From nutrition foundations to the science of weight loss and GLP-1s

Challenge harmful misinformation and fleeting trends on nutrition and weight loss with Stanford Medicine, ranked No. 3 for Medicine, and its rigorous, research-backed online short courses. Whether you’re seeking a foundational study of nutrition or an advanced exploration of metabolic health and weight loss in the GLP-1 era, you’ll find courses that align with your learning goals.

Discover the latest in nutrition and metabolic health

Learn from world-renowned faculty and subject matter experts

Earn a digital certificate from Stanford Medicine

Grow your network within a cohort of peers

Online program

Nutrition Science

What to expect

Explore the foundations of nutrition science and learn how to translate that knowledge into practical guidelines and plans.

Outcome

Develop the knowledge to create evidence-based nutrition guidelines and plans for patients, clients, or your own practice.

Who it's for

Professionals across healthcare, wellness, coaching, food, and education. No prior nutrition training required.

Skills gained

Nutritional guidelines, Macro and micro nutrients, Diet and disease prevention

Next start date

Course length

8 weeks, with a faculty-led live session

Hours per week

8-10 hours

Online program

Beyond Diets: The Science of Weight Loss, GLP-1s, and Metabolic Health

What to expect

Go beyond foundational nutrition into the biology of weight regulation as you learn to integrate emerging interventions like GLP-1 therapies into patient or client care.

Outcome

Gain the confidence and clinical grounding to integrate GLP-1 therapies, lifestyle interventions, and metabolic health strategies into patient or client care.

Who it's for

Professionals and individuals who want to specialize in evidence-based weight management. Ideal as a next step after Nutrition Science, but prior completion is not required.

Skills gained

Metabolic health, GLP-1 medications, Weight regulation science, Sustainable health strategies

Next start date

Course length

6 weeks, with a faculty-led live session

Hours per week

4-7 hours

When you complete this course, you’ll walk away with:

1

GLP-1 expertise you can apply immediately: Learn how medications like Ozempic work, when they're appropriate, and how to integrate them with lifestyle interventions across settings.

2

Actionable tools, not just theory: Gain practical frameworks for sustainable weight management grounded in the latest metabolic science, and apply them through a hands-on capstone project you can take straight into your practice.

3

Advanced metabolic health knowledge: Go beyond foundational nutrition into obesity science, body composition, and the biological drivers of weight regulation — with Stanford faculty and a global professional cohort.

4

A Stanford Medicine credential: Signal evidence-based expertise with a certificate from one of the world's top-ranked medical institutions.

Course curriculum

Over the duration of this online short course, you’ll work your way through the following modules:

Module 1

Understanding weight, health, and risk

Unpack the concepts of weight, fat, and metabolic risk, and how they relate to each other.

Module 2

The muscle versus fat challenge in modern weight loss

Discover how weight loss can result in muscle loss, why this is detrimental, and how it can be measured.

Module 3

The foundations of realistic weight regulation — nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle

Determine how to support healthy weight regulation through eating patterns, physical activity, and lifestyle changes, even in the face of everyday challenges.

Module 4

The biology of weight regulation — genes, hormones, gut, and circadian systems

Learn how biological factors influence the body’s adaptive responses to nutrition, activity, and weight change over time.

Module 5

GLP-1s and other medical interventions

Examine where procedures and GLP-1 therapies fit in long-term weight management and practical considerations for their use.

Module 6

From weight management to sustainable, long-term health management

Equip yourself with strategies to successfully pursue sustainable, long-term health.

When you complete this course, you’ll walk away with:

1

An understanding of the relationship between food and nutrition, and the foundational science involved in developing nutrition plans for different individuals and contexts.

2

The ability to interpret nutritional research through informed knowledge of fats and carbohydrates, supplements, diet fads, the effects of sugar, and the importance of protein.

3

A digital certificate from Stanford Medicine, differentiating yourself in the medical and wellness industries.

Course curriculum

Over the duration of this online short course, you’ll work your way through the following modules:

Module 1

Nutrition guidelines: Science versus politics

Learn about nutrition science and the establishment of nutritional guidelines.

Module 2

The role of macronutrients: Carbohydrates

Learn the fundamentals of carbohydrates and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 3

The role of macronutrients: Fats

Learn the fundamentals of fats and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 4

The role of macronutrients: Proteins

Learn the fundamentals of proteins and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 5

Calorie balance in context

Learn the fundamentals of calorie balance and the effect an individual's context plays in maintaining it.

Module 6

The role of micronutrients: Vitamins

Learn the fundamentals of vitamins and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 7

The role of micronutrients: Minerals

Learn the fundamentals of minerals and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 8

Health, disease and nutrition

Learn the fundamentals of a good diet and how health and disease relate to them.

Optional Module A

Pediatric nutrition

Learn the fundamentals of pediatric nutrition and how to address malnutrition and obesity in early childhood.

Optional Module B

Special topics in adult malnutrition

Learn about common adult malnutrition conditions, nutrition in the context of specialized care, and malnutrition in older adults.

