HEC Approved

Department of Human Nutrition

Nutritional science is now a field of growing importance in many aspects of healthcare, lifestyle, industry and policy development. Improved nutritional status is also key factor to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) as it directly contributes to productivity, poverty reduction and economic development by improving physical and psychological health; thus, laying the foundation of stable, secure and peaceful societies.

The Department of Human Nutrition at KMU strive to improve the nutritional status of the people of Pakistan in General and KP in particular through cutting-edge research, education and outreach programs. The department aims to focus on research targeted at understanding local nutritional problems and develop cost-effective nutritional strategies. This department also aims to be the national leader in producing highly skilled nutrition graduates from a diverse background to overcome the scarcity of skilled human resource in this field.

Department Vision

To be a national center of excellence in Human Nutrition research and education.

Department Mission

To implement research, education, and outreach programs designed to promote nutritional status that enhances human health.

PhD Human Nutrition 

The PhD Human Nutrition program aims to produce scholars of high intellectual caliber who will be able to conduct scientifically rigorous research in the field of Human Nutrition. Through continuous professional development and advanced research, graduates of this program will contribute to innovation and evidence-based practices in the healthcare system of the country and to the well-being of society at large.

The PhD Human Nutrition program consists of both coursework and research components. The coursework is designed to provide a strong foundation in various areas of Human Nutrition, including advanced topics in Research Ethics, Applied Biostatistics, Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills, Nutritional Epidemiology, Clinical Nutrition, Nutritional Biochemistry, Public Health Nutrition, and Advanced Research Methods.

The research component of the program focuses on the development of advanced research skills and the generation of original scientific knowledge in the field of human nutrition. The program encourages research in diverse areas such as clinical nutrition, public health nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, diet-related diseases, and community nutrition. Students are required to conduct an independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member and produce a dissertation based on their research findings. The dissertation must be defended publicly before a panel of experts in the field.

Program Structure

The PhD in Human Nutrition is a three-year program consisting of coursework, research training, and teaching experience.

During the first semester, students are required to complete core courses including Research Ethics, Research Methods, Applied Biostatistics, Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills, Review of Literature, Biosafety and Biosecurity. A qualifying examination is conducted at the end of the semester.

In the second semester, students complete advanced courses in human nutrition including Clinical Nutrition, Public Health Nutrition, Nutritional Epidemiology, and Advanced Human Nutrition and Research Methods. Students will also assist in teaching undergraduate or allied health students to gain discipline-specific teaching experience and participate in lectures, practical sessions, and student mentoring.

From the third to sixth semester, students focus primarily on their doctoral research project, including data collection, analysis, dissertation writing, and thesis defense. During this period, students may also serve as teaching assistants to further develop their academic and research skills.

PhD Review Committee Presentation

All PhD students are required to deliver an oral presentation at the end of each year before the PhD Review Committee. The presentation is followed by a discussion with committee members, including at least two subject experts, to evaluate the student’s progress. Based on this evaluation, the committee decides on the student’s continuation and registration for the next academic session.

Qualifying Examinations and Defense

End-of-Semester Examination

Upon completion of the core coursework, students must successfully pass end-of-semester examinations (Semesters 1 and 2) to assess their knowledge of the subject area, understanding of relevant literature, and ability to develop research hypotheses and experimental designs. These examinations may include written and oral components.

Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive qualifying examination is designed to assess the student’s fundamental knowledge of human nutrition, critical thinking ability, and capacity to develop an independent research proposal.

An ad hoc examination committee, constituted by the Director of the Institute or the PhD Coordinator, will include three graduate faculty members, at least two of whom will be subject specialists.

Students are allowed a maximum of two attempts to pass the qualifying examination. Failure to pass after two attempts may result in withdrawal from the PhD program, although the institute may offer the option of completing a terminal Master’s degree.

After successfully passing the qualifying examination, the student must register for Dissertation Research. A minimum of 6 credit hours of dissertation research is required for degree completion, typically conducted over 2-3 academic years. The student must identify a research project under the supervision of a faculty member and present the proposal to the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) and Advanced Studies and Research Board (ASRB) for approval.