Mission

The Masters in Science (MS) in Nutrition program allows students to gain an advanced understanding of nutritional epidemiology, pathophysiology, therapy, and policy, as well as food security, safety, and quality in Lebanon and the world. The program provides opportunities for interdisciplinary research in the context of existing collaborative projects within the School of Arts and Sciences and with the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy, in addition to governmental and non-governmental organizations. The MS in Nutrition can be integrated with the Coordinated Program that prepares students to acquire the Registered Dietitian certification from the United States. To graduate, students are required to complete 30 credits (12 for required program courses, 12 for elective courses, and 6 for the thesis). The mission of the MS in Nutrition is to prepare competent graduates who can contribute to the understanding, prevention and management of nutrition-related problems and concepts in order to improve the health and well-being of individuals and societies.

Program Educational Objectives

The MS in Nutrition aims to:

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

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the MS in Nutrition program, graduates will be able to:

1. Design, implement, evaluate and monitor programs in acute care settings, communities, food and/or educational institutions (PEO2 and PEO3).
2. Apply professional and inter-professional teamwork skills and ethical standards in the application of nutrition care (PEO1 and PEO2).
3. Demonstrate continuous active learning and awareness of current trends in nutrition and food science through relevant information sources (PEO1).
4. Design and implement research protocols and use validated and reliable methodology in the fields of nutrition and food science (PEO2 and PEO3).
5. Interpret statistical analysis results in areas related to health and food science (PEO3).

Curriculum

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

• Required Program Courses (12 credits)
• Elective Courses (12 credits)
• Thesis (6 credits)

Required Program Courses (12 credits)

• NUT601 Advanced Biostatistics (3 cr.)
• 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 (12 credits)

Students must choose four of the following courses:

• 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 MS in Nutrition Thesis (6 cr.)

Recommended Study Plan

YEAR ONE

Fall (8 credits)

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

• NUT601 Advanced Biostatistics (3 cr.)
• NUT699 MS in Nutrition Thesis (6 cr.)

Spring (6 credits)

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