 Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program
WELCOME
The Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program at the
University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) provides world class training that can
open the door to a wide variety of career opportunities in the life
sciences. We offer outstanding training that will help you achieve your
career goals. Our graduate program is part of a campus-wide network of
research programs that provides integrative research in the biomedical
sciences.
Training and Research Facilities
The Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program is designed to provide
training in laboratory research, seminar preparation and delivery,
scientific writing, problem solving and research grant writing. We provide
state-of-the-art facilities that encourage collaborative research. MU's
recently completed $65 million Life Sciences Building and other projects
underway, provides Nutritional Sciences students with opportunities to
interact with students and faculty in other departments.
The City of Columbia
Columbia has the distinctive honor of being consistently ranked as one of
the best US cities in which to live. With a huge selection of restaurants,
live music entertainment, shopping and nightlife, Columbia offers many of
the big-city attractions without the high cost of living and traffic
problems of a large metropolis. Columbia is conveniently located just 125
miles from both St. Louis and Kansas City. Money magazine has often ranked
Columbia among the top cities in its "Best Places to Live" survey, based on
the city's highly educated work force, strong economy, low cost of living,
award-winning schools and unique opportunities for recreation, dining and
shopping.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/OurTown/
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Documents/demographics.pdf
Introduction to Graduate Programs Associated with
Nutritional Sciences
The primary graduate degree program in nutritional sciences is the
Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program (NSGP). Both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in
Exercise Physiology are also associated with the Nutritional Sciences
Program. In addition, M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in animal sciences, biochemistry
and food science are offered to students studying nutrition through the
respective departments.
Program of Study
Graduate study in Nutrition at the University of Missouri-Columbia is
facilitated via the interdisciplinary Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program
(NSGP), departmental degree programs, and the Food for the 21st Century
(F21C) Nutritional Sciences Cluster. The NSGP is jointly administered by the
College of Human Environmental Sciences, the College of Agriculture, Food
and Natural Resources and the School of Medicine. It coordinates the core
graduate nutrition curriculum and offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in
Nutrition.
Currently, there are 13 Graduate Faculty members in the
NSGP who teach graduate courses and/or have graduate students in the NSGP.
These faculty members hold appointments in the departments of Nutritional
Sciences, Animal Sciences, Biochemistry, Child Health, and Food Science.
There are approximately 10 graduate students formally in the NSGP, plus
approximately 15 graduate students working in the same labs and pursuing
departmental degrees. In addition, faculty in Animal Nutrition and in Human
Nutrition raise the total MU nutrition-related graduate students to 50. This
rich environment offers a wide range of interdisciplinary research
opportunities for the degree candidate.
Prerequisites
Entering graduate students are expected to have undergraduate training in
chemistry and biology, including a two-semester course in biochemistry and
an upper-level nutrition course. Some prerequisites can be met during the
first year of graduate school.
M.S. Degree Requirements
The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work beyond
the bachelor's degree, including taking three of the five core graduate
courses (NUTR 8310, Nutritional Biochemistry of Lipids; NUTR 8340, Nutrition
in Human Health; NUTR 8360, Nutritional Biochemistry of Carbohydrates; NUTR
8438, Nutrient Regulation of Gene Expression; and NUTR 8390, Molecular
Biology of Mineral Nutrition).
Ph.D. Requirements
Requirements for the Ph.D. degree in nutrition include the course work
required for the master's degree, one additional core graduate nutrition
course (4 total), four additional credit hours of seminar experience, and an
additional 9 credit hours in a designated emphasis area such as molecular
biology, biochemistry, statistics, radiochemistry, etc. This formal training
is designed to allow graduate students to attain a mastery of the broad
fundamentals of modern nutritional sciences and to develop a specialized
expertise in an area closely related to their research. The central
component of the graduate program remains original, independent research
leading to significant contributions to the field. Students are admitted to
full candidacy for the Ph.D. upon passing a comprehensive oral and written
exam based on course work, research experience, and the ability to keep
current with the latest trends in nutritional sciences. The most recent
listing of the Course Requirements for the Nutritional Sciences Graduate
Program can be downloaded and viewed as a PDF file (gradreqns.pdf) using
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Financial Aid
Graduate Research Assistantships are available through the NSGP and from
individual departments. Currently, the NSGP provides a limited number of
research assistantships, which provide $16,500 per calendar year in salary,
plus a waiver of tuition and most fees. No separate application is required
for these awards; all students who apply to the NSGP will automatically be
considered for financial support in the form of a graduate research
assistantship. Other sources (University fellowships, Life Sciences program,
and minority recruiting) award assistantships; students are also sponsored
by individual faculty members.
Cost of Study
Tuition ($276.40 per credit hour for Missouri residents and an additional
$437.30 per credit hour for nonresidents, 2006-2007) is waived for students
on assistantships or fellowships.
How to Apply
Applications to the Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program should be
submitted by February 1. While applications received after that date will
still be considered, they will not be eligible for all fellowships.
Admission at the beginning of Winter semester is possible, but assistantship
support is more readily available for Fall semester admission. Applicants
must have an average of B or better in science courses (chemistry, biology,
physics, biochemistry, mathematics, etc.) taken at an accredited institution
and must provide GRE scores. TOEFL scores are required from international
applicants.
To apply on-line: All applications must be prepared
and submitted on-line via the
University of Missouri Graduate School.
In addition to the application, the following materials
should be mailed directly to the Graduate School:
-
Application for Admission (if submitted on paper)
-
Official Transcripts from all colleges and
universities attended
-
GRE scores
-
TOEFL scores (International Applicants only)
-
Application fee $45 US for Domestic applicants and $60
US for Nonresident-Alien (International) applicants.
The following supplementary materials should be sent
directly to the department (send to: Director of Graduate Studies,
Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program, 217 Gwynn Hall, University of
Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211):
To be considered complete, all applications for
admission must include the application fee.
Correspondence
Nutritional Sciences Graduate Program
217 Gwynn Hall
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO 65211
(573) 882-4288
FAX: 573-882-0185
E-mail: SteyaertM@missouri.edu
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