College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

The Nutritional Science B.S. degree with the pre-health professional and research option is an excellent fit for many pre-health students. Refer to the following links to see how this program meets course equivalents for typical professional school requirements.

• Medical school preparation
• Dental school preparation

How do health professional schools view a Nutritional Sciences degree?

Professional programs and schools do not require specific majors for entrance. This means that students should choose a major that interests them. Professional schools do not give preference to any major; instead, students must have completed the prerequisite courses listed by the school. The Nutritional Science degree at Michigan State University provides all or nearly all of the prerequisites for entry into health profession schools, combined with advanced nutrition courses for a unique focus on how food impacts health.

American Medical Association: Indicates that it takes a “well-rounded high school and college education, including classes related to the study of human beings” to enter and succeed in medical school.

Association of American Medical Schools: States, “You’ll need a strong foundation in mathematics and the sciences that relate most to medicine: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. But it’s important for your college experience to be broad.”

American Dental Association: Suggests that students need simply to take the required science courses for admission to dental school but can (and do) choose to be many majors (about half of all students enrolled in dental school in 2007-2008 choose a major other than “biological science”).

American Pharmacists Association: Indicates, “you are not required to major in ‘pre-pharmacy’ in college to be eligible for admission to pharmacy school. Pharmacy students… come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds…”

If I change my mind . . .

Have a backup plan. Less than 10 percent of new freshman who declare themselves pre-med ever apply to medical school, usually because they change their mind. This is an important reason to choose a major that interests you.

In addition to pre-health professional schools...

Nutritional Sciences graduates are prepared for graduate education in nutrition and related fields and to participate in nutrition research and education. Some Nutritional Sciences students also choose to double major in dietetics so they have the option to follow the path toward becoming a registered dietitian.