The graduate program in Nutrition at Berkeley provides excellent research opportunities focused on the interaction of nutrition and metabolism. All Academic Senate faculty members in the Graduate Group may supervise the programs of study and thesis or dissertation research of graduate students in Nutrition. Many members of the Nutritional Sciences faculty are members of other interdisciplinary graduate group programs on campus, including Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, Comparative Biochemistry, Endocrinology, and Microbiology. Several students from these other interdisciplinary graduate groups are doing their research in the Department of Nutritional Sciences along with approximately 30 students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the Group in Nutrition.
A major strength of our graduate program is the close interaction between students and faculty. Exposure to the variety of areas encompassed by modern nutritional sciences provides students with the outlook needed to plan research and apply research findings. Graduate students attend courses and seminars in many departments including Molecular and Cell Biology, Integrative Biology,Statistics, and Public Health. Although relevant course work is required, we place a strong emphasis on the student's research training. The student's thesis or dissertation research is monitored by a supportive faculty advisory committee, which provides advice and constructive criticism.
Currently, we are supporting all of our graduate students through a variety of financial sources. The Department has several training grants for pre-doctoral students as well as Research and Teaching Assistantships and Fellowships.
Facilities for modern experimental nutrition research are available in the Department. In addition, the Berkeley campus offers a wide variety of research support facilities. The Berkeley campus library system is recognized as one of the finest in the world. The Department Reference Library (located in Morgan Hall) contains periodicals, books, and other literature on nutrition and related areas for use by faculty, graduate students, staff, and visiting scientists. We enjoy close teaching and research affiliations with the Western Regional Research Center/USDA-Albany, the Western Human Nutrition Research Center/USDA-San Francisco, the Bay Area Human Nutrition Center at San Francisco General Hospital, and the University of California at San Francisco, Medical School/Moffitt Hospital.
The Ph.D. degree in Nutrition generally requires five years to complete. In addition to the diverse opportunities for research and academic study, our graduate students are expected to gain teaching competency by acting as teaching assistants for at least one semester. Graduates with the Ph.D. are qualified to fill a variety of teaching and research positions in colleges, universities,industry, and in both government and non-government institutions. The field of Nutrition provides a host of challenging and intellectually stimulating problems of great importance to human health and well being. Our graduates find employment with universities or research institutes, with national and international nutrition programs, with state extension services, or as private consultants.
If you are interested in a graduate program that focuses on applied nutrition or dietetics, you should contact the School of Public Health. That school offers an M.P.H. with an emphasis in Nutrition as well as a dietetic internship.
- NST 250 Mechanisms of Metabolic Regulation (4) Principles of metabolic regulation in higher animals.
Integration
of metabolic paths and fluxes emphasizing experimental data and understanding mechanisms of nutrient affects.
Advances in methods for studying metabolism, ranging from isotopic to molecular genetics techniques. This course
provides the foundation for pursuing research in nutrient biochemistry/molecular biology, and for understanding
nutrient and endocrine related diseases such as diabetes, birth defects, osteoporosis, obesity and cardiovascular
disease. (F)
- NST 251 Advanced Metabolism (4) A graduate course taught by the Department of Nutritional Sciences and
Toxicology
in the College of Natural Resources with 3 hr of lecture and 1 hr of discussion of research papers per week. This
course extends the basic information provided in Experimental Nutrition by presenting in-depth analyses of nutrition
requirements and mechanisms of metabolic diseases. Topics include: diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis,
obesity, disorders of lipid metabolism, etc. (Sp)
- NST 211 A/B Introduction to
Research in Nutritional Sciences (4-8) Closely supervised experimental work under the direction of individual
faculty members; an introduction to experimental methods and research approaches
in areas of Nutritional Sciences (F,Sp)
- NST 212 Statistics in Nutrition Research (1)
Selection and application of statistical procedures to experimental designs and data
encountered in nutritional research. Assumptions and appropriateness of chi-square tests,
T-tests, ANOVA, correlation and regression, multiple comparison procedures, and
non-parametric procedures will be examined. (Sp)
- NST 290 Advanced Seminars in Nutritional Sciences
(1-2) Advanced study of topics in nutritional sciences. (F,Sp)
- NST 292 Graduate Research Colloquium (1)
Presentations by graduate students of research proposals and results of their research.
Participation in discussion and evaluation of others presentations is required. (F,Sp)
- NST 293 Research Seminar (1) Presentation and discussion of
current faculty research projects and experimental techniques in nutritional sciences.
Intended primarily for first year graduate students. (F)
- NST 298 Directed Group Studies (1-4) Special study in
various fields of nutritional sciences. Topics will vary depending on interests
of qualified graduate students and availability of staff. (F,Sp)
- NST 299 Research in Food and Nutrition (1-12)
Supervised graduate research under the direction of an individual faculty member.
