Nutritional Sciences Program

Welcome to the PhD in Nutritional Science. We will continue to work on this web page to make it the most useful to our current students. If you have any suggestions on how this page can better serve you, please e-mail Carey at careyj@u.washington.edu. Please remember to visit your advisor at least once/quarter to make sure you are on-track with your degree. Have Carey do a degree audit for you the quarter before you graduate, to avoid any potential problems with your graduation.

PhD Degree Requirements in Nutritional Sciences (as of Autumn 2009)

NOTE: If you began the program prior to 2009, you may refer to your student handbook or see Carey for your particular degree requirements.

REQUIRED COURSES:

Nutrition Courses: 32 credit hours in Nutritional Sciences courses:
NUTR 500	Graduate Seminar (A,W,Sp)	4 credits
NUTR 520	Nutrition & Metabolism I (A)	3 credits
NUTR 521	Nutrition & Metabolism II (W)	3 credits
NUTR 522	Nutrition & Metabolism III (Sp)	3 credits
*NUTR 529	Nutrition Research Design (A) (may be optional; contact advisor or chair)	3 credits
NUTR 531	Public Health Nutrition (W)	4 credits
NUTR 562	Nutrition & Chronic Disease (Sp)	4 credits
	Additional 500-level Nutrition courses	8 credits
Other: 67-78 credit hours in other requirements:
	Other Sciences (related to specific interests)	24 credits
	Biostatistics	8-12 credits
	Research Methods	8-12 credits
NUTR 800	Dissertation (A,W,Sp,S)	27-30 credits

TOTAL credit requirements: 99 - 110

Important PhD Information

Supervisory committee: Your supervisory committee is generally set up in the 2nd or 3rd year of study. It is comprised of a chair (or 2 co-chairs), and 3 - 7 other members, including a GSR (Graduate School Representative). At least 2 committee members must be Nutritional Sciences Core Faculty. If you need help setting one up, consult with your advisor or with Dr. Elizabeth Kirk, the Graduate Program Coordinator. See more specific details about committee setup on the Grad School information page. Once you have decided who will be on your committee, e-mail the information to Carey and she will submit your committee request to the Graduate School.

Student Portfolio

The Graduate Student Portfolio is a mechanism for you to convey to your advisor and to the faculty that you have achieved the core competencies and that you are ready to move forward with thesis research. The portfolio summarizes the learning that has taken place in the core classes: NUTR 500, 520, 521, 522, 529, 531, 562 and BIOST 511. You will present a self-assessment, a select example of one research paper, one PowerPoint presentation, a list of core competency achievements, a history of evaluations from the core classes and a science to policy paper.

The portfolio must be submitted soon after the completion of the core courses by June 30th of the first year of study. Information on the process and timeline will be provided in NUTR 500 (Graduate Seminar) in autumn quarter. The portfolio template and instructions may be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/nutr/Portfolio.html. Portfolios will be reviewed by the Nutritional Sciences faculty in July. Advisors will provide feedback on the portfolios following the review. The faculty will make one of three possible decisions for each student: 1) Student is ready to proceed to thesis research; 2) Student needs to complete additional preparation work before conducting thesis research; 3) Student should not plan to proceed further in graduate work in Nutritional Sciences. You may not register for NUTR 700 (Thesis) credits until the portfolio has been reviewed.

Teaching Experience

Every PhD student must have teaching experience in order to graduate. You can fulfill this requirement with previous teaching experience at other instutions or from experience obtained at the UW. You must check with your advisor and/or the Graduate Program Coordinator to get approval for the teaching experience you choose to use.

General Exam

The general exam may be taken after 6 full-time quarters and after establishment of the supervisory committee. It is usually taken after all coursework is completed and consists of both a written and oral portion. Preparation usually takes 2 to 4 months. You must submit a request to the Graduate School via MyGradProgram at least 3 weeks before you present. Once you successfully complete your general exam, let Carey know and she can submit the decision to the Grad School. Then you will be a PhC, and you will be able to register for dissertation credits (NUTR 800).

Final Exam

When all degree requirements are met and you are prepared to take the final exam, you need to set up a reading committee. This will consist of at least 3 voting members of your supervisory committee. Once you have decided who these members will be, e-mail Carey and she will submit the request on-line to the Graduate School. Submit your Request for Final Examination (following the same procedures listed above for the general exam, just using a different form) at least 3 weeks before you intend to present.

Graduation Checklist

_____ Submit request for degree to Grad School
_____ Obtain warrant from Carey prior to dissertation defense
_____ Submit signed warrant to Carey when finished
_____ Submit 2 unbound copies of dissertation to Grad School within 60 days of Final Exam
_____ Submit 1 bound copy to Nutritional Science for the library (it is also customary to give your committee chair a copy)