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Concentration in Human Nutrition/Molecular Nutrition- Ph.D Program

Course Requirement

To earn a Ph.D. with a concentration in Human Nutrition, students are required to complete 60 hours of course work past the B.S. or B.A. degree and complete 20 hours or more of dissertation research. Students without nutrition courses as an undergraduate or master’s student may be required to complete selected undergraduate courses which are a prerequisite for graduate study in nutrition. Other prerequisites may also be required. The major advisor and advisory committee will guide a student in course selections. The major advisor and advisory committee may determine that coursework beyond the minimum credit hours is needed to round out a student’s academic preparation.

Ph.D Program - Concentration in Human Nutrition

Other Courses 4000 or above level to total 80 or more hours**

*If the student enters the Ph.D. program with a master’s in nutrition, substitutions for required courses will be considered by the student’s major advisor and advisory committee. HUEC Nutrition courses include: HUEC 7004, Molecular and Clinical Nutrition I (2); HUEC 7005, Molecular and Clinical Nutrition II (2); HUEC 7017, Advanced Human Nutrition (3); HUEC 7010, Food and Nutrition Seminar (1); and HUEC 7011, Current Advances in Food and Nutrition (1-4).

**Other optional courses will be determined according to the student’s interest within the Human Nutrition concentration by the major professor in cooperation with the students’ dissertation advisory committees. The types of courses might include courses in education, psychology, epidemiology, endocrinology, etc. Students are also encouraged to enroll in the independent research and reading courses (HUEC 7091 and 9091) for one or more times to gain technical expertise in their area(s) of research interest(s).

As part of the requirement for degree completion the student will, as part of the final defense of the thesis, present a seminar on the thesis work. This seminar will be advertised at LSU and open to public attendance.

Ph.D Program - Concentration in Molecular Nutrition

Other Courses 4000 or above level to total 80 or more hours**

*If the student enters the Ph.D. program with a master’s in nutrition substitutions for required courses will be considered by the student’s advisor and advisory committee. HUEC Nutrition courses include: HUEC 7017, Advanced Human Nutrition (3); HUEC 7010, Food and Nutrition Seminar (1); and HUEC 7011, Current Advances in Food and Nutrition (1-4).

**Other courses will be determined according to the student’s interest by the major professor in cooperation with the students’ dissertation advisory committees. The types of courses might include courses in biology, biochemistry, physiology, immunology, etc. Students are also encouraged to enroll in independent research and reading courses (HUEC 7091 and 9091) for one or more times to gain technical expertise in their area(s) of research interest(s).

As part of the requirement for degree completion the student will, as part of the final defense of the thesis, present a seminar on the thesis work. This seminar will be advertised at LSU and open to public attendance.

Planning the Program of Study
Doctoral students should develop their program with the assistance of the major professor and the advisory committee. The courses to be included in the program should be designated on the Program of Study for the Doctoral Degree form (Appendix C), available on-line from the Graduate School. The form is to be completed and submitted to the Graduate School during the first semester following students' admission to the Ph.D. program. The form must be typed and the signatures of the initial committee members obtained. Copies of the form should be distributed to the initial advisory committee, to the School of Human Ecology, and a copy retained by students.

The degree candidate is required to complete all courses as designated in the approved program of study. If changes to the agreed upon program of study are contemplated, the Request for Change in Program of Study for Doctoral Degree form should be obtained from the Graduate School and completed. This form must be signed by the major professor, the Director of the School, the Graduate Coordinator, the minor professor (if applicable), the chair of the department in which the minor professor resides, and the Graduate Dean. Copies should be retained by all signatories as well as by other members of the initial advisory committee and the School of Human Ecology. Any changes to the program of study must be recorded on the appropriate form and submitted to the Graduate School.

Course Requirements
A minimum of 60 hours of formal coursework beyond the bachelor's degree is required. Students must also complete a minimum of 20 semester hours in the formulation and execution of original research as demonstrated by production of a dissertation. Additional coursework and/or dissertation hours may be included in the program of study.

Students who otherwise meet the admission requirements but have limited or dated research experience may be admitted conditionally into the Ph. D. program upon recommendation by the graduate faculty within the appropriate division. Specified conditional requirements will be the responsibility of the division head until the student's graduate committee has been identified. Conditional requirements will be determined on an individual basis to provide the student with direct research involvement within the first year of study. This may include required enrollment in such courses as HUEC 7090, 7091, 9091, and/or assignment to a research project as a graduate assistant or as an unpaid participant.

