{"id":23001,"date":"2024-05-20T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=23001"},"modified":"2024-05-06T11:27:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-06T15:27:58","slug":"academic-programs-focusing-on-plant-based-or-vegetarian-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2024\/05\/20\/academic-programs-focusing-on-plant-based-or-vegetarian-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic Programs Focusing on Plant-based or Vegetarian Nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD<\/p>\n

Colleges and universities are taking notice of the growing interest in vegan\/vegetarian\/plant-based diets. If you\u2019re interested in a program, you\u2019ll need to investigate to see if it meets your needs and if you are eligible for the program. Programs described as \u201cplant-based\u201d may or may not focus on vegan nutrition.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of programs offering everything from a certificate to a Masters degree.<\/p>\n

Loma Linda University<\/strong><\/a> School of Public Health offers an online Master of Science (M.S.) degree program\u00a0in plant-based nutrition. The program offers \u201ca variety of courses in nutritional science with an emphasis on the role of plant-based dietary practices in human health and the environment.\u201d The degree program includes research, culminating in either a publishable manuscript or a written report and there is a written comprehensive examination.\u00a0Applicants must have completed a BS degree in biology, nutrition, or equivalent field, or a health professional degree (MD, DDS, etc.) from a regionally accredited institution.<\/p>\n

Andrews University<\/strong><\/a> School of Population Health, Nutrition & Wellness offers an online Masters of Science in Nutrition & Wellness (Plant-Based Emphasis). The program has a vegetarian emphasis. It is taught online with 8 week long classes. Applicants must have completed their bachelor\u2019s degree from an accredited program in Nutrition & Dietetics and have a verification statement(s) prior to the start of the program or be in their senior year completing a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD).<\/p>\n

The University of Connecticut<\/strong><\/a> Department of Nutritional Sciences offers a Plant-Based Food and Nutrition Online Graduate Certificate. This program consists of 4 on-line courses (Macronutrient Metabolism, Vitamins and Minerals, Plant-based Diets & Nutrition, and Plant-based Food Products)\u00a0 which can be taken over 1 to 2 years. It is designed\u00a0 for \u201chealthcare practitioners, research and culinary medicine chefs, food product developers, and other industry professionals to gain specialized training in the research-advised development of plant-based meal plans and products.\u201d Applicants must have completed a Baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university. Credits earned from this course can be applied towards an MS degree at the University of Connecticut. The cost (in 2024) is $11,100.<\/p>\n

Cosumnes River College<\/strong><\/a> In collaboration with the Department of Horticulture and the Department of Nutrition and Foods offers a <\/strong>Certificate of Proficiency in Plant-Based Nutrition & Sustainable Agriculture. This program provides the coursework focused on developing \u201cknowledge and skills in plant-based nutrition, plant-based food preparation, and sustainable agriculture.\u201d It includes 3 courses, Plant-based Nutrition, Plant-based Food Principles and Preparation, and Sustainable Agriculture. It is taught in in-person in Sacramento, CA.<\/p>\n

Cornell University\u2019s online education department, eCornel<\/strong>l<\/a>, offers an online certificate in Plant-based Nutrition. This video-based program features three 2-week online courses and has no prerequisites. The cost (in 2024) is $949.<\/p>\n

If you are aware of other university-affiliated programs, let us know<\/a>. We will publish an updated list in the future.<\/p>\n

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD Colleges and universities are taking notice of the growing interest in vegan\/vegetarian\/plant-based diets. If you\u2019re interested in a program, you\u2019ll need to investigate to see if it meets your needs and if you are eligible for the program. Programs described as \u201cplant-based\u201d may or may not focus on vegan nutrition. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23001"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23003,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23001\/revisions\/23003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}