Graduate Programs

The department was established at Kansas State University in 1919. About 650 graduate degrees have been awarded, M.S. degrees since 1922, and Ph.D. degrees since 1952. Graduate degrees are awarded in "Human Nutrition"; students may emphasize one of the various food or nutrition sciences. Additionally, the department participates in the interdepartmental Graduate Food Science degree program, and a "Food Science" degree may be earned by graduate students.

A minimum of 30 semester hours of credit for the M.S. or 90 semester hours for the Ph.D. beyond the bachelor's degree is required. From 6 to 8 hours of credit for the M.S. thesis, 2 hours for the M.S. report, and a minimum of 30 hours for the Ph.D. dissertation are included in the total hours of credit required. No foreign language is required. Seminar and statistics are required in the graduate program. Programs of study are developed according to the interests, backgrounds, and career goals of the students.

Human Nutrition (Ph.D.)

Graduate study in the Department of Human Nutrition prepares students for various academic positions. Graduates from our program are employed as directors of food product development and sensory evaluation divisions, senior food scientists, managers of quality assurance and test kitchens, directors of consumer services, and technical representatives; by hospitals and community organizations as dietitians or nutrition consultants; by universities and colleges as teachers and researchers; and by government agencies as extension specialists, nutritionists, and nutrition education coordinators.

Students can work with distinguished graduate faculty and choose to emphasize their study in a particular area, including:

Sensory Analysis and Consumer Behavior Specialization core (12 hours)

Select from additional graduate level courses in HN or other graduate level courses as suggested by the supervisory committee. (See full coursework (Adobe Acrobat))

• HN 831 - Descriptive Sensory Analysis (3)
• HN 832 - Practicum in Sensory Analysis (3)
• HN 841 - Consumer Response Evaluation (3)
• HN 851 - Sensory Analysis Applications of Statistics (3)

Nutritional Sciences Specialization core (11 hours)

Select from additional graduate level courses in HN or other graduate level courses as suggested by the supervisory committee. (See full coursework (Adobe Acrobat))

• HN 810 - Advanced Macronutrient Metabolism (5)
• HN 812 - Advanced Micronutrient Metabolism (3)

Public Health Nutrition Specialization core (9 hours)

HN, KIN and other graduate level courses as suggested by the supervisory committee. Three credits must come from KIN 600 or above. (See full coursework (Adobe Acrobat))

• HN 844 - Nutritional Epidemiology (3)

Six (6) HN credits from the following:

• HN 735 - Advanced Energy Balance (3)
• HN 800 - Nutrition Education and Communication (3)
• HN 820 - Functional Foods for Chronic Disease Prevention (3)
• HN 841 - Consumer Response Evaluation (3)
• HN 911 - Advanced Nutrition: Contemporary Issues (1-3)

Public Health Physical Activity Specialization core (9 hours)

HN, KIN and other graduate level courses as suggested by the supervisory committee. Six credits must come from additional HN course work excluding HN 999. (See full coursework (Adobe Acrobat))

• KIN 797 - Topics in Public Health Physical Activity Behavior (1-4)
• KIN 805 - Physical Activity and Human Behavior (3)
• KIN 830 - Advanced Public Health Physical Activity (3)

Doctoral degree requirements

The Ph.D. requires 90 credits, including a minimum of 30 credits for the Ph.D. dissertation. No foreign language is required.

Programs of study are developed according to the interests, backgrounds, and career goals of the students. In addition to graduate human nutrition courses, students often include courses from other departments such as animal sciences and industry; grain science and industry; biochemistry; chemistry; anatomy and physiology; kinesiology; psychology; and biology; from the Colleges of Business Administration and Education; and from interdisciplinary international courses.

Students can also choose to earn a food science degree from the K-State Graduate School through completion of the interdepartmental Graduate Food Science degree program.

The department is also an active participant in the University’s Master of Public Health Program, a University interdepartmental program. Among other areas of emphasis, students can focus their studies on food safety, infectious diseases, zoonoses, human nutrition or physical activity.

Human Nutrition graduate students also have the opportunity to earn a Graduate Certificate in Public Health.

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