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

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 can 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 can 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

Current GW students who wish to declare one of the SPH majors should visit the school's undergraduate admissions website.

The following requirements must be fulfilled: 120 credits, including 26 credits in University General Education Requirement courses, 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
Required
Nutrition core courses
CHEM 1110	Fundamentals of Chemistry 1
EXNS 1109	Professional Foundations in Nutrition 2
EXNS 2119	Introduction to Nutrition Science
EXNS 2120	Assessment of Nutritional Status
EXNS 2123	Nutrition and Chronic Disease
EXNS 2124	Lifecycle Nutrition
EXNS 2210	Applied Anatomy and Physiology I
EXNS 2211	Applied Anatomy and Physiology II
EXNS 3110	Field Experience in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences 3
or EXNS 3120	Experiences in Community Nutrition
or EXNS 3995	Undergraduate Research
or CCAS 2154	Elective Internship
EXNS 3111W	Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Research Methods
PSYC 1001	General Psychology
PUBH 1010	First-Year Experience in Public Health
PUBH 1101	Introduction to Public Health and Health Services

¹Students in the nutrition science and pre-medical professional concentrations can waive CHEM 1110 Fundamentals of Chemistry if they earned a score of 95 or higher on the ALEKS examination. If CHEM 1110 is waived, it must be replaced with two additional credits in guided electives. Students are required to take CHEM 1111 General Chemistry I and CHEM 1112 General Chemistry II as part of their required concentration courses. Students interested in waiving CHEM 1110 should speak with their academic advisor. 

²Students who have taken EXNS 1103 Professional Foundations in Exercise Science should not take EXNS 1109 Professional Foundations in Nutrition.

³Students can choose between listed courses. If a student enrolls in a course of 2 credits or more, 1 credit will apply toward the guided elective credit requirement and any additional credit will be counted toward the general elective credit requirement. 

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Concentration-specific courses
BISC 1112	Introductory Biology: The Biology of Organisms
BISC 2336	Introductory Microbiology
BISC 2337	Introductory Microbiology Laboratory
BISC 3165	Biochemistry I
or CHEM 3165	Biochemistry I
CHEM 1111	General Chemistry I
CHEM 1112	General Chemistry II
CHEM 2151	Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 2152	Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 2153	Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
CHEM 2154	Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
EXNS 3810	Human Metabolism

Electives

30 elective credits are required for this degree, including 12 credits in guided electives and 18 credits in general electives. The courses listed below have been identified as highly relevant to the BS curriculum. Guided elective courses must be selected from this list in consultation with the advisor. Courses on this list also can be used as general electives. Most courses offered by GW can be taken as general electives. Students should consult their advisor to help select general elective courses

