Nutrition
Play a vital role in the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
Nutrition plays a critical role in the health and well-being of individuals and communities. The study of nutrition focuses on the actions, interactions, and balance of nutrients and bioactive components in relation to human health and disease. It also involves understanding special nutrient needs at different stages of life, and explores the social determinants influencing food consumption, food access, and health. Nutrition impacts outcomes in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, certain cancers, and other chronic diseases, as well as malnutrition and nutrient deficiency diseases. It plays a vital role in general wellness, fitness, athletics and healthy aging. Understanding the importance of nutrition in many other health conditions is an area of growth.
Nutrition faculty are engaged in many areas of research, including the molecular mechanisms of bioactive compounds, epigenetics in cancer prevention, dietary interventions to improve maternal health, health literacy, social determinants of health, and more.
Explore our programs
Undergraduate
Graduate
Dietetic Internship
Research Areas
What Our Nutrition Students and Alumni Have to Say
Hear from our Nutrition students and alumni as they talk about the benefits of a nutrition degree from UMass Amherst.
Benefits list
Small Class Sizes, Close-Knit Community
As a student in any of the UMass Amherst nutrition degree programs, you’ll benefit from small classes, personalized advising, and laboratory and community-engaged research experiences.
Experiential Learning
Nutrition students have opportunities to develop the skills they will need to move on to the next step in their career. Follow the link to learn more about opportunities open to all nutrition students.
Cutting-Edge Research
You’ll find a wealth of opportunities in our faculty research labs. Research everything from nutritional epigenetics to the gut microbiome and health to food insecurity and the social determinants of health.
Hear What Our Alumni Have to Say
Learn what our students and alumni have to say about the benefits of a nutrition degree from UMass Amherst.
Alumni spotlight
In the Spotlight
"The dietetic internship at UMass is unique because it has a large community emphasis. It went hand in hand with the work that I was previously doing in my master's degree at UMass... Through this community-based work, I can give back to the people and places that have supported me."
Community stories
Featured Faculty
Lisa Troy
Honors Program Director, Nutrition
Lindiwe Sibeko
Department Chair, Nutrition (on sabbatical)
Claire Norton
Undergraduate Program Director, Nutrition
Didactic Program in Dietetics Director, Nutrition
Zhenhua Liu
Acting Chair, Department of Nutrition
Graduate Program Director, Nutrition
Lorraine Cordeiro
Director, Center for Research on Families
In the News
Elena Carbone Elected to Lead the International Health Literacy Association
Elena Carbone has been elected to the position of Vice President/President-Elect of the International Health Literacy Association (IHLA).
Chaoran Ma Named 2026-27 CRF Family Research Scholar
Assistant Professor of Nutrition Chaoran Ma is among the six 2026-27 Family Research Scholars selected by the UMass Center for Research on Families (CRF).
Dean Anna Maria Siega-Riz Shapes National Report on Maternal Heart Risk
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee - including Dean Siega-Riz - reports on cardiovascular disease and pregnancy-related deaths.
Nutrition
Offering an interdisciplinary approach to the study and application of the relationship between diet, foods, and health.