International Health, MSPH, Human Nutrition - Dietitian

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) International Health, Human Nutrition - Dietitian

Requirements for Admission

The Dietitian program seeks to attract and train future experts in public health nutrition across a range of professional interests and backgrounds. Entry into the Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) program in Human Nutrition requires, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree and eight prerequisite courses. For important information regarding ACEND accreditation, tuition, prerequisites, and curriculum, please go to the MSPH, Human Nutrition - Dietitian homepage. 

For updated admissions requirements and application information, please review the MSPH, Human Nutrition - Dietitian homepage and the BSPH How to Apply webpage respectively.

International students in F-1 status who complete this program and obtain post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) may be eligible for the STEM OPT Extension. Students should consult the Office of International Services if they have questions about this benefit.

Advising Faculty

• Laura Caulfield 

Additional Information

Visit our Departmental website for International Health, MSPH, Human Nutrition-Dietitian requirements, application, fees, and additional information. 

Program Requirements

Course location and modality is found on the BSPH website.

For a full list of program policies, please visit the MSPH Human Nutrition - Dietitian webpage where students can find a link to the most recent Academic Guide. Updates regarding course availability can be found on the BSPH Course Directory System.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
General Degree Requirements
PH.220.600	International Travel Preparation, Safety, & Wellness	1
PH.220.602	Global Approaches to Public Health and Society	3
PH.220.611	IH Professional Seminar Series Part 1: Cross-disciplinary Connecting and Communicating with Clarity	0.5
PH.220.612	IH Professional Seminar Series Part 2: Putting Your Best Foot Forward on Paper	0.5
PH.220.613	IH Professional Series Part 3: Interpersonal Engagement and Networking Skills	0.5
PH.220.614	IH Professional Series Part 4: Incorporating and Negotiating Across Diverse Perspectives	0.5
PH.220.841	International Health Masters Independent Goals Analysis	1
PH.221.602	Applications in Managing Health Organizations	3
PH.550.860	Academic & Research Ethics at BSPH
Nutrition and Health
PH.222.641	Principles of Human Nutrition in Public Health	4
PH.222.642	Assessment of Nutritional Status	3
PH.222.644	Nutrient Metabolism	3
PH.222.654	Food, Culture, and Nutrition	4
PH.222.655	Nutrition and Life Stages	3
PH.222.657	Food and Nutrition Policy	2
PH.222.658	Critical Thinking in Nutrition	1
PH.222.860	Graduate Nutrition Seminar	1
Biostatistics Requirement (choose one option)
Option 1:
PH.140.621	Statistical Methods in Public Health I	4
PH.140.622	Statistical Methods in Public Health II	4
PH.140.623	Statistical Methods in Public Health III	4
PH.140.624	Statistical Methods in Public Health IV	4
or
PH.140.651	Methods in Biostatistics I	4
PH.140.652	Methods in Biostatistics II	4
PH.140.653	Methods in Biostatistics III	4
PH.140.654	Methods in Biostatistics IV	4
Epidemiology Requirement
PH.340.721	Epidemiologic Inference in Public Health I	5
Qualitative Research Requirement (choose one of the following options)
Option 1:
PH.550.604	Qualitative Reasoning in Public Health	2
Option 2: Must take both courses
PH.224.690	Qualitative Research Theory and Methods	3
PH.224.691	Qualitative Data Analysis	3
Capstone and Practicum Requirement (Year 2 only)
PH.222.815	Human Nutrition - Registered Dietitian (RD) Program Practicum (students must complete a minimum of 28 credits of practicum)	28
PH.222.850	Msph Capstone Human Nutrition (students must complete a minimum of 4 credits of capstone)	4 - 16
Additional Dietitian Program Required Courses
PH.182.640	Food- and Water- Borne Diseases	3
PH.222.651	Nutrients in Biological Systems	2
PH.222.652	Nutrition in Disease Treatment and Prevention	3
PH.222.661	Designing Healthy Diets	2
PH.222.664	Food insecurity and nutrition: Partnering with community organizations to make change	2
PH.222.671	Developing Skills in Clinical Nutrition I: Medical Terminology & Laboratory Value Assessment	0.5
PH.222.672	Developing Skills in Clinical Nutrition II: The Nutrition Care Process (NCP) and Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE)	0.5
PH.222.673	Developing Skills in Clinical Nutrition III: Nutritional Counseling Across the Life Span	1
PH.222.674	Developing Skills in Clinical Nutrition IV: Expanded Studies	1
PH.552.601	Foundational Principles of Public Health	0.5

MSPH Human Nutrition - Dietitian Program Policies

For a full list of program policies, please visit the MSPH Human Nutrition – Dietitian in International Health webpage where students can find a link to the most recent Academic Guide.

MSPH Human Nutrition - Dietitian Program Learning Outcomes

According to the requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), all BSPH degree students must be grounded in foundational public health knowledge. Please view the list of specific CEPH requirements by degree type.

Educational Objectives

The MSPH program in Human Nutrition is designed to train professionals to focus on understanding and solving public health problems in food and nutrition across a diverse societal landscape. The MSPH degree in Human Nutrition prepares students to assume professional, technical, and management positions within public health nutrition programs or government, international or non-governmental agencies, universities, hospitals, and private industry. The program also offers a broad public health nutrition component that complements dietetics skills acquired in the combined MSPH-Dietitian program (see below). The MSPH program also prepares students with a foundation of knowledge and skills for carrying out subsequent doctoral studies and research in the field of human nutrition or training in medicine.

Overall Program Goal

There are four overarching academic competencies that students are expected to master during the course of their Master's degree program. Students should:

• Demonstrate knowledge of public health nutrition problems and characterize these problems in terms of measurable indicators
• Identify nutrition problems of public health importance; analyze and synthesize relevant data; and develop and implement prevention, control, and evaluation plans
• Participate in a field, laboratory, or clinical experience related to nutrition research or programs from the conception of ideas through design, management, monitoring, data collection, and analysis
• Communicate through written reports, oral presentations, and other media nutrition information of high technical quality and program or policy relevance

Program Concentration Competencies

1. Explain the roles of energy, macronutrients, and micronutrients in biological processes and functions;
2. Examine the biological, social, cultural, and behavioral influences on nutrition in the different stages of human development;
3. Examine appropriate measures and indicators of dietary intake, physical activity, nutritional status, and metabolic dysfunction to characterize the nutritional health or risks of individuals or populations;
4. Propose policy options to address specific food and nutrition problems in a given setting or context;
5. Apply cultural information to the development, implementation, and evaluation of nutrition intervention programs;
6. Apply theories of behavior change and counseling techniques as part of the nutrition care process;
7. Formulate dietary recommendations considering cross-cultural factors to meet the needs of individuals, communities, and populations;
8. Employ multiple management tools to assess the food environment and food access landscape and to develop a project plan to enhance nutrition services for community organizations.