NH 03824

(603) 862-3083

What is health and wellness?

Health and wellness is a flexible program that provides students with a foundation in chemistry, anatomy, physiology and microbiology, while also including courses on stress, wellness and exercise science. Students gain real-world experience providing hands-on nutrition and health guidance. To help align their degree program with career goals, students are strongly encouraged to pursue a minor in areas such as kinesiology, business or health management, or a dual major in EcoGastronomy.

Why study health and wellness at UNH?

The health and wellness program at UNH prepares students for employment in a variety of wellness and health promotion settings including schools, fitness centers, nonprofit organizations and community agencies. Students have exceptional opportunities within a dynamic curriculum that includes specific courses in weight management, sports nutrition and the physiological impacts of stress, as well as applied research and community engagement. We also offer the UNH-in-Italy program, which allows students to experience the medieval city of Ascoli Piceno while studying diet, nutrition and food culture in another part of the world.

Potential careers

Community agencies
Nonprofit organizations
Nutrition education
Schools and fitness centers
State and local government agencies
Wellness promotion

Curriculum & Requirements

Program Description

Nutrition is the study of how nutrients and food components function at molecular, cellular, and whole-body levels to impact human health and disease. Students are grounded in fundamental sciences as they develop nutrition-specific competencies in nutrition and health, foods, nutritional assessment, wellness, life cycle nutrition, and/or metabolic biochemistry.

The nutrition program prepares students for entry-level positions in health care, education, research, or the biotechnology industry, or entry into post-baccalaureate professional programs. Nutrition faculty have expertise in clinical nutrition, telehealth, epidemiology, and food science, as well as assessing risk factors of chronic disease risk (i.e. obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, cognitive) in diverse populations (pediatric, young adult, older adult).

Students who complete the Health and Wellness option are prepared for jobs in agencies or businesses that have an emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion, including schools, employee wellness agencies, fitness centers, and non-profit or community organizations.

Degree Plan

Sample Degree Plan

This sample degree plan serves as a general guide; students collaborate with their academic advisor to develop a personalized degree plan to meet their academic goals and program requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Credits
NUTR 400	Nutrition in Health and Well Being	4
NUTR 401	Professional Perspectives on Nutrition	1
BMS 507	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	4
SOC 400 or PSYC 401	Introductory Sociology or Introduction to Psychology	4
ENGL 401	First-Year Writing	4
	Credits	17
Spring
NUTR 476	Nutritional Assessment	4
BMS 508	Human Anatomy and Physiology II	4
HMP 401	United States Health Care Systems	4
Discovery course		4
	Credits	16
Second Year
Fall
CHEM 411	Introductory Chemistry for Life Sciences	4
NUTR 403	Culinary Arts Skills Development	4
Inquiry course		4
Elective		4
	Credits	16
Spring
NUTR 506	Nutrition and Wellness	4
BMCB 501	Biological Chemistry	4
Select one of the following:		4
BIOL 528	Applied Biostatistics I
PSYC 402	Statistics in Psychology
HMP 540	Statistics for Health and Human Service Professionals
SOC 402	Statistics
Elective (WI)		4
	Credits	16
Third Year
Fall
NUTR 546	Nutrition in Exercise and Sports	4
NUTR 610	Nutrition Education and Counseling	4
BMS 501	Microbes in Human Disease	4
NUTR Elective or Discovery Course		4
	Credits	16
Spring
NUTR 650	Life Cycle Nutrition	4
NUTR Elective or Discovery Course		4
Elective (any course)		4
Elective (any course)		4
	Credits	16
Fourth Year
Fall
NUTR 755	Concepts and Controversies in Weight Management	3
NUTR 758	Practicum in Nutrition and Wellness	2
Discovery Course		4
Discovery Course or Elective		4
600-Level or 700-Level Elective or Elective (any course)		3-4
	Credits	16-17
Spring
NUTR 720	Community Nutrition	4
600-level or 700-level Elective		4
Discovery Course		4
Elective (any course)		3-4
	Credits	15-16
	Total Credits	128-130

