Home | Department of Nutritional Sciences

Welcome to the Department of Nutritional Sciences at UConn

Top Ranked Nutritional Sciences Program in the U.S.
Molecular Nutrition

Study the mechanisms of gene expression and their regulation by nutrients and dietary constituents at the molecular level
Public Health and Community Nutrition

Population-wide impact on today's most challenging public health issues and disparities through epidemiology, community-engaged research and behavior change
Dietary Bioactive Components and Health

Study the role of non-nutrient substances in foods in reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease
Sports Nutrition
Nutrition for Sports Performance, Physical Rehabilitation, and Health
Extension
EFNEP improves dietary choices and food preparation skills for people from low-income communities across the state

The Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Connecticut, established in 1970, has a distinguished record of teaching, research, and public service. The Department celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2020 with exciting announcements. The Department received a $1.7 million donation from alumna Margaret Ware to recruit and support a diverse population of talented undergraduate and graduate students. The Department offers an online MS in Personalized Nutrition and an online Graduate Certificate in Precision Nutrition. Also, a new joint MD/PhD in Nutrition Program partnered with UConn School of Medicine welcomed the first MD/PhD student in fall 2021. This new initiative is supported by a donation from alumnus Dr. Roger Newton. It is an exciting time for the Department as it moves into its second half-century to achieve another 50 years of excellence in teaching, research, and service for improving human nutrition.

The Department offers highly-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs in human nutrition. Undergraduate programs include three tracks: Nutrition, Health, and Disease Prevention, Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), and Pre-Medical Profession. Graduate (M.S. and Ph.D.) programs cover a wide range of basic and applied approaches, including personalized/precision nutrition, nutrigenomics, nutritional biochemistry, nutritional immunology, public health nutrition, community nutrition, sports nutrition, food safety, food entrepreneurship, and nanotechnology for biodelivery of nutrient and non-nutrient bioactives. Outreach programs are integrated with teaching and research and administered through inter-agency collaborations and professional and public services.

The Department recently established the Strategic Plan 2022-2027, which identifies four specific focus areas. For more information, click here.