Nutrition and Food Science

Looking for a career in nutrition education, community wellness, or public health? This flexible, non-clinical concentration prepares you to design, manage, and evaluate group-based nutrition programs that promote healthy lifestyles across diverse populations.

Through hands-on coursework in nutrition assessment, health promotion and population-based wellness, you’ll gain the skills to work in settings like community health centers, wellness nonprofits, corporate wellness departments or government agencies.

Enhance your career potential by adding a minor in Public Health, Communication, Political Science or Psychology—ideal for fields such as nutrition communication, wellness policy or weight loss consulting.

Graduates are trained to lead with purpose, address health disparities, and collaborate across disciplines in today’s evolving health and wellness industry.

Prepare for a rewarding career in applied nutrition—where community impact meets real-world results.

See the curriculum.

Ready to turn your passion for nutrition into a professional career? Montclair State’s Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is your first step toward becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). As a student in our Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)*-accredited BS-DPD program, you’ll complete the coursework required to meet national standards in dietetics. After graduation, you’ll be eligible to apply for a dietetic internship (1,200 supervised hours) and sit for the RDN exam—now requiring a master’s degree. 

Join a program with a long-standing reputation for excellence in dietetics education—and start building your future as a trusted expert in nutrition and health. 

For students in the Dietetics concentration, we also offer a combined BS/MS accelerated 4+1 program with our ACEND-accredited Graduate Program (GP), which includes supervised experiential learning and prepares students to be eligible to sit for the RDN exam. 

See the curriculum.

Interested in food innovation, safety, and sustainability? The Food Science concentration prepares you for in-demand careers in the food and beverage industry, agriculture and federal agencies like the FDA and USDA. 

You’ll explore how food works—its chemistry, microbiology, processing, safety and sensory qualities—while developing skills in product development, food quality assurance, regulations and supply chain management. With many professionals retiring and new technologies emerging, food scientists are more essential than ever. 

Career paths include product development, food chemistry, quality control, food safety inspection, research and development, and sensory evaluation—with growing opportunities in food tech, agricultural sustainability, and health-focused product design. 

If you're passionate about science, technology, and feeding the world safely and sustainably, this program gives you the tools to lead the future of food. 

See the curriculum.

Want to build a healthier, more sustainable future? This concentration prepares you to tackle global challenges like food insecurity, climate change and sustainable agriculture—while empowering communities and reshaping the food system.As a student, you’ll explore food policy, alternative food distribution, supply chain management, and more. You'll gain practical, real-world experience and a strong foundation in nutrition, sustainability, and social justice. 

Career paths include farm-to-institution networks, food education and outreach, nonprofit advocacy, food production, retail and wholesale and international development. 

Customize your degree by adding a minor in areas like Public Health, Political Science, or Communication to deepen your impact and specialize in areas like food policy or sustainability communication. 

If you're passionate about creating lasting change through food, this program will prepare you to lead locally—and globally. 

See the curriculum.

A nutrition and food science minor provides you with basic knowledge about the chemical and biological components of food and the ways in which these ingredients affect human health. With national rates of obesity and related illnesses at an all-time high, outbreaks of food-borne illnesses regularly making headlines, and the social, economical and political aspects of the world food situation becoming ever more complicated, a minor in nutrition and food science is useful preparation for students pursuing careers in politics, business, economics, journalism or communications, psychology, education, medicine, nursing or health. 

See the curriculum.