Program Overview

Introduction to the Public Health Nutrition Concentration

The Public Health Nutrition concentration at NYU School of Global Public Health trains students to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases and obesity through educational and environmental approaches to improved nutrition and physical activity. This concentration prepares students to identify and assess diet-related health problems among diverse population groups worldwide, recognizing the social, cultural, economic, environmental, and institutional factors that contribute to the risk of malnutrition.

Program Details

• The Public Health Nutrition concentration is a 46-credit program that can be completed full-time or part-time, in-person, through a hybrid model, or fully remotely.
• All online courses, except for one, are asynchronous, allowing students the flexibility to complete coursework at times that work best for them.
• The program includes core courses, concentration courses, and public health electives.

Core Courses

• GPH-GU 2030 Introduction to Global Health (2 credits)
• GPH-GU 2106 Epidemiology (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2140 Global Issues in Social & Behavioral Health (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2110 Health Care Policy (2 credits)
• GPH-GU 2112 Public Health Policy and Management (2 credits)
• GPH-GU 2153 Global Environmental Health (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2995 Biostatistics for Public Health (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 5171 Global Health Informatics Workshop (0 credits)
• GPH-GU 5170 Introduction to Public Health (0 credits)

Concentration Courses

• GPH-GU 2213 Public Health Nutrition (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2115 Introduction to Principles of Nutrition in Public Health (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2342 Global Issues in Public Health Nutrition (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2275 Nutrition Epidemiology for Public Health (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2218 Assessing Community Health Needs & Resources (3 credits)
• GPH-GU 2361 Research Methods in Public Health (3 credits)

Public Health Electives

• Students can choose any GPH-GU course, with some electives having pre-requisites and some restricted to other MPH concentrations during the first two weeks of the registration period.

Culminating Experience

• Students in the Public Health Nutrition concentration complete a minimum of 180 hours of a public health internship, which serves as the culminating experience of the MPH degree.
• GPH-GU 2359 Applied Practice Experience Seminar (2 credits)
• GPH-GU 2360 Integrative Learning Experience Seminar (2 credits)

Course Sequences

• Full-time course sequence:
  • Year 1: Fall semester (11 credits), Spring semester (12 credits), Summer (fieldwork hours for Applied Practice requirement)
  • Year 2: Fall semester (12 credits), Spring semester (11 credits)
• Part-time course sequence:
  • Year 1: Fall semester (6 credits), Spring semester (6 credits)
  • Year 2: Fall semester (6 credits), Spring semester (6 credits)
  • Year 3: Fall semester (6 credits), Spring semester (6 credits)
  • Year 4: Fall semester (5 credits), Spring semester (5 credits)

Key Skills

• Identify and assess diet and nutritional status related health problems among diverse populations.
• Describe key factors that contribute to malnutrition risk among populations.
• Communicate nutrition-related information both orally and in writing.
• Analyze programs or policies aimed at improving food security health status among diverse populations.
• Critically evaluate and interpret nutrition research findings and their implications for the development of nutrition policies.

Professional Development

• Students will benefit from countless opportunities to build skills and experience to prepare for successful careers in public health nutrition.
• Opportunities include internships, fellowships, employment, volunteer opportunities, professional association membership, and more.

Registered Dietitian

• Public Health Nutrition students who are interested in becoming a registered dietitian-nutritionist (RDN) will take additional coursework through the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at NYU Steinhardt.
• These students must complete the APE internship before the final year of the DPD-related coursework.