Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Nutritional Science

The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in Nutritional Science provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in Nutrition. Students desiring a career in nutrition as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) should pursue the Dietetics transfer plan. Following the completion of an accredited Bachelor of Science program at a university and an accredited internship, students may pursue a career in nutrition related healthcare, wellness and prevention, sports nutrition, food and nutrition management, etc. Application for the accredited internship is a highly competitive process.

The Nutritional Sciences transfer plan provides foundational nutrition principles that can be applied to other careers in healthcare. Students may choose to major in Nutritional Sciences, earn a bachelor degree, and then seek graduate educational programs in Physician Assistant, Medical Doctor or Physical Therapist.

Details

Field of Interest
Health Sciences
Degree Type
Associate in Arts (AA)
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Nutritional Science (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8115
Total credits required
60-64
Catalog Year
2025-2026
Effective Term
Fall 2025
Notes

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.

This emphasis is intended to align with the degree requirements for the following transfer partners:

ASU (College of Health Solutions), Dietetics, BS

ASU (College of Health Solutions), Nutritional Science, BS

Refer to the MCCCD University Transfer Partner website for more information: ASU .

Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.

What You'll Learn
  • Communicate effectively orally and in writing, utilizing the vocabulary of nutritional sciences.
  • Connect knowledge from the physical, biological, agricultural, and environmental sciences to the science of food and nutrition in health and disease processes.
  • Apply food safety and food science principles in general practice.
  • Evaluate socially and culturally appropriate strategies in order to respect nutritional and agricultural diverse cultures and values.
  • Describe and demonstrate the governance and ethics principles of food, nutrition, dietetics and health professionals.
  • Locate and evaluate nutrition literature using various technologies.
  • Evaluate food systems and nutrition information based on scientific evidence.
Career Statistics

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based wages* for this degree. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.

There are additional career opportunities associated with this degree that do not have occupational data available for Arizona at this time. These occupations are listed below:

  • Physicians, All Other

* Career and wage information provided by Pipeline AZ using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources. Sources

Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Degree Progress Report Tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
BIO156++ or
BIO181++
Introductory Biology for Allied Health or General Biology (Majors) I OR One year of high school biology SQ or SQ 0–4
ENG101 or
ENG107
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3
FON100 Introductory Nutrition 3
FYE101 or
FYE103
Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG102 or
ENG108
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3
FON142AB Science of Food 3
MAT15+ College Algebra/Functions OR Higher approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area MA 3–6
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
BIO201 Human Anatomy and Physiology I SG 4

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
BIO202 Human Anatomy and Physiology II SG 4
EXS290 or
FON225
Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice or Research in Complementary and Alternative Nutrition Therapies L or None 3
MAT206 or
PSY230 or
(PSY230 and
PSY231)
or
PSY230WL
Elements of Statistics or Introduction to Statistics or (Introduction to Statistics and Laboratory for Statistics) or Introduction to Statistics with Lab CS or CS or CS or CS 3–4
HU and
C
Humanities, Fine Arts & Design and Cultural Diversity in the US HU and C 3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
BIO205 Microbiology SG 4
(CHM130 and
CHM130LL)
or
CHM130AA or
(CHM150 and
CHM151LL)
or
CHM150AA or
(CHM151 and
CHM151LL)
or
CHM151AA
(Fundamental Chemistry and Fundamental Chemistry Laboratory) or Fundamental Chemistry with Lab or (General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory) or General Chemistry I or (General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory) or General Chemistry I with Lab SQ in combo w/ CHM130LL and SQ in combo w/ CHM130 or SQ or SQ in combo w/ CHM151LL and SQ in combo w/ CHM150 or CHM151 or SQ or SQ in combo w/ CHM151LL and SQ in combo w/ CHM150 or CHM151 or SQ 4–5
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
(SB and
G)
or
(H)
(Social-Behavioral Sciences and Global Awareness) or (Historical Awareness) SB and G or H 3
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM230
Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Small Group Communication SB or SB or SB 3

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG101 or
ENG107
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3
FON100 Introductory Nutrition 3
FYE101 or
FYE103
Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
BIO156++ or
BIO181++
Introductory Biology for Allied Health or General Biology (Majors) I OR One year of high school biology SQ or SQ 0–4
ENG102 or
ENG108
First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC or FYC 3
MAT15+ College Algebra/Functions OR Higher approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area MA 3–6

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
FON142AB Science of Food 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
(CHM130 and
CHM130LL)
or
CHM130AA or
(CHM150 and
CHM151LL)
or
CHM150AA or
(CHM151 and
CHM151LL)
or
CHM151AA
(Fundamental Chemistry and Fundamental Chemistry Laboratory) or Fundamental Chemistry with Lab or (General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory) or General Chemistry I or (General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory) or General Chemistry I with Lab SQ in combo w/ CHM130LL and SQ in combo w/ CHM130 or SQ or SQ in combo w/ CHM151LL and SQ in combo w/ CHM150 or CHM151 or SQ or SQ in combo w/ CHM151LL and SQ in combo w/ CHM150 or CHM151 or SQ 4–5

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
BIO201 Human Anatomy and Physiology I SG 4
EXS290 or
FON225
Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice or Research in Complementary and Alternative Nutrition Therapies L or None 3

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
BIO202 Human Anatomy and Physiology II SG 4
MAT206 or
PSY230 or
(PSY230 and
PSY231)
or
PSY230WL
Elements of Statistics or Introduction to Statistics or (Introduction to Statistics and Laboratory for Statistics) or Introduction to Statistics with Lab CS or CS or CS or CS 3–4

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
HU and
C
Humanities, Fine Arts & Design and Cultural Diversity in the US HU and C 3
BIO205 Microbiology SG 4

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
(SB and
G)
or
(H)
(Social-Behavioral Sciences and Global Awareness) or (Historical Awareness) SB and G or H 3
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM230
Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Small Group Communication SB or SB or SB 3
Footnote

General Electives

Select additional courses 100-level or higher to complete a minimum of 60 semester credits but no more than a total of 64 semester credits. Consult with a faculty advisor, program director, and/or academic advisor to identify coursework that best aligns with academic and professional goals.

FON241 recommended

Course Area Key
Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s official curriculum documentation for additional details regarding the requirements of this award (https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=16456300).

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

Previous Catalog Years

The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. All previous catalog years for this pathway map are available at the link below.

Previous catalog years for Associate in Arts (AA) in Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Nutritional Science