Core Requirements
HUEC 7090: Research Methods in Human Ecology (3 hours)
Statistics: 7000 level coursework (6-8 hrs or more)
HUEC 7092: Human Ecology Research Seminars (3 hrs - l hr. ea)
HUEC 7093: Advanced Research Methods in Human Ecology (3 hours)
HUEC 7065: Management of Family Resources (3 hours)
HUEC 9000: Dissertation Research (20-30 hours)

Revalidation of Coursework
The doctoral student and major professor will prepare the program of study for graduate studies advisory committee approval. Courses completed 10 or more years prior to entry into the Ph.D. program are not eligible for placement in the program of study. The student is responsible for current knowledge in all courses listed in the program of study. The general exam is the test of currency of knowledge for the doctoral program.

Selection of Minor
A minor area of study is recommended for doctoral students. The specific content and hours required for the minor (generally 12 hours) will be determined by the minor department. A minor may be in another department or in another division within the School of Human Ecology. The University Graduate Council recommends that the minor field requirement include at least one 7000-level course. If a minor is selected, a faculty member from the minor area must be a member of the full advisory committee.

General Examination
Students pursuing the Ph.D. degree must successfully complete a general examination in order to continue in the program. The general examination consists of: a written and oral component for demonstration of area subject matter competence (including coursework). This is a personalized examination to be given at a time appropriate for individual students. The doctoral advisory committee has the authority to determine appropriate questions for a student's examination. The research proposal may also be presented as part of the general examination, or may be presented in a separate meeting (see Section 5.3)

Before successfully completing the written portion of the examination, students are responsible for obtaining the Request for Doctoral General Examination form (Appendix B; http://gradlsu.gs.lsu.edu/doctoralexam.pdf) from the Graduate School. This form must be typed and all relevant signatures obtained. The form must be submitted to the Graduate School at least three (3) weeks prior to the oral examination date. Upon receipt, the Graduate School assigns the outside committee member. At the discretion of the doctoral advisory committee, the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School may also submit written questions to the student. If the representative of the Dean of the Graduate school is asked to submit questions, the questions should be within the scope of the student's program of study and/or research. If the Graduate School representative is not asked to submit questions he/she should be given a copy of the student’s questions and answers prior to the oral examination. Students are also responsible for all arrangements for the oral defense meeting including notification of advisory committee members, scheduling of the meeting room, and obtaining any audio visual equipment which is necessary (See Section 5.3). If after evaluating the written portion of the exam, the committee determines the student has failed the written portion, the oral exam will be canceled.

The time allowed for writing the general exam is 20 hours, although time should not be a limiting factor for students in answering questions. Students who are required to take the TOEFL exam for admittance into the Graduate School may be allowed up to a total of four (4) additional hours to complete their general examinations to facilitate their writing of the exam in English. The exam must be submitted in English within this allotted time limit. It is preferred that the general exam be closed, but the student may receive open-book questions and a list of allowable resources. After the written exam, the student will be given a copy of the questions and answers. The student should be encouraged to review, correct, and make additions to improve the quality of responses.

Both portions of the general examination must be passed. Copies of the written examination will be submitted to all committee members, at least two (2) weeks prior to the scheduled oral examination. The student must pass the written portion of the exam before being allowed to take the oral portion of the exam. At the meeting, committee members may comment on the student's examination, ask for further clarification, or probe specific answers. Passing the general examination is dependent on successful completion of the written examination, adequate discussion of the written examination, and, if included as part of the meeting, presentation of a satisfactory research proposal. No grade of pass or fail will be communicated to the student until after the oral exam.

The student will be allowed to take each part of the exam twice. The student's committee will provide written explanations of reasons why the exam was failed and suggestions on what the student should do to improve their chances for passing the examination in the future (e.g. readings, courses, etc.). The committee will also determine the time interval between the exams, with an interval of six (6) months being strongly recommended. Failure to successfully complete both the written and oral portions of the exam will result in termination of the student form the Ph.D. program.

Graduate Advisor
Dr. Jenna T. Kuttruff
Professor
School of Human Ecology
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
(o) 225-578-1600
(f) 225-578-2697
jkutt1@lsu.edu

Graduate Handbook
Download the Human Ecology Graduate Handbook 

School of Human Ecology
Louisiana State University
125 Human Ecology Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Telephone: 225-578-2281
Fax: 225-578-2697
E-mail: humanecology@lsu.edu