Nutrition, B.S.: Pre-Professional Health Careers Concentration

About the Nutrition Bachelor’s Program

The Nutritional Sciences Pre-Professional Health degree provides a rigorous scientific foundation in nutrition, natural sciences, and health-related coursework for students preparing for professional health programs. The curriculum emphasizes nutrition’s essential role in health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, and clinical decision-making, supporting competency development in scientific reasoning, critical thinking, ethical practice, and evidence-based care. Students strengthen skills in data interpretation, communication, teamwork, and awareness of the need for individualized patient care—competencies consistently emphasized across medical, physician assistant, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions. Graduates are well prepared to integrate nutrition science into future healthcare practice while completing common prerequisites for professional school admission. 

This pathway is also available as a minor or concentration, offering students in other majors a meaningful way to enhance their preparation for health professions by developing nutrition-related competencies that support patient-centered, interdisciplinary care.  

Students who graduate with this degree must earn a C or better in all major and supporting coursework. Any variation from this is subject to department approval. 

Communication Literacy (CL) Requirement. Communication literacy in Nutritional Sciences is demonstrated through students’ ability to effectively access, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate nutrition and food-related information across diverse contexts and audiences. Students develop communication competencies through written, oral, and digital formats, as well as through interpersonal and professional communication experiences. Emphasis is placed on interpreting scientific evidence, translating technical information for varied audiences, and using appropriate communication strategies to promote understanding and informed decision-making in nutrition-related settings. These competencies are developed and assessed through critical analysis of scientific and popular literature, preparation of professional and public-facing materials, presentations, and collaborative activities. Communication literacy skills are measured across three required courses in the major. Courses in the CL plan are NS 2380 , NS 4330 , and NS 4350 .

Transfers

Transfers. Students must have a 3.0 overall GPA to transfer into this concentration. This includes students who transfer from another university as well as from another program at Texas Tech University and second-degree students. Nutrition courses transferred into these degrees are at the discretion of the department and are approved case by case. Students who have successfully passed a basic nutrition course with a C or better are eligible to take the department exemption exam for NS 1410 . Other nutrition courses can be evaluated upon submission with a course description and syllabus. Please see an advisor for details.

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