Overview

The MS in Nutrition program will be launched in Fall 2018. The program will serve to carry out much needed studies on the determinants, incidence, prevention, and intervention of obesity and its related chronic diseases as well as food security, safety and quality in Lebanon and the region. Moreover, the proposed MS in Nutrition program will provide opportunities for interdisciplinary research in the context of existing collaborative projects with the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy as well as an established Inter-professional education (IPE) platform.

Mission

The mission of the M.S. in Nutrition program is to prepare competent graduates who can contribute to the prevention and management of nutrition-related problems in order to improve the health and well-being of individuals and groups.

Program Objectives

The M.S. in Nutrition aims to:

1. to prepare professionals who integrate evidence-based nutrition knowledge and interdisciplinary skills to change dietary behavior needed for promotion of health,
2. to produce leaders who are able to design and implement programs to provide nutrition care in acute care settings, communities and educational institutions, and
3. to produce investigators with the required competencies to interpret, design and conduct research in the field of nutrition and food science.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the M.S. in Nutrition program, graduates will be able to:

1. integrate the latest advances in nutrient metabolism science knowledge to deal with various health challenges
2. demonstrate critical thinking in the interpretation of the most recent nutrition and food research (Program Objective 1)
3. apply professional and inter-professional teamwork skills and ethical standards in the application of nutrition care (Program Objectives 1 and 2)
4. demonstrate continuous active learning and awareness of current trends in nutrition and food science through relevant information sources (Program Objective 1)
5. design and implement research protocols and use validated and reliable methodology in the field of nutrition and food science (Program Objective 3)
6. use pertinent statistical analyses to interpret scientific data (Program Objective 3)
7. manage available resources and develop programs that integrate promotion of nutritional well-being with cultural needs (Program Objective 2)
8. prepare and deliver presentations and behavior modification techniques to educate and better the health of individuals and groups (Program Objective 1)

Curriculum

A minimum of 30 credits are required to graduate, distributed as follows:

• Required Program Courses (9 credits)
• Elective Courses (15 credits)
• Thesis (6 credits)

Required Program Courses (9 credits)

• NUT602 Research Methods for Nutrition and Food Science (2 cr.)
• NUT651 Advanced Nutrient Metabolism I (3 cr.)
• NUT652 Advanced Nutrient Metabolism II (3 cr.)
• NUT691 Graduate Seminar (1 cr.)

Elective Courses (15 credits)

Students must choose four of the following:

• NUT601 Advanced Biostatistics (3 cr.)
• NUT612 Advanced Quality Systems (3 cr.)
• NUT613 Food Product Development (3 cr.)
• NUT614 Food Packaging (3 cr.)
• NUT620 Advanced Nutrition Assessment (3 cr.)
• NUT622 Drug and Nutrient interactions (3 cr.)
• NUT623 Advanced Therapeutic Nutrition (3 cr.)
• NUT631 International Nutrition/Nutrition in Emergencies (3 cr.)
• NUT641 Sports Nutrition (3 cr.)
• NUT661 Nutritional Epidemiology (3 cr.)
• NUT681 Special Topics in Nutrition and Food science (3 cr.)

Thesis (6 credits)

• NUT699 M.S. in Nutrition Thesis (6 cr.)

Recommended Study Plan

YEAR ONE

Fall (8 credits)

• NUT602  Research methods for Nutrition and Food Science (2 cr.)
• NUT651  Advanced Nutrient Metabolism I (3 cr.)
• Elective course (3 cr.)

Spring (7 credits)

• NUT652  Advanced Nutrient Metabolism II (3 cr.)
• NUT691 Graduate Seminar (1 cr.)
• Elective course (3 cr.)

YEAR TWO

Fall (9 credits)

• NUT699 M.S. in Nutrition Thesis (6 cr.)
• Elective course (3 cr.)

Spring (6 credits)

• Elective course (3 cr.)
• Elective course (3 cr.)