The Nutrition, Sustainability and Society concentration is designed for students who are interested in advancing health through nutrition in careers such as research, policy, or public health. Coursework and learning experiences address the ways in which food systems and nutrition are interrelated including for population and planetary health. This concentration does not prepare students to become dietitians.
This concentration provides a deeper focus on nutrition in public health, food policy and
sustainability and capitalizes on our department’s expertise in the food policy,
food systems, food insecurity, sustainability, and nutrition in public health topic areas.
Concentration Requirements:
- Breadth of Knowledge Courses:
- NFS 1043: Fundamentals of Nutrition
- NFS 1044: Survey of the Field
- NFS 1053: Basic Concepts of Food
- NFS 1073: Farm to Table
- NFS 3203: Food Microbiology
- NFS 3204: Food Microbiology Lab
- NFS 3243: Advanced Nutrition
- NFS 4286: NFS Senior Seminar
- MATH 1077: Exploring Modern Mathematics
- STAT 1110: Elements of Statistics
- Depth of Knowledge Courses:
- NFS 2113: US Food Policy and Politics
- NFS 2114: Human Health in the Food System
- NFS 2143: Nutrition in the Life Cycle
- NFS 2195: Foods for Planetary Health
- NFS 2196: Planetary Health Foods Lab
- NFS 2995: Undergraduate Research OR NFS 3991: Internship
- NFS 4245: Nutrition for Global Health
- NFS 4262: Community Nutrition
- One additional 3000 or 4000 level course with advisor approval
*Catamount Core Curriculum requirements are found in the 4-year Academic Plan as well as in the Checklist of Required Courses located in the column on the right hand side of this page
Advising:
The faculty advisor-student connection can be one of the most significant aspects of college life. Academic advisors provide critical guidance and assistance with course selection and career planning each semester. They offer valuable career information, often can help in securing useful and exciting practical experience and frequently connect graduates with their own professional network.
Nutrition and Food Science (NFS) majors will have a faculty advisor assigned to them. Students considering majoring in NFS should contact Dr. Todd Pritchard, our faculty advisor for potential majors. In your email to Dr. Todd please include days and times you are available and Dr. Todd will let you know what day and time also works for him to meet with you. If you are a current UVM student wishing to transfer into NFS, or you have college credits at another higher education institution and want ot transfer into UVM/NFS, including your transcript with the email is also helpful.
Internship Opportunities
These are places our students have completed internships.
Common Roots Farm
- Nutrition Curriculum Intern
- Nutrition and Wellness Curriculum Intern
- Nutrition and Sustainability Curriculum (K-5) Intern
- Food Systems Intern
- Garden Education Intern
UVM Hillel
- Hands-on Jewish Baking Program Intern (developed a community based cultural baking program)
Nourished Journey
- Evidenced-based Nutrition Communications Intern
- Social Media and Marketing Intern
Cheese and Wine Traders
- Retail Operations to Mitigate Food Loss and Waste Intern
The Feed
- Marketing Internship
Foodsense, LLC
- Scientific Affairs Intern
Heavenly Hawaiian Coffee
- Sustainable Coffee Production Intern
Recent Graduate Highlight
Katie Schlepphorst graduated in 2021 with strong interests in connecting her training in Nutrition, Society, and Sustainability with a career in healthcare.
While at UVM, she completed a senior thesis examining what stakeholders in the US marketplace think and know about protein in dairy products and plant-based alternatives. Her study required knowledge in nutrition and integrated elements of public policy and consumer research. She won the prestigious Nutrition and Food Sciences Research Award for her work. The findings were published in the journal Nutrition Bulletin in 2023!
Soon after graduating, Katie became a certified nurse assistant and worked in a hospital for two years to gain professional experience. She is now studying to be a physician assistant at the MGH Institute of Health Professions.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe and demonstrate nutrition and food science concepts and principles
- Demonstrate quantitative and qualitative reasoning as it applies to current issues in nutrition and food sciences through effective oral and written communication
- Apply critical thinking, problem-solving, and reflective skills necessary to work independently and cooperatively in food, nutrition, and health fields
- Articulate values consistent with the ethical practice of working in food, nutrition, and health fields