Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science

Are you interested in discovering how nutrition and food affect human health? Do you enjoy learning about chemistry, biology and health sciences? If so, Wayne State University's interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Nutrition and Food Science degree is perfect for you.

Each component of this hands-on program prepares you for graduate study and employment in the food processing, research, teaching or healthcare industries.

Why Wayne State’s nutrition and food science major?

• Conduct research on growing issues such as aging, diabetes, dietary effects and obesity.
• The program integrates chemistry and the biological sciences with nutrition and food science.
• Undergraduate curriculum designed for enrollment in medical, dental or allied health schools.
• Learn from experienced, published professors who lead the field of nutrition and food sciences across the country.

What is nutrition and food science?

Nutrition and food science is an interdisciplinary field that combines the principles of biology, chemistry, math and physics to maintain food safety and develop innovative food technology. 

Nutrition and food science graduates ensure the safety of food, develop food processing technologies, educate the public or research ways to prevent disease.

Learning objectives

Wayne State’s nutrition and food science majors learn to:

• Safely and properly navigate a laboratory setting.
• Build a foundational understanding of food safety, food science and nutrition.
• Investigate the relationship between health and food and its effect on society. 
• Discover how to prevent common chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity to lead compassionate nutrition education to the public.

Nutrition and food science program requirements and curriculum

The Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science requires a minimum of 120 credits. As an undergraduate student, you must satisfy these requirements:

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences group requirements
• University general education requirements
• Overall nutrition and food science major requirements

Courses

As a nutrition and food science major, many of your classes include labs, allowing you to experience traditional classroom instruction alongside hands-on learning. This mode of teaching ensures you develop the skills and confidence needed for your career.

Your major requirements cover the following diverse topics:

• Controversial issues of nutrition
• Disease
• Food chemistry
• Food laws
• Metabolism
• Macronutrients
• Micronutrients
• Nutrition

Plan of work

• Sample plan

  This sample plan of work represents one path to degree completion and does not guarantee graduation by the proposed timeline subject to student performance and class availability. Students are advised to meet with their advisor to develop an individualized plan of work.

  First-year, semester one

  Course #	Title	Credits
  BIO 1510	Basic Life Mechanisms	4
  ENG 1020	Introductory College Writing (BC)	3
  MAT 1050	Algebra With Trigonometry	5
  NFS 2030	Nutrition & Health	3
  Total		15

  First-year, semester two

  Course #	Title	Credits
  CHM 1220	General Chemistry	4
  CHM 1230	General Chemistry Lab	1
  BIO 2200	Intro Microbiology	5
  MAT 1800	Elementary Functions	4
  	Intermediate Composition (IC)	3
  	Critical Thinking (CT)	3
  Total		20

  Sophomore, semester one

  Course #	Title	Credits
  NFS 2130	Intro Food Science	3
  NFS 2140	Intro Food Science Lab	1
  CHM 1240	Organic Chemistry I	4
  CHM 1250	Organic Chemistry I Lab	1
  	Oral Communication (OC)	3
  	Quantitative Experience (QE)	3
  Total		15

  Sophomore, semester two

  Course #	Title	Credits
  NFS 3230	Human Nutrition	3
  NFS 2220	Human Nutrition Lab	1
  CHM 2220	Organic Chemistry II	4
  CHM 2230	Organic Chemistry II Lab	1
  BIO 2870	Anatomy & Physiology	5
  	Civilizations and Societies (CS)	4
  Total		18

  Junior, semester one

  Course #	Title	Credits
  NFS 4230	Macronutrient Metabolism (fall only)	3
  PHYS 2130	General Physics I	4
  PHYS 2131	General Physics I Lab	1
  STA 1020	Elementary Statistics	3
  	Foreign Language I	4
  	Cultural Inquiry (CI)	3
  Total		18

  Junior, semester two

  Course #	Title	Credits
  NFS 4231	Human Nutrition: Micronutrients (winter only)	3
  PHYS 2140	General Physics II	4
  PHYS 2141	General Physics II Lab	1
  NFS 5130	Food Chemistry (winter only)	3
  	Foreign Language II	4
  Total		15

  Senior, semester one

  Course #	Title	Credits
  NFS 5140	Lab Techniques (Writing Intensive) (fall only)	3
  NFS 4160	Food Laws & Regulations (fall, spring/summer)	3
  NFS 6850	Controversial Issues (fall only)	2
  	Civic Literacy (CIV)	3
  	Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)	3
  Total		14

  Senior, semester two

  Course #	Title	Credits
  NFS 5250	Nutrition & Disease (winter, spring/summer online)	4
  	Elective	3
  	Global Learning Inquiry (GL)	3
  Total		14

Diverse research on leading topics

Learn how to respectfully lead a nutritional intervention or examine the adverse effects of poor nutrition. Our published professors not only teach your classes — they also provide fascinating research areas for you to explore your career interests.

Review several ongoing research areas:

• Diabetes risk factors
• DNA repair
• Nutrition intervention and cancer
• Urban agriculture and microbial resistance
• Weight loss and mood

Bachelor’s and master’s 4+1 program

The Department of Nutrition and Food Science allows you to simultaneously earn your undergraduate and graduate degrees through the Accelerated Graduate Enrollment (AGRADE) program. This option provides you with the opportunity to graduate early with your B.S. in Nutrition and Food Science and your M.A. in Nutrition and Food Science.

To qualify:

• Maintain a GPA of no less than 3.5
• Be a senior enrolled as a nutrition and food science major

Bachelor’s in nutrition and food science career outlook

As our population grows worldwide, so does the demand for proper food safety and food technologies. Food processing plants and research centers primarily hire nutrition and food science graduates to develop and regulate these growing operations.

With a degree in nutrition, you may launch your career directly in food science or continue pursuing a higher degree in dietetics, medicine, dentistry or other allied health fields.

Financial aid and tuition

Leverage Wayne State University’s affordable flat rate tuition to earn your nutrition and food science bachelor’s degree faster.

We also provide scholarships and financial aid to all declared majors.

Review our net price calculator to determine your financial aid and tuition savings.

Learn more about WSU’s nutrition and food science major

Take the first step toward a vital, interdisciplinary field and make an impact in your community by enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science at Wayne State University.