(F,Sp,Su)
-
NST 301 Professional Preparation: Teaching in Nutritional
Sciences
(1-2) Creative approaches to teaching nutrition to diverse
audiences are emphasized. Participants will identify needs of target populations,
formulate educational objectives, design and/or utilize motivational teaching
strategies, and evaluate the impact of their teaching on knowledge, attitudes, and
behavior. Undergraduates may teach nutrition to elementary school children.
Graduates may become teaching assistants. (F)
- NST 302 Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching
Experience in Nutrition (1-4) Practical supervised experience in teaching
nutrition and food science at the university level; planning, presentation, and
evaluation of instructional units. (F,Sp)
- NST 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students (1-8)
Individual study in consultation with the major adviser intended to provide
an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various
examinations required for candidates for the Ph.D. (F,Sp)
- IDS 290 International Food and Nutrition Policies (3)
Interdisciplinary course surveying the world food situation emphasizing the links between
food production, food consumption and nutrition: the effect of income and prices on food
demand, the socioeconomic factors affecting food consumption within and among h
ouseholds. The various nutritional problems plaguing developing countries (including famine);
intervention measures, such as food aid, feeding programs, price policies and
nutrition education, and methods of program evaluation are reviewed. (Sp)
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition is administered by the Graduate Division and the Graduate Group in Nutrition. The members of the Graduate Group in Nutrition at Berkeley are affiliated with a variety of departments (Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, Molecular and Cell Biology, Public Health.) A student may do research under the direction of any Academic Senate member on the faculty in any department represented in the Group. Funding for the research and stipend for the student then become the responsibility of the faculty member and the affiliated department. This program of work is subject to the general requirements for the degree as approved by the Graduate Division.
A student will usually require about five years of graduate study after the B.S. degree to complete the doctoral degree. The time will vary depending on the student's undergraduate preparation, research project and overall educational objectives.
An undergraduate major in nutritional sciences or related field such as biochemistry, chemistry, biological sciences, physiology, molecular or cell biology would provide a strong background for this program. Applicants lacking such preparation should make up most lower division requirements before applying for graduate study. Minor deficiencies in undergraduate preparation may be made up after admission to graduate school, but this may extend the period of graduate study. Such deficiencies should be corrected by the end of the first year of graduate study.
In order to ensure adequate undergraduate preparation, we recommend that the following courses be completed prior to admission to the Ph.D. degree in Nutrition.
Biochemistry (one course), Biochemistry Laboratory (one course), Biology (one course), General Chemistry with laboratory (one year), Organic Chemistry with laboratory (one year), Quantitative Analysis laboratory (one course), Physics with laboratory (one course), Physiology (or equivalent biology) (one course), Calculus (one course), Statistics (or additional calculus) (one course), Nutrition/Food Science (or other upper division biological sciences) (two courses).
Requirements During Graduate Residency
Individual programs of study are developed by the student, the major professor, and the guidance committee. The components of each program include course work, teaching responsibilities, the oral qualifying examination, and dissertation research.
Entering graduate students generally take the following courses:
- NST 250 Mechanisms of Metabolic Regulation
- NST 251 Advanced Metabolism
- NST 211 Introduction to Research in Nutritional Sciences
- NST 212 Statistics in Nutrition Research
- NST 293 Research Seminar
- MCB 200 Advanced Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- MCB 230 Advanced Cell Biology
Two advanced courses relevant to the students area of interest are from other departments including Molecular and Cell Biology, Integrative Biology, and Public Health.
Seminars and colloquia cover the broader field of metabolic nutrition, and provide the student with opportunities to make oral presentations:
- NST 290 Advanced Seminars in Nutritional Sciences
- NST 292 Graduate Research Colloquium (to be taken each semester)
- NST 298 Directed Group Studies (topics vary)
- Departmental Seminar (held weekly). Each student presents her/his dissertation research at this seminar prior to conferral of the degree.
II. Teaching Responsibilities Students are required to be a Graduate Student Instructor (Teaching Assistant) for at least one course (although funding packages often necessitate that this duty be performed several times during a student's career). This teaching experience is accompanied by enrollment in:
- NST 301 Professional Preparation: Teaching in Nutritional Sciences
- NST 302 Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching Experience in Nutritional Sciences
IV. Dissertation Research The primary purpose of the Ph.D. program in Nutrition is to prepare the student for independent research. Therefore, the dissertation research involves an original proposal made and executed by the student, under the guidance and supervision of the major professor and other members of the dissertation committee.
Please refer to "Graduate Education" in the 2001-2002 UC Berkeley General Catalog if you have additional questions about the graduate degree requirements.
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last modified august 2002
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