UMass Amherst Undergraduate Degree Program in Nutrition

The Department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is among the most comprehensive nutrition departments in New England and has an outstanding record in teaching, research, and community service. The award-winning faculty are dedicated to excellence in education. They provide personalized advising and the opportunity for each student to tailor the program according to their educational and career goals to attain growth and quality education through the academic coursework, independent studies, field, and community experiences, and for those who meet the requirements, the Honors program. With faculty and support staff on and off campus, we offer a range of outreach programs for diverse learners, such as the UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program. Online learning is available for students and professionals nationally and internationally through UMassONE.

What Is Nutrition?

Nutrition is the science that focuses upon the nutrients contained in foods; their actions, interactions, and balance in relation to health and disease; and the processes by which an individual ingests, digests, absorbs, transports, utilizes, and excretes nutrients. In addition, the study of nutrition is concerned with the social, economic, cultural, and psychological implications of food and eating.

If you want a career that is exciting, challenging, and allows you to succeed, excel, and feel good about what you do, then consider the field of nutrition. Its is a vital, growing field open to creativity and opportunity — the possibilities are endless.

What Can I Do With a Degree in Nutrition in the Dietetics Track?

Once you graduate with a BS degree in nutrition in the dietetics track, you will have completed the requirements of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Didactic Program in Dietetics and will start your journey to becoming a dietitian. Once you are a fully qualified dietitian you may be working in a position where you provide medical nutrition therapy in a hospital or clinic. Dietitians are also employed as consultants and managers, in public relations, and food and culinary positions where they manage food service operations in health care or other institutional and commercial settings. They write books, articles, and newsletters. Dietitians are active in the health and wellness industry and in corporate wellness where they address health promotion and chronic disease prevention. Dietitians also work in national, international, and state government agencies for programs such as Women Infants and Children (WIC) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-ED), as well as agencies such as the USDA and FDA. A growing number of registered dietitian/nurses (RDNs) work in private practice or as entrepreneurs, providing nutrition products and services to consumers. RDNs also work as humanitarians around the world in the area of public policy to help during times of nutritional crises. RDs provide many public services.

Department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts

The nutrition department is housed in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS). Much, but not all of the information in this manual is available on the UMass nutrition department website.

There are three tracks in the nutrition major at UMass: Dietetics, Nutrition and Health Science, and Nutrition and Society. Once admitted to UMass, student can declare the nutrition major, ideally before new student orientation.

Learn more about the nutrition major.

Learn about admission to the University of Massachusetts as a freshman or transfer student.

UMass Amherst Undergraduate Admissions is committed to the responsibility of providing access and opportunities for all, while actively upholding diversity as a priority, demonstrating our commitment to inclusion of historically underrepresented communities. We believe that a multicultural and diverse campus is essential to achieving academic excellence, allowing students of all identities and backgrounds to thrive at UMass Amherst.

Assessment of Prior Learning

The University’s transfer credit policy is published online on both the Undergraduate Admissions Office website and the Registrar’s Office website

Acceptance letters to transfer students include a Preliminary Transfer Credit Award form. Final official transfer credit evaluations, including course equivalencies, are completed when students indicate their intention to enroll. Once students enroll, they have access to their own degree audits after transfer credits are posted to their records through the online registration system (SPIRE). Students may also request transfer credit information from the Undergraduate Admissions Office at any time during the application process. Transfer nutrition courses are evaluated by either the admission office or nutrition faculty depending on the specific course being transferred.

Course of Study

The course of study in nutrition at UMass is expected to take four years (eight semesters) to complete. Students can access their own student file through their UMass SPIRE account. Students taking longer than 10 semesters will need the approval of the academic dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Students taking longer than 12 semesters to graduate will need the academic dean to appeal to the Admission and Records Committee in the registrar’s office on their behalf. UMass has robust support services that we strongly encourage all our students to use. In fact, students earning good grades typically are those who use these services frequently.

Online Classes

All current students in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences have the option to take some of their courses with the University Without Walls (UWW). The courses are offered in spring, summer, fall, and winter terms and are eligible for financial aid, but the cost of taking a UWW course is different from campus-based courses and may be higher, or may not be covered by your particular form of aid. Before you enroll in any UWW course/s, it is highly recommended that you contact Financial Aid to ensure your current aid package allows UWW courses.

The UWW program is firmly committed to ensuring the integrity of its distance education and degree programs. All distance education students must use their university-issued credentials to log in to Blackboard, through which all course materials and assessments are provided. SPHHS strongly encourages faculty to incorporate randomized question pools for graded online assessments. Further, assessments may utilize other identity-verification technologies, including dedicated IP addresses, synchronous observation tools, and third-party proctoring solutions integrated in Blackboard. Faculty have access to anti-plagiarism tools (TurnItIn and Safe Assign) via Blackboard. Students’ access to Blackboard and all posted content is recorded and can be monitored and saved in accordance with university policies. All faculty teaching in distance education programs have access to course design/redesign services provided by the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Instructional Media Lab to assist with ensuring academic honesty through innovative teaching methods and technologies.

Learn more about our online undergraduate courses.

Academic Support

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) serves as the central undergraduate academic and undergraduate research support unit for the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst). At the LRC, there are four different branches of academic support and undergraduate research support available to students, including Peer Tutoring (drop in and by appointment), Study Skills Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction (SI), and the Office of Undergraduate Research and Studies (OURS). LRC and OURS services are built-in campus resources, and they are completely free for UMass undergraduates. The different types of academic resources are available to support students in achieving their iteration of academic success at UMass Amherst. LRC and OURS departmental home is on the 10th floor of the W.E.B. DuBois Library! We look forward to supporting your academic success this year and beyond!

The LRC has a cohort of peer tutors and supplemental instruction (SI) Leaders. These are exceptional students who are highly trained to assist their peers in achieving academic success.

UMass University Health Services (UHS)

University Health Services provides comprehensive medical care to a diverse population of UMass Amherst constituents and promotes campus health in the broadest sense. We are committed to the holistic integration of a multitude of campus services promoting health in educational and residential environments. We emphasize students first, and strive for excellence, sustainability, and efficiency. In addition to general medicine and primary, UHS provides the UMass campus community with a wide variety of specialty services, including pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology on site. Students can access specialty services that include eye care, acupuncture, physical therapy, women’s health, transgender care, nutrition and more.

Center for Counseling and Psychological Health

The Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH) offers a community of care to UMass Amherst students to help cope with stress or anxiety, find strategies to overcome challenges, promote mental well-being, and succeed in college life and beyond. The list below shows the breadth of services available to students.

Crisis Services

  • On-call clinician available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

Let’s Talk

  • Confidential sessions with counselor-consultants

Groups and Workshops

  • Skill-building and support for undergraduate and graduate students

Individual Therapy

  • Individual therapy at CCPH
• Off campus mental health services

Psychiatric/Medication Services

  • Psychiatric consultation
  • Transitioning mental health care to college

Specialty Services

  • Assessment for ADHD and learning disorders • Eating disorder consultation
• Sexual assault services
 • Substance abuse
  • Mind/body medicine

Resources for Students of Color

  • Includes helpful links, provider directories, self-guided and app resources, crisis numbers, and therapy funds

Additional Resources

  • 
Recommended well-being apps
  • Other online resources

  • Campus resources
  • 
For UMass parents and families

  • Mindfulness at UMass

  • Community/off-campus resources
  • National resources

  • Managing COVID-19 concerns​​​​​​

Nutrition Faculty

The faculty of the nutrition department carry out research on a wide variety of topics. Some faculty are also engaged in clinical practice in the field of dietetics.