Admission

Students entering the Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health  graduate program are expected to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Admission to graduate study at Kansas State University is granted on three bases: full standing, provisional, or probational. Recommendations concerning an applicant’s qualifications and admission are made to the dean of the Graduate School by the department. The final decision regarding admission of an applicant is made by the dean of the Graduate School. 

Admission in full standing requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B average) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate work in an institution whose requirements for the bachelor’s degree are equivalent to those of Kansas State University. Applicants with grade point averages below 3.0 may be considered for probational admission provided there is evidence that the applicant has the ability to do satisfactory graduate work. Provisional admission may be granted to applicants who have subject deficiencies in undergraduate preparation as mentioned above or if there is uncertainty in evaluating the transcript. It is strongly recommended that applicants to our graduate programs have a background in food and nutrition. Students who do not have a background in food and nutrition are strongly encouraged to complete courses in both subject areas before the completion of their graduate degree program. The student’s committee will determine what courses need to be taken.

Other admission requirements include three letters of recommendation; statement of objectives; copies of transcripts; and a minimum GRE score of 295, (verbal plus quantitative) with a verbal of 146. In rare cases, students with a GRE score of 290-294 may be admitted provisionally, especially if they have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and/or relevant research, teaching, or work experience. MCAT scores may be substituted for GRE scores.

A waiver for the GRE requirement may be requested by an applicant who:

• Has a graduate degree, such as a Master of Science or PhD from an accredited institution of higher education
• Has a graduate professional degree, such as an MD from an accredited institution of higher education

A waiver for the GRE may be requested by a member of the FNDH graduate faculty on behalf of the applicant, in cases where the applicant has earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 in at least nine credit hours at the 600 level or above from Kansas State University.

Prospective students please visit http://www.he.k-state.edu/fndh/grad/requirements.html.For international students, please check the Graduate School requirements for English proficiency at http://www.k-state.edu/grad/students/international.html. For international students, please check the Graduate School requirements for English proficiency at http://www.k-state.edu/grad/students/international.html.

Applications are evaluated by the admissions committee. If the minimum requirements for admission are met applications are reviewed by graduate faculty.

A faculty member must agree to be an applicant’s advisor before a recommendation can be made to the Graduate School that the applicant be admitted. The files of all applicants will be considered for institutional or departmental awards and graduate assistantships.

A limited number of 0.5 time teaching (GTA) and research (GRA) assistantships are available. In addition, Nina Browning Fellowships, scholarships and others are awarded to outstanding students in various amounts each year.

GTAs are appointed for nine months and GRAs for 9 or 12 months. Graduate assistants may enroll in 12 credit hours per semester and 6 credit hours per summer session. Applications for admission will be considered for both fall and spring semesters and summer session.

Doctoral degree requirements (90 hours)

The Ph.D. requires 90 credits post-baccalaureate, including a minimum of 30 credits for the Ph.D. dissertation. No foreign language is required.

Programs of study are developed according to the interests, backgrounds, and career goals of the students. In addition to graduate human nutrition courses, students often include courses from other departments such as animal sciences and industry; grain science and industry; biochemistry; chemistry; anatomy and physiology; kinesiology; psychology; and biology; from the Colleges of Business Administration and Education; and from interdisciplinary international courses.