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Graduate Course Requirements

This curriculum provides graduate students in all emphasis groups with a common core of graduate level nutrition. Participation in these required courses insures that students who pursue widely differing areas of specialization have an understanding of the breadth of modern nutrition research.

All Ph.D. students take a ten-credit core of NS courses: the three-credit NS 875-Advanced Nutrition: Intermediary Metabolism of Macronutrients; five one-credit courses (NS/Prev Med 621-Introduction to Nutritional Epidemiology; NS/ETC 623-Advanced Nutrition: Minerals; NS 625-Advanced Nutrition: Obesity and Diabetes; NS/AS 626-Experimental Diet Design; and NS 627-Advanced Nutrition: Vitamins); and two credits from specialized selective courses (see list below). An additional ten credits to meet the requirement for a minor and emphasis group courses and five seminar credits are required. Students take an introductory nutrition seminar (NS600), which emphasizes current journal reports and is directed toward teaching students effective communication techniques.  Students also participate in a weekly nutrition research seminar presented by students, postdocs, faculty, and invited speakers (NS 931).

Graduate Course Descriptions

Graduate courses are designated as 600 and above. They are described below. Courses below the 600 level are described as part of the undergraduate curriculum. Students may take courses at the 300 level (with pre-approval) and above for graduate credit.

* I = Fall Semester, II = Spring Semester, SS = Summer Session

Core Courses:

621 Introduction to Nutritional Epidemiology, (Crosslisted with Prev Med 621) Alt yrs I; 1 cr. Techniques used to evaluate relationships of diet to health and disease in human populations; integration of knowledge gained with results of animal and clinical studies toward understanding dietary risk or protective factors for disease. Includes advanced diet assessment and basic epidemiologic approaches. P: Grad St; Stats 301 or equiv & Nutr Sci 332 or cons inst.

623 Advanced Nutrition: Minerals, (Crosslisted with Environ Tox 623) Alt yrs II; 1 cr. Topics discussed in regard to minerals are: metabolic roles; absorption, excretion, transport and cellular metabolism; nutritional and toxicological standards for humans and animal models; bioavailability; genetic interactions; and research methodologies. P: Grad St; Nutr Sci/Biochem 510 & Physiol 335 or equivalent. Fall 2004 Website for NS 623

625 Advanced Nutrition: Obesity/Diabetes, Alt yrs II; 1 cr. Physiology, biochemistry and genetics of human obesity and diabetes. Critical review of current research on their etiology and treatment. P: Grad St; Nutr Sci 619 or Con Reg & Physiol 335 or equivalent or Cons instr.

626 Experimental Diet Design, (Crosslisted with Animal Sci 626) I; 1 cr. Discuss nutrient requirements, composition of ingredients used to meet requirements and the mathematical steps involved in diet formulation with emphasis on research animals and human subjects. P: Grad St; Stats 301 or equivalent & Nutr Sci/Biochem 510 or Con Reg or Cons Instr.

627 Advanced Nutrition: Vitamins, Alt yrs; I; 1 cr. Scientific knowledge of the metabolic functions, metabolism and nutritional requirements of some of the water-soluble vitamins and all of the fat-soluble vitamins. P: Grad St; Nutr Sci/Biochem 510 & Physiol 335 or equivalent or Con Reg or Cons Instr.

875* Special Topics/(619) Advanced Nutrition: Intermediary Metabolism of Macronutrients, II; 3 cr. The regulation of the biochemical pathways and the nutritional principles of macronutrient metabolism. P: Grad St; Nutr Sci/Biochem 510 or Biochem 507 & 508 or equivalent or Con Reg or Cons Instr.

*The Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences is in the process of developing new didactic courses for the graduate program. When offered for the first time, then developmental courses use the 875 course designation. The 875 course designates greater fluidity in course material without obtaining permission from the curriculum committee.

Specialized Selective Core Courses:

540 Nutritional Sciences, II; 1 cr. Community Nutrition Programs and Policy Issues. Students will increase their understanding of community-based nutrition needs, intervention programs and policy issues in the U.S. Written assignments will demonstrate students' positions on related issues. P: Nutr Sci 431 or Cons Instr.