Nutrition guided electives

Students should review the Bulletin for the most up-to-date information related to credits taken as part of study abroad, at non-GW institutions, as independent studies, as research courses, or as Lifestyle, Sport, and Physical Activity (LSPA) courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Anthropology
ANTH 1005	The Biological Bases of Human Behavior
ANTH 3413	Evolution of the Human Brain
ANTH 3504	Illness, Healing, and Culture
Biological sciences
BISC 2202	Cell Biology
BISC 2207	Genetics
BISC 2213	Biology of Cancer
BISC 2214	Developmental Biology
BISC 2220	Developmental Neurobiology
BISC 2320	Neural Circuits and Behavior
BISC 2322	Human Physiology
BISC 2336	Introductory Microbiology 1
BISC 2337	Introductory Microbiology Laboratory 1
BISC 2581	Human Gross Anatomy
BISC 2583	Biology of Proteins
BISC 3165	Biochemistry I 1,2
BISC 3209	Molecular Biology
BISC 3212	Immunology
BISC 3262	Biochemistry Laboratory
BISC 3263	Special Topics in Biochemistry
BISC 3320	Human Neurobiology
Chemistry
CHEM 3166	Biochemistry II
or CHEM 3166W	Biochemistry II
CHEM 3262	Biochemistry Laboratory
CHEM 3263W	Special Topics in Biochemistry
CHEM 3564	Lipid Biotechnology
CHEM 4122	Instrumental Analytical Chemistry
Culinary medicine
CULI 1810	Fundamentals of Culinary Medicine
Emergency health services
EHS 1002	CPR and First Aid
EHS 1040	Emergency Medical Technician
EHS 1041	Emergency Medical Technician Laboratory
EHS 1058	EMT Instructor Development
EHS 2108	Emergency Medicine Clinical Scribe
EHS 2110	Emergency Department Critical Care Assessment and Procedures
Exercise and nutrition sciences
EXNS 1113	Medical Terminology 2
EXNS 1114	Community Nutrition 3
EXNS 2116	Exercise and Health Psychology 2
EXNS 2118	Sport and Nutrition
EXNS 2122	Food Systems in Public Health 3
EXNS 2126W	International Nutrition 3
EXNS 2127	Introduction to Food Policy 3
EXNS 3101	Independent Study 4
or EXNS 3110	Field Experience in Exercise and Nutrition Sciences
or EXNS 3995	Undergraduate Research
EXNS 3114W	Cultivating Food Justice in Urban Food Systems
EXNS 3120	Experiences in Community Nutrition
EXNS 3311	Exercise Physiology I
EXNS 3312	Exercise Physiology II
EXNS 3314	Exercise Physiology
EXNS 3810	Human Metabolism 1
Health and wellness
HLWL 1102	Stress Management
HLWL 1106	Drug Awareness
HLWL 1108	Weight and Society
HLWL 1114	Personal Health and Wellness
HLWL 1117	Lifetime Fitness
Health sciences
HSCI 2101	Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Illness
HSCI 2102	Pathophysiology
HSCI 2110	Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Concepts
HSCI 2112W	Writing in the Health Sciences
HSCI 3113	Health Policy and the Healthcare System
Psychology
PSYC 2011	Abnormal Psychology
or PSYC 2011W	Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 2013	Developmental Psychology
PSYC 2014	Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 2015	Biological Psychology
PSYC 2570	Peer Education
PSYC 3128	Health Psychology
Public health
PUBH 1102	History of Public Health
PUBH 2110	Public Health Biology
PUBH 2112	Principles of Health Education and Health Promotion 3
PUBH 2113	Impact of Culture upon Health
PUBH 2117	Service Learning in Public Health
PUBH 2142	Introduction to Biostatistics for Public Health
PUBH 3130	Health Services Management and Economics
PUBH 3131	Epidemiology 3
PUBH 3135W	Health Policy
PUBH 3151W	Current Issues in Bioethics

¹Required for the nutrition science concentration. 

²Required for the pre-medical professional concentration.

³Required for the applied nutrition concentration.

⁴ Students should refer to this Bulletin for information on the application of credits for these courses toward the nutrition major.

BS graduation requirements

Students should review the Bulletin for the most up-to-date information.

1. Credits: Students must complete 120 credits towards their undergraduate degree.
2. Curriculum: Successful completion of required courses for the major.
3. Grades: Students must meet all minimum grade requirements.
4. Time limit: The degree must be completed within six years.
5. CITI training requirement: All students are required to complete training regarding human subject protection regulation and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
6. Integrity quiz and plagiarism requirement: All students are required to review the George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity and take the SPH Academic Integrity Quiz within their first semester of study.
7. Professional enhancement requirement: Students must participate in eight hours of public health-related lectures, seminars, and symposia, related to their field of study.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
SPH 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, this requirement must be fulfilled with one of the following: ANTH 1002, ANTH 1003, or ANTH 1004.
For public health majors, students are encouraged to take ECON 1011 as a General Education social science course, as it is a prerequisite for PUBH 3130.
One course that has an approved oral communication component .
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with either COMM 1040 or COMM 1041.
For public health majors, students can chose any of the following pre-approved oral communication courses: AMST 2450, AMST 2620, ANTH 1004, ANTH 2502, CHEM 2118W, COMM 1040, COMM 1041, EAP 1010, ENGL 1365, ENGL 3918, FREN 2500, GTCH 2003, GTCH 3101, HSSJ 4195, ITAL 2600, ITAL 3330, PHIL 2124 or PHIL 2124W, PHIL 2134, PSTD 1010, RGSS 3400, SLHS 1011, SUST 2004, WLP 1020
One course in quantitative reasoning.
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with one of the following: STAT 1051, STAT 1053, or STAT 1127.
Public health majors should avoid taking STAT 1051, STAT 1053, STAT 1111 or STAT 1127.
One course in scientific reasoning with laboratory experience.
For exercise science and nutrition majors, this requirement must be fulfilled with BISC 1111.
For public health majors, this requirements must be fulfilled with one of the following: BISC 1005, BISC 1006, BISC 1007, BISC 1008, BISC 1111, BISC 1112 or HONR 1033 Biology.
UW 1020	University Writing
After successful completion of UW 1020, 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.