The master's in food and nutrition program is a part of the Department of Public & Allied Health in the College of Health & Human Services

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  • Masters Available
  • Masters Available

Masters of

Food and Nutrition

The study of our relationship with food has never been more relevant than it is today. BGSU’s Master of Food and Nutrition program is designed for those interested in the advanced study of food and nutrition who have a baccalaureate degree in food, nutrition or a related field.

Available on-campus or online, this degree can be tailored by selecting additional topics in nutrition. You may also choose other areas of study such as public health, psychology, exercise physiology and education. Our talented faculty members will use their professional expertise and scholarship to help you meet your professional goals.   

The advanced study of food, nutrition and health

You can adapt the BGSU master’s in food and nutrition degree to a wide variety of possible professional outcomes including becoming a food scientist, nutrition educator, clinical dietitian, clinical nutrition manager, sports dietitian or company dietitian/wellness manager.

BGSU also has a dietetics internships program with initial ACEND accreditation that offers a potential pathway to becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist.

Stand Out in courses

  • Community and Public Health Nutrition
  • Micronutrients Through the Life Span
  • Research Methods in Food and Nutrition
  • Macronutrients for Human Nutrition
  • Advanced Clinical Nutrition

Our customizable program may be tailored to your career goals and academic strengths and may be completed full-time or part-time, online or on-campus.

Curriculum

The BGSU Master’s in Food and Nutrition degree includes core coursework in macronutrients, micronutrients, research methods, community and public health nutrition, and clinical nutrition. You will also choose from a variety of electives to meet their personal and professional interests:  

  • Public Health
  • Clinical Nutrition
  • Psychology
  • Exercise Physiology
  • Education
  • Scientific Writing
  • Weight Management
  • Phytochemicals
  • Lifecycle Nutrition
  • Sports Nutrition

You will be prepared to use evidence-based research and critically evaluate emerging food and nutrition resources.

To wrap up your degree, you will work with your graduate coordinator or major advisor to choose a culminating experience that meets your goals and interests. Students can choose from a thesis and non-thesis option.

Students in the Master’s of Food and Nutrition may wish to combine their graduate studies with a dietetic internship.

GO FAR in your career

  • Clinical Dietitian - Pediatrics
  • Clinical Nutrition Manager
  • Nutrition Educator
  • Sports Dietitian
  • Food Scientist
  • Company Dietitian/Wellness Manager

Career

Nutritionists and dietitians help people establish diet patterns that work for their health needs. Professionals with these skills have never been more in demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment rates for dietitians and nutritionists are expected to increase by 11 percent during the decade spanning 2020 and 2030.

Developments in preventative health care could be driving this growth, along with the nation’s obesity epidemic, increases in avoidable diseases and conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes. In reaction to these issues, peoples’ interest in taking charge of their health has never been higher.

The BLS also finds that the 2020 median pay for Dietitians and Nutritionists is $63,090 per year, or $30.33 per hour.  

A full lab for food analysis is available on our Ohio campus for BGSU master’s in food and nutrition students.

Become a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist

If you have a food and nutrition bachelor’s degree, upon graduation with your master’s in food and nutrition, you could earn a verification statement towards qualification for a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) internship. You must also meet the didactic requirements based on the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Standards.

Program courses may also be used to meet some but not all of the RDN didactic requirements. If you do not have a food and nutrition or dietetic undergraduate degree, completing the master’s in food and nutrition degree alone will not provide you with a verification statement needed for a dietetic internship.

A verification statement is a final step before applying for and completing an accredited dietetics internship and passing the national and state registration examinations. You would then become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

​​If you wish to pursue becoming a Registered Dietitian but do not have an F&N/dietetic undergraduate degree, please contact the Undergraduate Dietetics Director. They will review your transcripts and help you plan your course of study to meet the didactic requirements based on the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Standards to earn a verification statement.

BGSU Graduate College

The master's in food and nutrition program is a part of the Department of Public & Allied Health in the College of Health & Human Services

Coverdell Fellowship in the master's in food and nutrition degree program

The Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program (USA) is a graduate fellowship program that offers financial assistance to returned volunteers who wish to earn, in this case, a degree in the master's in food and nutrition program. The master’s in food and nutrition program officially became a Peace Corps Fellows program in December 2012.  

Aligning itself as a Peace Corps Fellows program illustrates the Peace Corps’ recognition of the food and nutrition master’s degree as one that academically builds upon returned volunteers’ practical international experience and provides the opportunity for returned volunteers to fulfill the Third Goal of the Peace Corps, which is to promote American understanding of the world and its people.

Accreditation

Bowling Green State University [BGSU] is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  BGSU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 01/01/1916. The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was received in 2012 - 2013. Questions should be directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Eligible students may choose to complete the master's program in conjunction with a post-baccalaureate dietetic internship program. The dietetic internship program is granted accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

More information on accreditation

Professional Licensure

Bowling Green State University programs leading to licensure, certification and/or endorsement, whether delivered online, face-to-face or in a blended format, satisfy the academic requirements for those credentials set forth by the State of Ohio.

Requirements for licensure, certification and/or endorsement eligibility vary greatly from one profession to another and from state to state.  The master's in food and nutrition program does not lead to professional licensure.

Gainful Employment

Under the Higher Education Act Title IV disclosure requirements, an institution must provide current and prospective students with information about each of its programs that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

The master’s in food and nutrition is a recognized occupation that requires a Gainful Employment disclosure.



* Job placement and salary information was compiled by the Office of Academic Assessment through the Graduation Survey from AY2015-2018. The data are gathered around the time of Commencement and a follow-up survey six months post Commencement. For the salary question, data for programs with fewer than fifteen responses are not included. Salaries for those programs are from the National Association of Colleges and Employers Summer 2019 Survey. For questions regarding the data, contact assessment@bgsu.edu.

Updated: 02/26/2024 09:44AM