Type of Degree

M.S., Accelerated Entry into Master's Program

School or College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Program Format

On-campus, Full-time

Credit hours to graduate

30 credit hours

Faculty research encompasses diverse aspects of human nutrition and food science. Since student research interests should align with current faculty, prospective graduate students should visit our faculty page to review the research and contact specific faculty directly.

Program Overview

UVM's Nutrition and Food Sciences Master's degree includes a wide range of possible research areas of human nutrition and food science. Recent graduate students have focused on topics such as inclusive weight management, milk chemistry, cheese technology, food microbiology, and the development of new food industry products.

Curriculum

Minimum of 30 credits including:

Course NumberCourse NameCredits
NFS 6362NFS Seminar2 credits
NFS 6362Intro to Research Methods3 credits
NFS 6391Master's Thesis Research6-15 credits
 Statistics courses approved by your advisor3 credits
 Electives approved by your advisor3-9 credits
 Comprehensive examination 
  • Research and Thesis: Original research, and a written summary of it, conducted under the supervision of your faculty advisor. Most graduate students also submit their thesis results, usually in condensed form to scholarly journals for publication consideration.
  • Thesis defense: After presenting your thesis research findings at a public seminar open to the college community, a thesis committee (three UVM graduate faculty members, one outside of NFS) engage the graduate student in an oral defense of their thesis.
  • Comprehensive Examination: A written and/or oral comprehensive examination decided upon by your thesis faculty advisor and thesis committee members.

 

Deadlines

February 15th for students seeking funding or an assistantship. Decisions are made by March 15th. For students not seeking funding, applications are welcome on a rolling basis.

Admissions

  • An NFS faculty member must be willing to be your advisor
  • Undergraduate degree in nutrition, dietetics, food science, or another science related field
  • TOEFL: minimum score of 90 to be considered for admission; 100 or above is required for a funded assistantship
  • GRE not required

 

Outcomes

Upon completion of the M. S. degree, students will be able to:

  • Exhibit the ability to conduct and defend a scientifically valid project to advance the field of knowledge in nutrition and/or food sciences
  • Demonstrate oral and written communication skills designed to disseminate nutrition or food sciences research findings
  • Think critically to evaluate current research in specific scientific areas related to the fields of nutrition and / or food sciences
  • Exhibit the ability to transition to research, government or non-profit related employment

Costs and Funding