Nutritional Sciences | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

A plate with lean beef and veggies is pictured with a fork and knife.

Lean beef and heart health

Eating up to 2.5 ounces per day of lean beef as part of a Mediterranean diet may be heart healthy, according to a new study led by researchers in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences.

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Fuel your future with the new Sports Nutrition minor

Explore how nutrition powers performance in athletics, military, emergency services, and beyond, all while complementing your major and setting you apart in your career with the new minor in Sports Nutrition.

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A woman dressed as a nurse stands with a folder in front of a team of medical doctors

New degree option available, Health Sciences

We are proud to introduce the new Health Sciences degree option, designed to provide students with greater flexibility to align their academic journey with their career aspirations in healthcare, research, policy, and beyond.

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Nutritional Sciences at Penn State examines how humans gain energy from food and how nutrition choices affect our health over time.

Solidly rooted in chemistry, biology, physiology, psychology, neuroscience, behavior, and development, our body of work covers the effects of nutrition at all levels, from the molecule to the organism, to the population at large. Our programs aim to nurture a new generation of leaders in bench and behavioral sciences who will push the limits of our understanding of nutrition as it relates to human health.

Faculty and students in a test kitchen at Penn State

Start your undergraduate journey

Explore this undergraduate degree for students interested in how the human body transforms food into usable energy that fuels our daily lives.

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Student organizing plant starts at the Penn State student farm.

Learn about graduate training

Discover how research and graduate training provides students with the knowledge needed to contribute to the field of nutritional sciences.

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Explore research areas

Understand the variety of research areas and current projects that push the boundaries of knowledge in the field.

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The Diet Assessment Center

Explore how the department collects and analyzes dietary data to help researchers understand what, how, and when people are eating.

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Student Spotlight

Student launches oral care startup

Undergraduate student Daniella Omijeh combined her passion for dentistry with entrepreneurship by launching Perlae, an oral-care startup she developed through the Invent Penn State Summer Founders Program.

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Everyday routines in early infancy may shape later obesity risk

Tricia Hart, the winner of Penn State's 2024-25 Three Minute Thesis competition, presenting during the final round of the competition

Fox Graduate School accepting submissions for 'Three Minute Thesis' until Dec. 5

A child sits at a table with one of the sample meals used in the study and looks at a research assistant prior to eating.

Counting bites with AI might one day help prevent childhood obesity