Undergraduate Education

Background image: A photo of equations written on a chalkboard

Our Majors

The Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology offers three undergraduate specializations, administered at the college level by the Office of Instruction and Student Affairs.

Nutritional Sciences - Nutrition & Metabolic Biology/Physiology & Metabolism

As of Summer 2024, the Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology department has undergone curriculum and structural changes for the previous NST majors (Physiology & Metabolism, Toxicology, and Dietetics) that has led to the development of our new and consolidated major—Nutrition & Metabolic Biology (NMB)!

The goals and learning outcomes of the major are the same as the Nutritional Science - Physiology & Metabolism major. There are slight changes in the major curriculum and requirements that can be found in the UC Berkeley Program guide(link is external) and on the NMB major snapshot(link is external). This is an excellent major for those interested in studying nutrition as it relates to human biology and chemistry.

Note: Any student who has been admitted to UC Berkeley starting Fall 2025 and after can no longer pursue the Nutritional Sciences—Physiology & Metabolism major.

Nutritional Sciences - Toxicology

This specialization combines a strong foundation in the biological and chemical sciences with specialized advanced course work focusing on the hazardous and beneficial effects of natural and human-made toxic agents. From industrially produced environmental contaminants and designer drugs to naturally occurring herbs and food products, this field of study applies molecular and computational methods to better understand how these agents interact with living organisms and what should be done to ensure human health and safety.

Note: This major has been consolidated into the Nutrition & Metabolic Biology (NMB) major. Any student who has been admitted to UC Berkeley starting Fall 2024 and after can no longer pursue the Nutritional Sciences—Toxicology major.

A photo of a student researcher in a lab.

A undergraduate researcher in a lab.

Undergraduate Majors

Undergraduate Minor

Undergraduate Courses

Undergraduate Advising

Why major in Nutrition & Metabolic Biology?

Nutrition & Metabolic Biology offers ideal preparation for medical school and other health careers such as pharmacy and dentistry. Many of the required pre-med courses are part of our curriculum. Our graduates who have pursued medicine find that our programs have informed their medical studies and have helped them to sustain and promote good health as professionals.

This is an exciting time to be exploring the sciences of nutrition and metabolism. The media have highlighted many stories on questions surrounding the role of diet in aging and proper development, the safety of genetically modified foods, the links between cancer and chronic diseases with diet, and the problems of malnutrition in much of the world.

In the Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology (NST), these are some of the questions we explore as we work towards developing an understanding of the role nutrients, phytochemicals, and toxicants play in human health and disease.

  • What mechanisms turn a high-protein diet into a fat producing diet?
  • Why does your body turn harmless chemicals into toxins?
  • What is the connection between diet and chronic diseases like cancer?
  • What can be done to reduce obesity in our population?

Our research and curriculum cover a breadth of topics from the delivery of nutrients from foods to mammalian cells, to the benefits and hazards of chemical agents, as well as the cultural and socio-economic determinants of human diets, and the development of programs and policies to address human and environmental health and safety.