School of Nutrition and Food Sciences

The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences aims for excellence with comprehensive, education, scholarship, and outreach. Nutrition professionals provide training in nutrition science, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition with a focus on improving health and well-being of all citizens and populations.  Food science professionals train students in the quality, processing, and safety of foods for the multibillion dollar food industry.

Scholarly and educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate level integrate the basic and applied sciences with outreach.  In the spirit of the land-grant university system, the School offers students unique opportunities to gain valuable experience by working with our diverse research faculty on projects covering a broad range of nutrition and food science topics.

Our extension faculty, with specializations in consumer/ producer food safety, community nutrition, health and well-being, work with parish agents to deliver science-based information to Louisiana citizens.  

The school also collaborates with LSU AgCenter Food Innovation Institute (FOODii) which is a business incubator that specializes in developing emerging food ventures and providing technical services to existing and emerging companies.

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Dietetics

Students can pursue a concentration in dietetics to gain specialized skills in human nutrition, food and food system management. Upon successful completion of the program, students can apply for a dietetic internship with the ultimate goal of obtaining professional credentials in dietetics. 

Learn more about the dietetics concentration

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Nutrition Sciences with Pre-Med option

The nutrition and food sciences curriculum prepares students for careers in the health professions, specifically dietetics or medicine, or in the food industry. The nutritional sciences/pre-medical concentration provides students with a strong grounding in nutritional sciences while meeting the course work requirements for students planning to apply to most medical or dental schools.

Learn more about the nutritional sciences/pre-medical

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Nutrition, Health, and Society

The concentration of nutrition, health and society prepares students for a variety of careers in nutrition including, but not limited to nutrition education, the food industry, or scientific writing.

Learn more about nutrition, health and society program

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Food Science and Technology

For students taking the food science and technology area of concentration, there are several job areas available in the food industry related to food quality and safety, applied microbiology, food engineering, processing and technology, food chemistry and analysis, food business and marketing research, and product development. 

Learn more about food science and technology concentration

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Explore Research and Outreach

The School of Nutrition and Food Sciences is integrating basic and applied learning through outreach and extension.

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School of Nutrition and Food Sciences in the News

Louisiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Louisiana affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, it's a professional organization representing over 1000 dietetic nutrition experts throughout the state of Louisiana.

he University Faculty Awards honors faculty who exemplifies excellence in teaching, research and community engagement. Faculty nomination packets include recommendations from deans, supervisors, colleagues, collaborators and more. Nomination packets are reviewed by selection committees through a rigorous process. Faculty are notified in the spring semester of their award. Learn more about 2024 LSU Faculty Awards Recipients https://www.lsu.edu/academicaffairs/faculty-awards/recipients.php.

The Institute of Food Technologists Student Association (IFTSA), a student-governed community of members of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), is pleased to announce that Ivannova Lituma, a PhD student at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, has won the IFTSA Graduate Research Competition for her research on the "Effect of UV-C Light Treatment Against Listeria Monocytogenes on Hydroponically Grown Lettuce and its Effect on Quality." She was honored recently at IFT FIRST: Annual Event & Expo, IFT's popular food science, technology, and innovation showcase aimed at addressing the biggest issues impacting the global food system that attracted more than 16,000 attendees and over 1,100 exhibitors.