Bachelor of Science with a Major in Nutrition, Nutrition Science Concentration

Program Director: G. Headrick

The mission of GW’s nutrition program is to provide undergraduate students with an in-depth understanding of the scientific aspects of food and nutrition and the application of nutrition to public health. As a multi-faceted and cross-disciplinary field, encompassing chemistry, biology, physiology, psychology, and public health, the program lays the groundwork for integrating nutrition science across disciplines. Once they complete the program, students are well-prepared to develop, extend, and apply all aspects of nutrition to improve clinical practice and public health. Program graduates are employed in a variety of settings, including federal government agencies such as the USDA and FDA, nonprofit organizations, and advocacy groups, while others choose to pursue advanced degrees in the health sciences, dietetics, and/or public health.

Students in the nutrition program may select the nutrition science concentration, which is designed for those planning to pursue an advanced degree in dietetics and become a registered dietitian. Please note that as of 2024, it is required that students have a Master’s degree to become a Registered Dietitian.

Visit the program website for additional information.

Information on the admission process is available on the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website. Applications may be submitted via the Common Application.

Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The George Washington University
800 21st Street NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20052

Contact for questions:
gwadm@gwu.edu or 202-994-6040

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 120 credits, including 26 credits in courses counting toward the University General Education Requirement, 34 credits in nutrition core courses, 30 credits in concentration-specific courses, 12 credits in approved guided elective courses, and 18 credits in general elective courses. 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
University General Education Requirement
One course in critical thinking in the humanities.
Two courses in critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, or scientific reasoning in the social sciences. For exercise science and nutrition majors, must be satisfied with one of the following: ANTH 1002, ANTH 1003, or ANTH 1004.
One course that has an approved oral communication component, For exercise science and nutrition majors, must be satisfied with either COMM 1040 or COMM 1041.
One course in quantitative reasoning. For exercise science and nutrition majors, must be satisfied with one of the following: STAT 1051, STAT 1053, or STAT 1127.
One course in scientific reasoning with laboratory experience. For exercise science and nutrition majors, must be satisfied with BISC 1111.
UW 1020	University Writing
or HONR 1015 (Origins and Evolution of Modern Thought)
After successful completion of UW 1020 or HONR 1015, 6 credits distributed over at least two different Writing in the Disciplines (WID) courses taken in separate semesters (summer counts as one semester) are required. WID courses are designated by a "W" appended to the course number.

 Approved courses can be found under University General Education Requirement.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required core nutrition courses
34 credits in required core courses. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 in the nutrition core requirements with a minimum grade of C- in each core course.
PUBH 1010	First-Year Experience in Public Health
EXNS 1109	Professional Foundations in Nutrition
EXNS 1110	Applied Anatomy and Physiology I
EXNS 1111	Applied Anatomy and Physiology II
CHEM 1110	Fundamentals of Chemistry
EXNS 2119	Introduction to Nutrition Science
EXNS 2120	Assessment of Nutritional Status
EXNS 2123	Nutrition and Chronic Disease
EXNS 2124	Lifecycle Nutrition
EXNS 3111W	Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Research Methods
EXNS 4112	Nutrition Senior Capstone Seminar
PUBH 1101	Introduction to Public Health and Health Services
PSYC 1001	General Psychology
ANTH 1002	Sociocultural Anthropology *
or ANTH 1003	Archaeology
or ANTH 1004	Language in Culture and Society
BISC 1111	Introductory Biology: Cells and Molecules *
COMM 1040	Public Communication *
or COMM 1041	Interpersonal Communication
STAT 1051	Introduction to Business and Economic Statistics *
or STAT 1053	Introduction to Statistics in Social Science
or STAT 1127	Statistics for the Biological Sciences
or PUBH 2142	Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health
*The ANTH, BISC, COMM, and STAT courses count toward the General Education Requirement; however, while required, they do not count toward the 34 credits in nutrition core courses. PUBH 2142 does not count toward the General Education Requirement, but it does count as a nutrition core course.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Concentration requirement
30 credits in concentration-specific courses.
BISC 1112	Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms
CHEM 1111	General Chemistry I
CHEM 1112	General Chemistry II
CHEM 2151	Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 2153	Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 2152	Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 2154	Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
BISC 3165	Biochemistry I
or CHEM 3165	Biochemistry I
EXNS 4199	Advanced Topics in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences (only in topic Metabolism in Exercise Science)
BISC 2336	Introductory Microbiology
BISC 2337	Introductory Microbiology Laboratory

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Electives
30 credits in elective courses, including 12 credits in nutrition guided electives, selected in consultation with the advisor, and 18 credits in general elective courses. See the list of pre-approved guided electives for the BS in nutrition program requirements page. **
No more than 3 credits in Lifestyle, Sport, and Physical Activity (LSPA) courses may be counted toward the 120 credits required for the bachelor's degree. LSPA courses count as general electives.

**See list of pre-approved guided electives.