Graduate Admissions Requirements

Application and Admissions Process

Applications for the following programs are submitted through the OSU Graduate College online application:

Applicants will submit the following with their application:

Transcripts from all previously attended institutions (3.0 minimum undergraduate GPA required)
Current resume/vita
Three professional letters of reference
Personal goal statement and research interests (1-2 pages)
A curriculum vitae
GRE scores within the last five years (recommended, but not required)
TOEFL or IELTS scores for international students whose first language is not English

Once an application is complete, the Department of Nutritional Sciences graduate faculty will review the application and make an admission recommendation. This departmental recommendation will be made within about 30 days for MS students. For PhD applicants, this recommendation will be made once the application is complete and an advisor and funding source are identified. PhD applicants should review the list of faculty research areas and contact potential advisors.

Application Deadlines

Domestic students:

Fall Admission – July 1
Spring Admission – November 1

International students:

Fall Admission – February 1
Spring Admission – August 1

Admission Prerequisites

Master's Programs

The following prerequisite courses are required for full admittance to the MS programs:

At least one course in biochemistry*
At least one course in physiology*
At least one upper division nutrition course

*Students should note that two semesters of general chemistry and one semester of organic chemistry are typically the prerequisites for biochemistry. The prerequisite for physiology is an introductory biology course.

Students with a bachelor’s degree in a subject area other than nutrition will also be required to have a minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate/graduate course work related to nutritional sciences, including the prerequisite courses listed above.

Doctoral Program

Prerequisite for full admittance to the 60-credit hour PhD program:

Students accepted into the 60 credit hour PhD option must have completed 30 hours of graduate course work in nutrition or an area of specialization such as biochemistry, biology, dietetics, public health, exercise science, food science, hospitality/restaurant management or other major field related to the desired area of study. A master’s degree is highly preferred but not required. If a thesis was not completed as a part of the graduate course work, the student’s advisory committee reserves the right to determine if a thesis or thesis-equivalent project must be completed.
Students with a degree or graduate course work in a subject area other than nutrition may be considered for provisionary admission with courses completed in the first year of admission to assure a basic nutrition foundation and earning a 3.0 or higher GPA. The graduate faculty committee will determine which courses must be completed within the first year of admission; the courses will be indicated in the applicant’s admission letter.

Example Nutrition Foundation Courses:

Biochemistry (undergraduate or graduate level)
Physiology (undergraduate or graduate level)
Graduate level nutrition (six credits)
Graduate statistics (three credits)

Pre-requisites for full admittance to the 80-credit hour PhD program:

Students accepted into the 80 credit hour PhD option must hold a Bachelor of Science (BS) in nutrition or an area of specialization such as biochemistry, biology, dietetics, public health, exercise science, food science, hospitality/restaurant management or other major field related to the desired area of study.
Students with a degree in a subject area other than nutrition may be considered for provisionary admission with completion of courses in the first year of admission to assure a basic nutrition foundation and the student earns a 3.0 or higher GPA. The graduate faculty committee will determine which courses must be completed within the first year of admission and will be indicated in the applicant’s admission letter.

Example Nutrition Foundation Courses:

Biochemistry (undergraduate or graduate level)
Physiology (undergraduate or graduate level)
Graduate level nutrition (six credits)
Graduate statistics (three credits)

Students with master’s degrees in a subject area other than nutrition will also be required to have a minimum of 30 credit hours of undergraduate/graduate course work related to nutritional sciences, including the prerequisite courses listed above. Applicants who do not meet these requirements may be considered for conditional acceptance and required to take additional prerequisite courses.

If a thesis was not required as a component of the applicant's master’s program, a thesis or equivalent must be completed in addition to the requirements for the doctoral degree.

Outstanding students may be considered for admission to the 80-credit hour PhD program if they have completed the prerequisite courses for the MS program (above). Please contact the graduate coordinator for additional information.