Our undergraduate majors span two colleges:
- Human Biology, Health and Society (HBHS) is offered in Cornell Human Ecology (CHE).
- The Global and Public Health Sciences (GPHS) and Nutritional Sciences (NS) majors are offered in both CHE and the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences (CALS).
DNS also has students majoring in Biological Sciences with the Human Nutrition concentration who may be enrolled in either CALS or the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S).
For information on college requirements, policies and resources, please refer to your college:
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law enacted in 1974. FERPA protects the privacy of student education records. All educational institutions that receive federal funding, including Cornell, must comply with FERPA. FERPA begins for a Cornell student on the first day of classes/semester or attendance, whichever comes first, and the student continues to be protected by FERPA for their lifetime.
FERPA gives students four basic rights with respect to their education record:
- The right to inspect and review their education record.
- The right to some control over the disclosure of their education record.
- The right to request the amendment of their education record where appropriate.
- The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the university to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
DNS students can pursue more than 120 undergraduate minors offered by Cornell. Each minor is administered by the academic department or unit that offers it.
DNS minors
The division offers three minors:
- Applied Exercise Science: available only to DNS (GPHS, HBHS, and NS) majors and offers a combination of coursework at Cornell and Ithaca College.
- Global Health: complements any major offered at Cornell and provides students (except GPHS majors) with basic knowledge about global health as well as experiential learning opportunities.
- Nutrition and Health: open to all Cornell undergraduates except DNS majors (GPHS, HBHS, NS, and Biological Sciences with Human Nutrition concentration)
Minors outside of DNS
If you are interested in a non-DNS minor, review the information provided by that minor department, follow those department-specific procedures, and coordinate with the minor department for minor-related advising needs.
The undergraduate majors’ curriculum can be found in the course catalog. DNS majors in CHE may also refer to the CHE curriculum sheets.
Current students in CHE (GPHS, HBHS, NS majors) must submit petitions through the Human Ecology Forms and Petitions page.
The Curriculum Waiver/Substitution and In Absentia petitions require DNS review, which will be completed according to the petition review schedule.
Petitions regarding a college requirement only will be reviewed at the college level. Follow all instructions on the Human Ecology Forms and Petitions page and hereg [at] cornell.edu (contact the Human Ecology Registrar’s Office) if you have questions.
Current students enrolled in CALS in the GPHS or NS majors must submit petitions for major requirements dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (via email to DNS Student Services). Examples of these petitions are: requirement substitutions, transfer and study abroad course equivalency.
Questions about college requirements should be cals-studentservices [at] cornell.edu (sent to CALS Student Services).
Please include the following information in your request:
- Details about the requested petition (e.g., the requirement you are petitioning and the course(s) involved)
- Relevant syllabi/course details
- Any additional relevant information
Petition deadlines and reviews will follow the petition review schedule.
All DNS majors
To pursue a change of major within CHE to Global and Public Health Sciences; Human Biology, Health and Society; or Nutritional Sciences, make an appointment with DNS Student Services to discuss your potential major change. It’s particularly helpful to bring any written academic planning and questions you may have to the meeting. Note that availability for these appointments will be limited during enrollment periods at Cornell.
Once you have met with an advisor and completed any additional steps, you must submit the CHE Change of Major Form.
GPHS only
Students pursuing a change of major to GPHS must submit a GPHS major application. Please see the "GPHS major application" below for more information.
NS and GPHS majors
To pursue a change of major within CALS to Global and Public Health Sciences or Nutritional Sciences, make an appointment to meet with DNS Student Services to discuss your potential major change. It’s particularly helpful to bring any written academic planning and questions you have to the meeting. Availability for these appointments will be limited during enrollment periods at Cornell.
Once you have met with an advisor and completed any additional steps, a DNS Student Services staff member will submit the CALS Change of Major Form for you. Note: An updated draft academic plan to complete the major is required for this form.
GPHS only
Students pursuing a change of major to GPHS must submit a GPHS major application. See "GPHS major application" below for more information.
Prospective internal transfer students (transferring from one college within Cornell to another) should review the internal transfer page of their target college for information about the process and requirements. Each college’s admissions office offers resources for prospective internal transfer students and can clarify eligibility requirements, procedures and deadlines.
- Prospective internal transfers to CHE
- Prospective internal transfers to CALS
- Internal transfers at Cornell
If you are interested in internally transferring to a major within DNS, our Student Services team is available to discuss major requirements, your academic plan to complete the intended major, and questions about the major. Note that availability for these appointments will be limited during enrollment periods at Cornell.
To pursue an internal transfer to CALS or CHE, you must first complete the required coursework for the intended college and major.
GPHS only
If you are pursuing an internal transfer to CALS or CHE to join the GPHS major, you must submit a GPHS major application. See the GPHS major application for more information.
See the minor page for needed forms.
Note that this minor is available only to GPHS, HBHS, and NS majors.
Applied Exercise Science (AES) minor intent form
Submit the AES minor intent form when you intend to complete the minor.
AES minor completion form
Submit the AES minor completion form after you complete the requirements or when you are in your last undergraduate semester, whichever comes first. DNS reports minors to college registrars only once they are complete, including all relevant forms.
Learn more about the Global Health minor.
Global Health minor intent
If you are interested in completing the Global Health minor, make an appointment with Sharon Kaplan to discuss its requirements, the experiential learning opportunity (ELO) and next steps. Students who plan to enroll in NS 2600 for the next spring semester must meet with Sharon by September 30.
Global Health minor elective petition
Use the minor elective petition form to request review of an alternative course to fulfill the Global Health minor elective requirement. You must submit the petition prior to taking the proposed course. While you may submit the petition after you complete the proposed elective course, prior completion does not guarantee that petition approval.
Global Health minor verification form
Complete the Global Health minor verification form once you complete all of the requirements of the minor or at the beginning of your final undergraduate semester at Cornell, whichever comes first.
Review the experiential learning opportunities (ELO) section on this page for more information about the ELO petition process.
Learn more about the N&H minor
Nutrition and Health (N&H) minor intent form
Submit the minor intent form when you intend to complete the N&H minor.
N&H minor verification form
Complete the minor verification form once you complete all of the requirements of the minor or at the beginning of your final undergraduate semester at Cornell, whichever comes first.
Note: the N&H minor is available only to non-DNS majors. HBHS, GPHS, NS, and Biological Sciences majors with a Human Nutrition concentration may not complete the minor.
All ELO forms are available through the DNS ELO Canvas course. If you are a current GPHS major or Global Health minor and you do not have access to the course, dnsstudentservices [at] cornell.edu (contact DNS Student Services) for assistance. Don't miss upcoming deadlines to submit an ELO petition.
Summer 2025 ELO deadline
April 1 at 11:59 pm
Academic year ELO (starting in fall or spring)
Petitions accepted on a rolling basis as long as they're submitted at least three weeks before the start of your ELO.
Register for research credit using NS 6000, NS 8990, and NS 9990 using the student add/drop enrollment request form during the add period.
Complete the CHE Special Studies Enrollment form to register for undergraduate research credits with a DNS faculty member under NS 4000 Directed Readings, NS 4010 Empirical Research, or NS 4020 Supervised Fieldwork. The form becomes available at the beginning of the Add period. The CHE Registrar’s Office administers the form, and your supervisor will be asked to sign off on your submission. Once your form has been approved, you will receive a permission number by email to self-enroll in the research credits.
Complete the Teaching Assistant (4030) form to register for undergraduate teaching assistantship credits for an NS course under NS 4030. Once your form has been approved by the Registrar’s Office and your supervisor, you will receive a permission number by email to enroll in the NS 4030 credits.