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 for more information: .

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.

Dentists, General

$175,030

Dietitians and Nutritionists

$62,720

Family Medicine Physicians

$224,220

Pharmacists

$120,880

Physician Assistants

$121,490

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.

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 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
Part-time

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
or	or	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in , or , or higher, or eligibility for . One year of high school or one-semester of college level chemistry is strongly recommended. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in , or , or higher, or eligibility for . One year of high school or one semester of college-level biology and chemistry is strongly recommended.	OR One year of high school biology	SQ or SQ	0–4
or	or	Prerequisites: Writing placement or (C/ better in or ) or (B/better in ) or (C in & Corequisites: or or or ) or (C/better in & Corequisites: or or or ). or Prerequisites: Writing test score or (C/better in or ),or (B/better in ) or (C in & Corequisites: or or or ) or (C/better in and Corequisites: or or or ).		FYC or FYC	3
					3
or	or				1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
or	or	Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in .		FYC or FYC	3
					3
			OR Higher approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area	MA	3–6
		Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( or ) and (, or , or , or , or )], or a grade of B or better in , or an appropriate district placement, or permission of Instructor.	OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment	L	0–3
		Prerequisites: C or better in (, or , or , or , or 1 yr of high school biology) and (, or , or higher, or eligibility for ). or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required.		SG	4

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
		Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in or .	SG	4
or	or	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in or or permission of Instructor. OR OR OR recommended. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in or higher, or satisfactory score on district placement exam.	L or None	3
or or ( and ) or	or or ( and ) or	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in , or , or , or , or equivalent, or an appropriate District placement, or permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ( and eligibility for or higher as indicated by appropriate district mathematics placement) or permission of Instructor. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ( and eligibility for or higher as indicated by appropriate district mathematics placement) or permission of Instructor. and Corequisites: . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ( and eligibility for or higher as indicated by appropriate district mathematics placement) or permission of Instructor.	CS or CS or CS or CS	3–4
and	and		HU and C	3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
		Prerequisites: C or better in (, or , or , or , or 1 yr of high school biology) and (, or , or higher, or eligibility for ). or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required.	SG	4
( and ) or or ( and ) or or ( and ) or	( and ) or or ( and ) or or ( and ) or	Prerequisites: C/better in [( or hgh schl algebra or /hghr or EdReady Quant&Stat 70/hghr or Coll Alg 80/hghr) and ( or or hghr or eligibility for as indicated by appropriate reading placemnt)] or permission of the dept. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [(, or , or , or , or higher level mathematics course, or satisfactory math placement) and (, or , or higher, or eligibility for as indicated by appropriate reading placement)], or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( and ), or , or one year of high school chemistry taken within the last five years] and (a grade of C or better in or higher level mathematics course, or satisfactory placement), or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: or . or Prerequisites: C or better in [( & ), or , or 1 yr of high school chemistry taken within the last 5 yrs] & C or better in or higher or satisfactory score on placement exam or permission of the Instructor or Dept or Div Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( and ) or or one year of high school chemistry taken in the last five yrs] and ( or higher or satisfactory placement) or permission of the Instructor or Department or Division Chair. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: or . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( and ), or , or one year of high school chemistry taken within the last five years] and (a grade of C or better in or higher level mathematics course, or satisfactory placement), or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair.	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	3
( and ) or ()	( and ) or ()		SB and G or H	3
or or	or or		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	Area	Credits
or	or	Prerequisites: Writing placement or (C/ better in or ) or (B/better in ) or (C in & Corequisites: or or or ) or (C/better in & Corequisites: or or or ). or Prerequisites: Writing test score or (C/better in or ),or (B/better in ) or (C in & Corequisites: or or or ) or (C/better in and Corequisites: or or or ).	FYC or FYC	3
				3
or	or			1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
or	or	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in , or , or higher, or eligibility for . One year of high school or one-semester of college level chemistry is strongly recommended. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in , or , or higher, or eligibility for . One year of high school or one semester of college-level biology and chemistry is strongly recommended.	OR One year of high school biology	SQ or SQ	0–4
or	or	Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in .		FYC or FYC	3
			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
					3
		Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( or ) and (, or , or , or , or )], or a grade of B or better in , or an appropriate district placement, or permission of Instructor.	OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment	L	0–3
( and ) or or ( and ) or or ( and ) or	( and ) or or ( and ) or or ( and ) or	Prerequisites: C/better in [( or hgh schl algebra or /hghr or EdReady Quant&Stat 70/hghr or Coll Alg 80/hghr) and ( or or hghr or eligibility for as indicated by appropriate reading placemnt)] or permission of the dept. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [(, or , or , or , or higher level mathematics course, or satisfactory math placement) and (, or , or higher, or eligibility for as indicated by appropriate reading placement)], or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( and ), or , or one year of high school chemistry taken within the last five years] and (a grade of C or better in or higher level mathematics course, or satisfactory placement), or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: or . or Prerequisites: C or better in [( & ), or , or 1 yr of high school chemistry taken within the last 5 yrs] & C or better in or higher or satisfactory score on placement exam or permission of the Instructor or Dept or Div Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( and ) or or one year of high school chemistry taken in the last five yrs] and ( or higher or satisfactory placement) or permission of the Instructor or Department or Division Chair. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: or . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [( and ), or , or one year of high school chemistry taken within the last five years] and (a grade of C or better in or higher level mathematics course, or satisfactory placement), or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair.		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
		Prerequisites: C or better in (, or , or , or , or 1 yr of high school biology) and (, or , or higher, or eligibility for ). or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required.		SG	4
or	or	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in or or permission of Instructor. OR OR OR recommended. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in or higher, or satisfactory score on district placement exam.		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
		Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in or .		SG	4
or or ( and ) or	or or ( and ) or	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in , or , or , or , or equivalent, or an appropriate District placement, or permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ( and eligibility for or higher as indicated by appropriate district mathematics placement) or permission of Instructor. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ( and eligibility for or higher as indicated by appropriate district mathematics placement) or permission of Instructor. and Corequisites: . or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ( and eligibility for or higher as indicated by appropriate district mathematics placement) or permission of Instructor.		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
and	and			HU and C	3
		Prerequisites: C or better in (, or , or , or , or 1 yr of high school biology) and (, or , or higher, or eligibility for ). or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required.		SG	4

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number	Course Name	Area	Credits
		HU	3
( and ) or ()	( and ) or ()	SB and G or H	3
or or	or or	SB or SB or SB	3

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.

recommended

Course Area Key

C = Cultural Diversity in the US
CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
FYC = First Year Composition
G = Global Awareness
H = Historical Awareness
HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design

L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
MA = Mathematics
SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
SG = Natural Sciences General
SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative

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 for additional details regarding the requirements of this award .

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.

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