NUFS Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition and Food Science

A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Nutrition and Food Science with an emphasis in Nutrition, Food Science, or Hotel and Restaurant Management is offered at Auburn University through the Graduate Program in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science.

Degree Requirements

     The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum total of 60 semester hours of graduate course work beyond the bachelor's degree. Of the 60 hours, a minimum of 30 semester hours must be graded (eg. A, B, C) course work at the 7000-level and 8000-level. In addition, 18 of those 30 hours must be completed while registered as a doctoral student in the Ph.D. program at Auburn University. All doctoral students also must complete a minimum of 30 hours of additional course work that may include ungraded courses, 6000-level courses, research and thesis hours, and research and dissertation hours. A maximum of 4 semester hours of research and thesis from a completed master's program may be counted. All doctoral students must complete a minimum of 10 hours of research and dissertation (NUFS 8990).

     Students may earn a Ph.D. with an emphasis in Nutrition, Food Science, or Hotel and Restaurant Management. Core courses are required in each option. Electives may be selected to allow for specialization in a particular area.

Residency Requirement

     A residency year is required of all doctoral students. The residency year requires that students complete a minimum of 18 semester hours of on-campus course work at the 6000 level or above during two consecutive semesters. During the residency year, the doctoral student shall enroll for a minimum of 9 hours each semester, no fewer than three hours of which shall be in graded (eg. A, B, C) course work.

Selection of Courses, the Major Professor and Advisory Committee, and Plan of Study

     Selection of initial courses to be taken shall be made under the direction of the temporary advisor or Graduate Program Officer. A major professor should be selected by the student during the first year of graduate work after becoming familiar with all faculty and their areas of research interest. Faculty selected as a major professor must be full (level 2) members of the Graduate Faculty. Each student should confer with his/her major professor to select courses for the degree and to select an advisory committee.

     The advisory committee should represent the academic areas required for successful completion of the student's work. The committee is responsible for developing the plan of study and conducting the doctoral general and final examinations. The committee should be selected by the graduate student and major professor by the end of the second semester of doctoral work. The advisory committee is to be composed of a minimum of four faculty members: the major professor, at least one other member of the department, and a third and fourth member who may be from an allied discipline or from the department. Faculty selected for the advisory committee may be associate (level 1) or full (level 2) members of the Graduate Faculty. Additional information on the advisory committee may be found in the Auburn University Bulletin under the Graduate School or at the Graduate School Web Page.

     A plan of study (Graduate School Form XV) prepared by the student and the advisory committee should be filed with the Graduate School by the end of the second semester of doctoral work. The plan of study details the graduate student's selection of course work including the requisite 10 hours of NUFS 8990 (research and dissertation) for their degree, and MUST be turned into the Graduate School at least one semester prior to the student's graduation. The course work will be tailored to a large degree toward a student's specific interest; however, core courses are required for all doctoral students in the major areas as listed under degree requirements. The student is responsible for carrying out the program which has been planned and for conferring with the major professor regarding any necessary changes. Major changes will require a new Plan of Study to be approved by the major professor, advisory committee, and Graduate School. Additional information on the plan of study may be found in the Auburn University Bulletin under the Graduate School or at the Graduate School Web Page.

The Dissertation

     The topic of the dissertation must be approved by the student's major professor and advisory committee. The student conducts the research and prepares the dissertation under the direction of the major professor. Students are required to have a minimum of 10 credit hours of research and dissertation (NUFS 8990). Enrollment in NUFS 8990 may take place at any time the student and major professor deem appropriate. During any one semester, the number of hours of NUFS 8990 in which the student enrolls should reflect the amount of time being spent on the dissertation and the degree to which university resources are being utilized. Students may enroll during any one semester for as few as one hour or as many as 10 hours of NUFS 8990.

Time Limit

     Upon completion of the general doctoral written and oral examinations, the student becomes a candidate for the doctoral degree and has four calendar years thereafter to complete all additional requirements.

     The student with the major professor develops a plan for the completion of the work based on student needs and Graduate School deadlines. It is the graduate student's responsibility to accomplish work according to the predetermined schedule. A "graduation check" must be scheduled with the Graduate School before the semester in which the student plans to graduate. Students must be registered in the semester of graduation.

Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Nutrition

Required Core Courses *

NUFS 7500 Minerals (2) NUFS 7510 Vitamins (2) NUFS 7520 Macronutrients: Integration and Metabolism ( 4) NUFS 7280 Laboratory Methods in Nutrition and Food Science (3) NUFS 7050 Methods of Research (2) NUFS 8950 Doctoral Seminar* * (1) BCHE 7200 Graduate Biochemistry I (3) BCHE 7210 Graduate Biochemistry II (3) STAT 7000 Experimental Statistics I (3) STAT 7010 Experimental Statistics II (3) NUFS 8970 Advanced Topics in Nutrition and Food Science (1-6) NUFS 8990 Research and Dissertation (10) *Core courses may be substituted if equivalent courses have been taken as part of a Master's degree program **Student is required to enroll in this class at least twice for the doctoral degree.

Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Food Science

Required Core Courses*

NUFS 6430 Food Chemistry (4) NUFS 6450 Food Analysis and Quality Control (4) NUFS 6640 Food Product Development (4) NUFS 7200 Carbohydrate Chemistry and Functionality in Foods (3) NUFS 7210 Food Proteins and Fats (3) NUFS 7050 Methods of Research (2) NUFS 7280 Laboratory Methods in Nutrition and Food Science (3) NUFS 8970 Advanced Topics in Nutrition and Food Science (1-6) STAT 7000 Experimental Statistics I (3) STAT 7010 Experimental Statistics II (3) NUFS 8950 Doctoral Seminar** (1) NUFS 8990 Research and Dissertation (10) *Core courses may be substituted if equivalent courses have been taken as part of a Master's degree program **Student is required to enroll in this class at least twice for the doctoral degree.

Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Hotel and Restaurant Management

Required Core Courses*

NUFS 6560 Nutrition and Food Services Management (4) NUFS 7530 Continuous Quality Improvement in Hospitality (2) NUFS 7550 Resort and Club Management (2) NUFS 7560 Global Hospitality (2) NUFS 7050 Methods of Research (2) NUFS 8950 Doctoral Seminar** (1) STAT 7000 Experimental Statistics I (3) STAT 7010 Experimental Statistics II (3) NUFS 8970 Advanced Topics in Nutrition and Food Science (1-6) NUFS 8990 Research and Dissertation( 10) *Core courses may be substituted if equivalent courses have been taken as part of a Master's degree program **Student is required to enroll in this class at least twice for the doctoral degree.

     The information presented on this web page is presumed to be accurate. However, should a discrepancy be found with current graduate school policies, the graduate school is recognized as the official source of information. Refer to the Auburn University Bulletin under the Graduate School or the Graduate School Web Page for additional information about the Ph.D. degree or graduate school policies.