When you complete this course, you’ll walk away with:

1

GLP-1 expertise you can apply immediately: Learn how medications like Ozempic work, when they're appropriate, and how to integrate them with lifestyle interventions across settings.

2

3

4

A Stanford Medicine credential: Signal evidence-based expertise with a certificate from one of the world's top-ranked medical institutions.

Course curriculum

Over the duration of this online short course, you’ll work your way through the following modules:

Module 1

Understanding weight, health, and risk

Unpack the concepts of weight, fat, and metabolic risk, and how they relate to each other.

Module 2

The muscle versus fat challenge in modern weight loss

Discover how weight loss can result in muscle loss, why this is detrimental, and how it can be measured.

Module 3

The foundations of realistic weight regulation — nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle

Determine how to support healthy weight regulation through eating patterns, physical activity, and lifestyle changes, even in the face of everyday challenges.

Module 4

The biology of weight regulation — genes, hormones, gut, and circadian systems

Learn how biological factors influence the body’s adaptive responses to nutrition, activity, and weight change over time.

Module 5

GLP-1s and other medical interventions

Examine where procedures and GLP-1 therapies fit in long-term weight management and practical considerations for their use.

Module 6

From weight management to sustainable, long-term health management

Equip yourself with strategies to successfully pursue sustainable, long-term health.

When you complete this course, you’ll walk away with:

1

An understanding of the relationship between food and nutrition, and the foundational science involved in developing nutrition plans for different individuals and contexts.

2

The ability to interpret nutritional research through informed knowledge of fats and carbohydrates, supplements, diet fads, the effects of sugar, and the importance of protein.

3

A digital certificate from Stanford Medicine, differentiating yourself in the medical and wellness industries.

Course curriculum

Over the duration of this online short course, you’ll work your way through the following modules:

Module 1

Nutrition guidelines: Science versus politics

Learn about nutrition science and the establishment of nutritional guidelines.

Module 2

The role of macronutrients: Carbohydrates

Learn the fundamentals of carbohydrates and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 3

The role of macronutrients: Fats

Learn the fundamentals of fats and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 4

The role of macronutrients: Proteins

Learn the fundamentals of proteins and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 5

Calorie balance in context

Learn the fundamentals of calorie balance and the effect an individual's context plays in maintaining it.

Module 6

The role of micronutrients: Vitamins

Learn the fundamentals of vitamins and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 7

The role of micronutrients: Minerals

Learn the fundamentals of minerals and apply these to a balanced diet.

Module 8

Health, disease and nutrition

Learn the fundamentals of a good diet and how health and disease relate to them.

Optional Module A

Pediatric nutrition

Learn the fundamentals of pediatric nutrition and how to address malnutrition and obesity in early childhood.

Optional Module B

Special topics in adult malnutrition

Learn about common adult malnutrition conditions, nutrition in the context of specialized care, and malnutrition in older adults.

When you complete this course, you’ll walk away with:

1

GLP-1 expertise you can apply immediately: Learn how medications like Ozempic work, when they're appropriate, and how to integrate them with lifestyle interventions across settings.

2

3

4

A Stanford Medicine credential: Signal evidence-based expertise with a certificate from one of the world's top-ranked medical institutions.

Course curriculum

Over the duration of this online short course, you’ll work your way through the following modules:

Module 1

Understanding weight, health, and risk

Unpack the concepts of weight, fat, and metabolic risk, and how they relate to each other.

Module 2

The muscle versus fat challenge in modern weight loss

Discover how weight loss can result in muscle loss, why this is detrimental, and how it can be measured.

Module 3

The foundations of realistic weight regulation — nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle

Determine how to support healthy weight regulation through eating patterns, physical activity, and lifestyle changes, even in the face of everyday challenges.

Module 4

The biology of weight regulation — genes, hormones, gut, and circadian systems

Learn how biological factors influence the body’s adaptive responses to nutrition, activity, and weight change over time.

Module 5

GLP-1s and other medical interventions

Examine where procedures and GLP-1 therapies fit in long-term weight management and practical considerations for their use.

Module 6

From weight management to sustainable, long-term health management

Equip yourself with strategies to successfully pursue sustainable, long-term health.

A powerful collaboration

About Stanford Medicine

As a leader in the biomedical revolution, Stanford Medicine has a long tradition of leadership in pioneering research, creative teaching protocols, and effective clinical therapies. Our atmosphere of interdisciplinary exploration and collaboration has produced many of the innovations that sparked a biomedical revolution. Today, this same atmosphere gives us an unprecedented opportunity to use new knowledge to advance human health.

About GetSmarter

GetSmarter delivers online education from world-leading universities and institutions to transform the lives of thousands of students across the globe. GetSmarter’s online certificate courses are designed to advance your career and fit in with your busy lifestyle. Each course is expert-led, fully supported and community-based, helping you build career-critical skills. GetSmarter is owned by 2U.

An online education that sets you apart

These Stanford Medicine online short courses are delivered in collaboration with online education provider GetSmarter. Join a growing community of global professionals and benefit from the opportunity to:

Attend a rigorous, cohort-based online learning experience that features expert-led content, a live session, and opportunities to expand your global network.

Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience created to make you feel supported at every step.

Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.