Master of Science in Nutrition

This course will explore the fundamental processes of food chemistry for carbohydrates, lipids, and protein through lecture and hands-on laboratory work. Safe food handling practices for preparing, serving, and storing/preserving food will be discussed and practiced. Students will also explore recipe creation, sensory evaluation, and menu design for a variety of culinary settings.
 

This course will provide students with a foundation of the methodologies used in food, nutrition science and dietetics research. Students will be introduced to the language of research, strategies of inquiry and specific methods used in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research. Student will practice reading and critically analyzing published literature as individual articles and as a body of knowledge for a specific topic. Student will consider ethical issues in working with human subjects and how to incorporate ethical reasoning into research designs and IRB proposals. 

This course examines nutrition across the lifespan from both a biological and psychosocial perspective. The impact of nutrition in pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence as well as adulthood and older adulthood will be studied. Influences on food choice will be discussed and assessments of how dietary patterns associate with positive and negative age-related health outcomes will be made. Special reference to agencies offering nutrition services to each of the life stages will be covered.

FNG-614/FNG-615 are to provide a comprehensive study of the nutritional care process for graduate students seeking to obtain foundation knowledge and skills toward Didactic Program in Dietetics verification. Application and integration of biological, physiological, and chemical parameters influencing specific medical conditions will facilitate evaluation of nutritional etiology and support for disease processes. Assessment, development of appropriate evidence-based nutritional interventions, and interviewing/counseling of the individual/group will be incorporated into the courses. Case studies and hands-on experiential learning experiences in anthropometric assessment and interviewing/counseling of the individual/group will be incorporated as the focus of the courses. Functioning as a member of a care-team will be stressed. 

FNG-614/FNG-615 are to provide a culminating comprehensive study of the nutritional care process for graduate students seeking to obtain foundation knowledge and skills toward Didactic Program in Dietetics verification. Application and integration of biological, physiological, and chemical parameters influencing specific medical conditions will facilitate evaluation of nutritional etiology and support for disease processes. Assessment, development of appropriate evidence-based nutritional interventions, and interviewing/counseling of the individual/group will be incorporated into the courses. Case studies and hands-on experiential learning experiences in athropometric assessment and interviewing/counseling of the individual/group will be incorporated as the focus of the courses. Functioning as a member of a care-team will be stressed. 

Introduction to the use of food quality management skills in food service systems, including the application of quantity food production principles, with an emphasis on quality quantity food production, menu planning, food service equipment use, and facility design.

Laboratory experiments designed to apply food service production and management skills in quantity foo settings. This course is designated for Food and Nutrition majors to supplement work in FNG-624. Three laboratory hours per week.

A study of the role of carbohydrates, fiber, lipids and protein in human nutrition and metabolism. Mechanisms of absorption and digestion, functions, requirements, and intermediary metabolism in cells with emphasis on integration with other nutrients and systems, clinical significance and health outcomes.

A lab-based course focused on food preservation methods of local, seasonal produce. Food sanitation and safety will be integrated into the course through ServSafe training. Students will gain an understanding of the principles and science behind food safety techniques and food preservation methods. Students will learn to safely preserve food by methods of boiling water canning, pressure canning, pickling, freezing and drying. Each student will research a specific food preservation method and lead the class in a food preservation workshop that includes a presentation of the literature, recipe selection and teaching demonstration of the concept. Students will be required to complete the USDA Guide to Home Canning self-study modules and pass a food preservation certification exam.

Introduction to the use of food quality management skills in foodservice systems, including the application of quantity food production principles, with an emphasis on quality quantity food production, menu planning,  food service equipment use, and facility design. Applied investigation into the use of management resources in food service systems, fundamental management processes, concepts and principles to improve decision making and problem solving. Consideration of purchasing procedures, storage, methods of cost control, personnel, safety, and nutrition quality in food decisions.

Supplemental online class providing concrete skill building in foodservice, financial and human resource management. This course permits the attainment of the skills coincident with an entry-level registered dietitian nutritionist.

This course explores the layers of US food policy and the key events, people groups, and agencies that have shaped the current food system. Government agencies, corporations, trade associations, and social advocacy groups alike will be investigated to understand how the complex web of stakeholders come together to inform food policies with economic, social, and environmental impacts. The impacts of these factors will be discussed primarily in how they shift, acutely and over time, food availability, prices, and trends. Student will analyze and assess how the accumulation of food policy decisions, internationally to locally, impact health and nutritional status of individuals and communities.

This course is designed to prepare students for their career as a nutrition professional. The class builds foundational skills focusing on career professionalism, ethics, leadership, RD exam preparation, and communication. Students will complete and present their work and accomplishments in the form of a digital portfolio. 