Requirements for the Program

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 128 credits

Minimum Residency Requirement: 32 credits must be taken at UNH

Minimum GPA: 2.0 required for conferral*

Core Curriculum Required: Discovery & Writing Program Requirements

Foreign Language Requirement: No

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

A minimum grade of C-minus or better must be earned in all NUTR courses required by the major.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Foundation Courses
BMS 507	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BMS 508	Human Anatomy and Physiology II	4
SOC 400	Introductory Sociology	4
or PSYC 401	Introduction to Psychology
Select one statistics course from the following:		4
BIOL 528	Applied Biostatistics I
HMP 540	Statistics for Health and Human Service Professionals
PSYC 402	Statistics in Psychology
SOC 402	Statistics
Science Core Courses
CHEM 411	Introductory Chemistry for Life Sciences	4
or CHEM 403 & CHEM 404	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II
BMS 501	Microbes in Human Disease	4
BMCB 501	Biological Chemistry	4
Nutrition Core Courses
NUTR 400	Nutrition in Health and Well Being	4
NUTR 401	Professional Perspectives on Nutrition	1
NUTR 476	Nutritional Assessment	4
NUTR 650	Life Cycle Nutrition	4
Nutrition and Wellness Option Courses
NUTR 403	Culinary Arts Skills Development	4
NUTR 506	Nutrition and Wellness	4
NUTR 546	Nutrition in Exercise and Sports	4
NUTR 610	Nutrition Education and Counseling	4
NUTR 720	Community Nutrition	4
NUTR 755	Concepts and Controversies in Weight Management	3
NUTR 758	Practicum in Nutrition and Wellness	2
HMP 401	United States Health Care Systems	4
Electives
Select NUTR elective		4
Select 600-level or 700-level elective		4-5

Nutrition and Wellness Capstone Experience

One capstone experience, supervised and approved within the major, is required of all seniors. The capstone explores areas of interest based on the integration of prior learning. The capstone requirement for Wellness students is satisfied through the completion of NUTR 720 Community Nutrition or NUTR 755 Concepts and Controversies in Weight Management during their senior year.

Both NUTR 720 and NUTR 755 are required courses; one of these courses must be taken during the student's senior year to fulfill the university's capstone requirement.

Student Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

Locate, interpret, evaluate and use professional literature to make ethical, evidence-based conclusions and decisions.
Apply critical thinking skills.
Deliver effective and professional oral and written communication.
Demonstrate cultural humility, awareness of personal biases and an understanding of cultural difference they contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Articulate aspects of nutrition and wellness for various populations across the lifespan.
Discuss the impact of policies and guidelines on food and nutrition services.

Explore Program Details

How to Apply

Initial Admission to the major as a First-year or Transfer Student

Students entering the University as first-year or transfer students may declare Nutrition as part of the UNH admission process. First-year and transfer students who are admitted directly into Nutrition will be assigned an academic faculty advisor who will work with you throughout your course of study.

Change of Major Requirements for Existing UNH Students

We welcome UNH students who wish to declare the Nutrition Major or change their major from other degree programs. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; see below for entry requirements.

What Are the Steps to CHANGE My Major?

To facilitate a change of major into Nutrition, students should complete two steps*:

1) Submit an application requesting the transfer from another degree program. This online application is then reviewed by the program coordinator. Students are assigned an academic faculty advisor who will work with you throughout your course of study.

2) Request to change your major in Webcat. A tutorial for the process of changing a major is available.

ARE THERE REQUIREMENTS TO CHANGE MY MAJOR?

Current UNH students wishing to change their major and join the Nutrition Program must have:

Earned a minimum of 12 UNH credits
Completed OR be enrolled in NUTR 400 and NUTR 401

All students may transfer into one of the following:

Nutrition: No Option
Nutrition: Health & Wellness
Nutrition: Nutritional Sciences

Students interested in transferring into the Nutrition: Dietetics Option, must also meet the following 3 requirements:

Minimum GPA of 3.0
Minimum earned grade in introductory nutrition (e.g. NUTR 400) = B
Minimum earned grade in one semester of chemistry w/lab or anatomy/physiology with lab = C+

Declaring an Option

Students admitted to the Nutrition major at UNH are required to declare, and be formally admitted into, one of the following options:

Nutrition majors designate an option once they have successfully completed: 1) NUTR 400, 2) NUTR 401, & 3) BMS 507 or CHEM 403 (CHEM 411 for Wellness). The Fall and Spring semester deadlines are September 15^th and February 15^th, respectively.

Option Application for Current Nutrition Majors

College Health and Nutrition Assessment Survey (CHANAS)

CHANAS is a wonderful venue for those interested in undergraduate and graduate research projects. Each semester UNH students work as research assistants for the project and, in the process, gain valuable research and clinical skills.

CHANAS

Opportunities

Nutrition Departmental Honors

Nutrition Minor

Field Experience (NUTR 600)

UNH-in-Italy Study Abroad

Nutritional Sciences MS

Handbook and Program Review

Nutrition Program Student Handbook

Nutrition Program Review

Pre-Professional Health Advising

Advising is available for UNH students, alumni, and post baccalaureates pursuing health professional careers.

The Pre-Health Advising Office provides support throughout the process of preparing for health professions school from advising on the courses they should take to helping navigate through the complex steps of the application process.

Advising

Explore the Health Professions

Application Process

Prospective Students

Experiential Opportunities

Relevant UNH Graduate Program

Students interested in the Nutrition: Dietetics major may also be interested in the following advanced degrees at UNH. Students in the program also have the opportunity to participate in the UNH accelerated master’s program.

Agricultural Sciences M.S.

Agricultural Sciences Ph.D.

Nutrition M.S.

Nutrition and Dietetics M.S.

Nutritional Sciences M.S.

Nutritional Sciences Ph.D.

Curriculum Checklist