672 Pharmacy Practice/Nutr Sci, II; 2 cr. Herbals, Homeopathy and Dietary Supplements. Lecture and discussion of regulations and clinical science regarding the use of herbals, nutritional supplements, and homeopathic remedies, focusing on peer-reviewed studies and integration with allopathic drugs, and including discusison of regulatory and marketing issues.

875 Nutr Sci, I; 1 cr. Nutrient Gene Interactions. Mechanisms through which specific nutrients influence gene expression transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. specific regulation of gene transcription, mRNA translation and stability and protein stability in relation to nutrient status. How cells sense the level of specific nutrients. Role of genetic variability in a population in influencing nutrient requirements. Use of genomic and proteomic approaches in nutrition research. Genetic approaches for identifying components of complex regulatory pathways.

505 Animal Sciences, II; Alt yr, 2 cr. Rumen Microbiology. Analysis of rumen ecosystem in terms of kinds of microbes, their activities and requirements and their interactions in a dynamic system. Emphasis on physiological and biochemical perspectives.

875 Animal Sciences, I; 2 cr. The Plant Cell Wall and Fiber in Animal and Human Nutrition. This course provides an overview of the role of the plant cell wall and fiber in animal and human nutrition and covers the topics; biochemistry of the plant cell wall and fiber, methods of analysis, the cell wall and fiber in forages and food, nutriitional effects of fiber.

875 Animal Sciences, II; 1cr. Nutritional toxicology. Principles of nutritional toxicology, dietary and physiological adaptation to toxins, drug, nutrient interactions.

466 Genetics, I, II, SS, 3-cr. General Genetics. Genetics in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Includes Mendelian genetics, mapping, molecular genetics, genetic engineering, cytogenetics, quantitative genetics, and population genetics. Illustrative material includes viruses, bacteria, plants, fungi, insects, and humans. P: algebra, 1 yr chem & 1 yr biology or Cons Inst.

565 Genetics, I; 3 cr. Human Genetics. Principles, problems, and methods of human genetics. Surveys aspects of medical genetics, biochemical genetics, molecular genetics, cytogenetics, quantitative genetics, and variation as applied to humans. P: Genet 466 or Equiv or Cons Inst.

744 Kinesiology, II, 2 cr. Metabolic Responses to Exercise and Environmental Stress. Examination of the metabolic and biochemical responses to acute and chronic exercise and environmental stress. Emphasis placed on the mechanisms underlying these responses. P: Physiol 720 or Cons Inst.

Seminar Courses:

600 Introductory Seminar in Nutrition, I; 1 cr. Presentation of reports from current journals of nutritional sciences. P:Grad St; Nutri Sci/Biochem 510 & Physiol 335 or equiv or Cons Reg or cons Inst.

881 Seminar Topics in Human and Clinical Nutrition, II; 1 cr. Varied topics in clinical and human nutrition. Prereq: Nutr Sci 600.

901 Biochem - Seminar in Nutrition and Metabolism, I; 1 cr. Varied topics in biochemical and molecular nutrition.

931 Animal Sciences/Dairy Sciences - Seminar in Animal Nutrition, II; 1 cr. Varied topics in animal nutrition.

931 Seminar Nutrition, I, II; 1 cr. Prereq: Cons inst. This interdisciplinary course complements the more focused Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences (IGPNS) emphasis group seminars and other IGPNS courses with expert presentations of current research methods and data and issue-based applications. NS 931 speakers address topics that represent the breadth of nutrition, a field that investigates complex problems from molecules to communities.

991 Research Nutrition, I, II, SS; 1-12 cr. Prereq: Cons inst.

Other Courses:

799 Practicum in Nutritional Sciences Teaching, I, II; 1-3 cr. Instructional orientation to teaching at the higher education level in the agricultural and life sciences, direct teaching experience under faculty supervision, experience in testing and evaluation of students, and the analysis of teaching performance. Prereq: Grad standing and Cons Inst.

993 Independent Study in Nutrition, I, II; 1-12 cr. Prereq: Cons Inst.

Other graduate courses at UW-Madison: http://www.wisc.edu/grad/catalog/