This course examines communication for nutrition education in formal and informal settings. Theories in nutrition education will be highlighted; how to develop nutrition educational plans, goals, and objectives will be discussed; and assessment strategies will be used to analyze developed work. Specific strategies and techniques for implementing a variety of nutrition education lessons and programs and lessons will be practiced. Assessment and improving program effectiveness with closed loop practices will be included.

Study of the various factors that contribute to pleasurable dining will be studies. Sensory evaluation will be conducted. Students will reflect upon their own experiences with food and dining, and using critical and analytical thinking skills they will develop a greater awareness of food. Readings will be discussed in terms of their contribution to the understanding of a food and dining experience. 

In examination of the relationships among diet, the environment. Students will study the various agricultural and production methods and strategies for producing food, their impact on the natural environment, and sustainability. Students will connect personal dietary decisions to the broader social and global issues surrounding food, the environment, and health.

This course will provide students with graduate level introduction to the principles, concepts and skills needed to analyze and interpret epidemiological studies relating diet/nutritional status to health. This course will provide an understanding of the measures (anthropometry, biomarkers and dietary assessment techniques) to critically evaluate nutritional epidemiology literature. Discussions will highlight causality, study design, validity, reliability, bias in disease surveillance and outbreak investigations. Policy implications that arise from epidemiologic research will also be briefly considered. 

This course will provide students with an in-depth study of the skills required to identify and assess population-based needs for nutrition programs and how to design, implement and evaluate programs to meet those needs. Students will consider barriers and challenges to program implementation and evaluation as well as identify strategies to overcome them. The course provides students with the opportunity to practice assessing and identifying needs, designing a program, developing an evaluation plan and analyzing strengths and weakness of the assessment plan. Community, national and global examples are utilized to learn effective strategies and techniques.

This course provides a critical and interdisciplinary exploration of current issues related to food security and the emerging field of food systems. Concepts on community food security, food sovereignty, food justice and agricultural sustainability from local, regional and international perspectives are presented and discussed, as well as frameworks and community-based strategies to address food system and health disparities. Pedagogical approaches include engagement with food and farming scholars/practitioners, local stakeholders and agencies and participatory learning. 

This course serves as a graduate level introduction to statistical inference in the biological sciences. Topics include descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, correlation, chi-square distributions, linear and logistic regression, analysis of variance and covariance, basic concepts of experimental design and ethical issues in data analysis and interpretation. Statistical software will be used to analyze data and build models for estimation and prediction. 

A study of the essential vitamins and minerals in humans. Mechanisms of absorption, digestion, functions, requirements, metabolism. A review of functional foods, phytochemicals, herbs and biologically active compounds in foods and their relevance to human health and prevention of disease. Critical analysis of the research and professional literature is utilized throughout the course.

A comprehensive review of literature in the field of overweight and obesity and its health consequences in child and adult cohorts. Program, policy, and position papers of organizations dealing with obesity will be evaluated. Strategies for weight management including diet, physical activity and behavior will be studied. Current research in treatment, pharmacological and surgical intervention. 

An examination of the various communication media, available to the food and nutrition professional., This course will provide experience in writing, and presenting food and nutrition information in, different formats to lay and professional groups. Reliable sources of and disseminating nutrition, information via social media are also discussed.

This course explores traditional culture foods from around the world for the purpose of increasing cultural competency and effective communication with clients and community members. Foodways include but are not limited to how food is selected, prepared, presented, and consumed. Flavor profiles and commonly used ingredients and dishes will be explored to begin to understand how and to what extent traditional foodways impact societies and cultural norms. Additionally, fusion cuisine will be explored to understand how one cultural cuisines can impact another and in turn be impacted by others in areas where people groups meet or as a result of global migration. Students will examine their own food culture, biases, and how these impact personal and professional interactions with others. Food tastings and sensory experiences will expose students to a variety of global cuisines allowing students to compare and contrast flavors.

Introduction to dietary interventions focused on the treatment of common diet- and food- related health ailments. Course topics and learning objectives will correspond to applied menu planning complementary to the management of these health conditions. Dietary approaches and interventions based on scientific research will be examined. Exploration of cultural food practices for the purpose of increasing cultural competency and effective communication with clients and community members.

Advanced study of a variety of current, new and/or controversial topics in the field of foods, nutrition, and dietetics.

This course is designed to represent a period of transition from the role of graduate student to that of professional. With the guidance of FN faculty, students will explore their personal and career goals, identify a field experience or research project, and develop a literature review, and goals and objectives for their capstone experience. 

Clinical nutrition preparation for dietetic interns. This course provides the student with a review of and advanced training in medical nutrition therapy in the clinical arena of dietetics. Upon completion of the course, the entering intern will be prepared for the clinical dietetic internship experience.

Provides enrollment for students extending the thesis beyond FNG-686 Thesis/Project and/or taking written comprehensive examinations but not registered for another course.