Nutrition
Be a driver of optimal health for communities and individuals by learning about nutrition in wellness and disease.
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. Its importance in many other health conditions is an area of growth.
UMass Amherst offers a bachelor’s degree with three tracks (dietetics, nutrition and health sciences, nutrition and society); master’s and doctoral degree; and a full-time dietetic internship certificate program.
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.
Learn more here: Nutrition Faculty
Explore our programs
Undergraduate
Dietetic Internship
Jump in faculty research funding for the School of Public Health and Health Sciences from 2017 to 2022
Faster-than-average job growth for nutritionists and dietitians, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Research Areas
The UMass Nutrition Association delivered over 850 pounds of donations to the Amherst Survival Center as part of its annual food drive.
Benefits list
CEPH Accreditation
Accreditation is important when deciding where to study nutrition. Every program in the Department of Nutrition, like every other department within the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, is fully accredited by the Council of Education for Public Health, a key benefit of attending UMass.
Cutting-Edge Research
You’ll find a wealth of opportunities in our two primary research centers. The Institute for Global Health promotes healthy living in developing nations. The Center for Research and Education in Women's Health seeks to better understand health factors that affect women from birth through old age.
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.
Alumni spotlight
In the spotlight
“Food is so much more than fuel, it is a way to comfort a loved one, a way to build relationships, to experience life, and so much more. There are so many constructs that affect one's ability to care for oneself. It is truly a gift to be able to equip patients with tools to take more power over their health.”
Featured faculty
Lisa Troy
Honors Program Director, Nutrition
Focus on measures of diet quality; joint effect of diet and physical activity on health promotion/disease prevention; social determinants of health
Lindiwe Sibeko
Department Chair, Nutrition
Maternal and child health in racial/ethnic minorities and low-income populations, breastfeeding & lactation; community-based research; childhood obesity
Claire Norton
Undergraduate Program Director, Nutrition
Didactic Program in Dietetics Director, Nutrition
Focus on dietetics and eating disorders
Zhenhua Liu
Graduate Program Director, Nutrition
Focus on B-vitamins, folate metabolism, nutritional epigenetics, obesity and inflammation, cancer prevention
In the news
Black Pregnant Women Sought for Research Study
A multidisciplinary team is recruiting Black pregnant women for a study investigating their experience traveling to prenatal appointments.
UMass Feature Story Highlights Food as Medicine Collaboration
A new UMass Amherst research feature titled "Food Is Medicine" highlights the work being conducted across multiple disciplines on campus.
New Moms Wellness Study Continues to Seek Breastfeeding Mothers
Researchers from the New Moms Wellness Study continue to seek breastfeeding mothers to participate in a study.
Nutrition
Offering an interdisciplinary approach to the study and application of the relationship between diet, foods, and health.