Undergraduate Nutrition Science class field trip and demonstration at the MidAtlantic Milk Bank in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
1. You are a curious person who wants to learn more about how nutrients work in our bodies.
Have you ever wondered why the doctor told your grandmother to eat a banana every day? Have you been told you have iron deficiency anemia and want to understand how it happened? As a nutrition science major, you will learn about different nutrients and why they are important, explore food sources of nutrients, how we digest and metabolize nutrients and how to identify and treat nutrition deficiencies.
2. You want to help others prevent and manage diseases using nutrition and a healthy lifestyle approach.
Do you know someone with celiac disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, breast cancer or heart disease? Nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and/or management of these as well as many other diseases. It’s difficult to think of any disease where nutrition does not play a role.
For students who plan to become physicians, physician assistants, dentists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, learning about nutrition therapy for diseases as an undergraduate will be extremely valuable for your future career. In the Nutrition Science program, you will take courses where you will learn about diseases and the nutrition therapy for each disease so that you can better help your patients.
3. You are passionate about science and research.
Is there a “miracle pill” for weight loss? Is it safe to take St. John’s Wort if you are taking an anti-depressant medication? Is this new diet you heard about online to prevent cancer legit? In the Nutrition Science program, you will take science courses relevant to human health such as physiology, biochemistry, genetics, and pathophysiology. You will learn how to critically analyze research studies to identify valid nutrition science vs. quackery. In a time when misleading information about nutrition is abundant, this is a vital skill to protect people from false claims and harm.
4. You want to stand out from the crowd when applying to graduate school.
Are you worried that your application for a graduate health profession looks just like everyone else’s with the same major and coursework? Stand out from your peers with a major in nutrition science. You will take unique classes such as nutrition assessment, life cycle nutrition, public health nutrition, nutrition therapy and nutrient metabolism.
5. You are tired of being a nameless student in classes the size of "the Pete” (aka Petersen Events Center).
Would your professor know you if they saw you on the street? Are you worried about who to ask for a letter of recommendation? Would you prefer more individualized attention? The Nutrition Science program’s small class sizes give you a more personalized educational experience where you will know all of your professors, classmates and advisor from our SHRS Advising Center.
To learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science program please visit our website or contact Lori Cherok, program director, at lcherok@pitt.edu.
Lori Cherok
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Published January 12, 2023
Updated January 17, 2023