Degree Plan - Choose Your Path
One Degree. Multiple Career Directions.
All students begin in the Human Nutrition and Foods standard degree plan, building a strong foundation before selecting a pathway aligned with their career goals.
Standard Degree Plan
Best for: Exploring careers in nutrition, wellness, and health
What You’ll Gain:
- Comprehensive foundation in nutrition and food science
- Flexibility to pursue electives, minors, or double majors
- Preparation for entry-level careers or graduate study
Career Outcomes: Health & wellness • Community health • Food industry • Graduate school
Degree Plan – Standard Degree Plan (pdf)
ACEND Subplan (RDN Pathway)
Best for: Students who want to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
What You’ll Gain:
- ACEND-accredited, structured curriculum
- In-depth training in clinical and applied nutrition
- Preparation for supervised practice and credentialing
Key Note: Admission to this subplan requires a separate application and minimum GPA of 3.0 in required coursework.
Career Outcomes: Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) pathway → Master's Degree → supervised practice → credentialing
Degree Plan – ACEND Subplan (pdf)
Nutritional Sciences Subplan (Pre-Professional Pathway)
Best for: Students preparing for medical or other health professional schools
What You’ll Gain:
- Advanced science coursework (chemistry, physics, biochemistry, physiology)
- Flexible degree structure to incorporate professional school prerequisites
- Strong preparation for competitive graduate and professional programs
Prepares You For: Medical • Dental • Physician Assistant • Nursing • Occupational Therapy • Physical Therapy
Important: This pathway does not lead to the RDN credential. Students seeking to become a Registered Dietitian must pursue the ACEND subplan. Requires a cumulative 3.0 GPA for admission to the subplan.
Degree Plan – Nutritional Sciences Subplan (pdf)
(Note: Degree plans can vary each year - please consult with your HHP advisor for your degree plan year)
Admission
Applicants may be considered for admission to an undergraduate program on the basis of graduation from an accredited high school, as college transfer students, by entrance examination, or through a combination of these criteria. Applications for admission to the University of Houston may be obtained by contacting:
Office of Admissions
129 Ezekiel W. Cullen Building
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-2161
713-743-1010
Visit the UH admissions website
Information for transfer students
Information for Post-baccalaureate students
Graduation and Program Completion Requirements for a Bachelor of Science Degree
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Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Foods must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours of courses. At least 36 of those 120 hours must be advanced.
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All students must initially enroll in the BS in Human Nutrition and Foods standard degree plan and apply for admission into the ACEND Accredited Subplan or the Nutritional Sciences Subplan. Admission requirements for these subplan include Junior Standing. For the ACEND subplan, Students must complete CHEM 1311/1111 (formerly CHEM 1331/1131) and CHEM 1312/1112 (formerly CHEM 1332/1132), NUTR 3101, and a minimum of 12 hours from the DPD course list with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher to declare the ACEND subplan. All attempted DPD coursework will be used in GPA calculation for the ACEND admission process. GPA will include transfer GPA and UH GPA. The highest grade received for the course will be used in the GPA calculation. For the Nutritional Sciences subplan, a 3.0 cumulative GPA is required. Admission application is available through the Health and Human Performance Academic Advising Center.
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Students must complete core curriculum requirements. See the Undergraduate Catalog or your assigned academic advisor for approved courses or for information regarding credit for courses by examination.
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Candidates for any Bachelor of Science degree must complete at least 12 semester hours in math. A degree in Human Nutrition and Foods requires MATH 2312, MATH 1342 or PSYC 2317, and 6 additional hours of core-approved Math Reasoning.
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Students must earn a 2.00 minimum cumulative grade point average in courses attempted at the university.
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Students must earn a 2.00 minimum cumulative grade point average in courses attempted in the major at the university.
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Students cannot satisfy any degree requirements in their major with advanced (3000 to 4000 level) courses that were completed more than seven years before the semester in which the degree is awarded, unless they receive permission from their college dean.
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A maximum of 66 credit hours (lower level) will transfer from all 2-year & 4-year schools to the University of Houston. In addition, students must complete at least 30 semester hours in residence and the last 30 semester hours to be applied towards the degree must be taken in residence.
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Students must apply for the degree on or before published dates. Contact your academic advisor prior to registering for your final semester for specific dates.
Requirements for Earning a Verification Statement
Verification Statements: A verification statement is an official document that certifies successful completion of a baccalaureate degree and the requirements of an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited program. A verification statement from UH is required to be eligible for supervised practice through a Dietetic Internship program or to attempt the registration examination for Nutrition Dietetic Technician, Registered (NDTR exam). UH students must complete the ACEND Accredited subplan with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the Didactic Program in Dietetics required coursework and meet all KRDNs to qualify for a verification statement.
Verification Statements require up to a minimum of four weeks post program completion to process (dependent on how quickly the official degree is posted by the Registrar). Students must request, via email, their Verification Statement from Dr. Kevin Haubrick.
Only students pursuing the BS in Human Nutrition and Foods on the ACEND Accredited subplan are eligible to earn a verification statement after meeting the guidelines above. Students pursing the BS in Human Nutrition and Foods on the Nutritional Sciences subplan do not meet ACEND requirements and are not eligible for a Verification Statement.
UH Academic Calendar
Progression of Curriculum
View the progression of prerequisite and foundation courses to more advanced courses (pdf)
Courses offered in Human Nutrition and Foods (NUTR)
Check the UH Undergraduate Catalog for an updated list of courses offered in Human Nutrition and Foods (NUTR)
- Courses in Human Nutrition and Foods (standard degree plan), B.S.
- Courses in Human Nutrition and Foods (ACEND Accredited Subplan), B.S.
- Courses in Human Nutrition and Foods (Nutritional Sciences Subplan), B.S.
NOTE: Course availability subject to change. It is the student's responsibility for checking class schedules, as not all courses are offered every semester. Prerequisites for courses are to ensure that students have the appropriate academic background to successfully complete that course.
Students who do not have all prerequisites MAY BE DROPPED FROM THE COURSE BY THE INSTRUCTOR.
Transfer Credit/Prior Learning Assessment
The DPD Director carefully reviews transcripts for transfer students and post- baccalaureate students to evaluate coursework taken prior to entering the UH DPD program. Students must provide the Academic Advisors with course syllabi for any DPD nutrition course that they would like to have evaluated for equivalency and transfer credit. The Academic Advisors then provide the transcripts and syllabi to the DPD Director to determine course equivalency.
If student knowledge requirements/learning objectives for the course evaluated match a UH DPD course and the student received a C or better in the course, then the student will be granted course credit and will not be required to repeat the course. The UH DPD program does not give course credit for prior work or volunteer experience.