Two students in lab coats and safety goggles collaborate over lab equipment in a laboratory.

Curriculum

Students who complete the Designated Emphasis (DE) in Global Nutrition will be expected to fulfill the usual course requirements for the PhD degree of the program to which they are accepted and will also be required to complete a set of courses as described below. 

The DE in Global Nutrition combines training in each of three major fields of knowledge: 

  • Nutrition science
  • Epidemiology and biostatistics
  • Social and behavioral sciences, including economics, anthropology, human development, and psychology

Requirements for doctoral students to complete the DE include:

  1. Completion of required coursework as described below
  2. Qualifying exam committee must include a representative of the DE (must apply and be admitted to the DE prior to the qualifying exam)
  3. Dissertation committee must include a representative of the DE
  4. Dissertation topic must be relevant to Global Nutrition 

Full degree requirements and required forms are available here. Please contact the DE Chair for questions on DE coursework and requirements.

Note: Courses taken to fulfill requirements of the student’s PhD program may also count toward the DE requirements. For example, a biostatistics course taken to fulfill the statistics requirements for a PhD program can also be applied toward the DE. This reduces the total number of units that must be taken to complete the DE.

Required coursework 

1. Global Nutrition Seminar (4 units)

  • Nutrition 291 (Institute for Global Nutrition Seminar) (4 quarters, 1 unit each) 

2. International Nutrition Courses (9 units)

Recommended prerequisites for these courses are Nutrition 111AY and 111B, or the equivalent. Students without equivalent coursework in nutrition science may consult with the DE Director about additional recommended courses in basic nutrition. 

  • Nutrition 219A (International Nutrition) (3 units)
  • Nutrition 219B (International Nutrition) (3 units)
  • Nutrition 258 (Field Research Methods in International Nutrition) (3 units) 

3. Epidemiology (4 units, select one)

  • EPI 205A (Introductory Epidemiology) (4 units)
  • NUT 113 (Principles of Epidemiology in Nutrition) (4 units) 

4. Biostatistics (8 units)

  • SPH 244 / CLH 244 (Introduction to Medical Statistics) (4 units)
  • SPH 245 / CLH 245 (Biostatistics for Biomedical Science) (4 units) 

Also recommended: SPH 246 (Biostatistics for Clinical Research) (4 units) 

5. Social and Behavioral Science Elective: (3-4 units)

Students must take at least one course in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Options include: 

  • AMS 255 (Food in American Culture) (4 units)
  • CMN 232 (Health Communication) (4 units)
  • CMN 234 (Intercultural Communication) (4 units)
  • CMN/SPH 233 (Persuasive technologies for Health) (4 units)
  • EPI 210 (Implementation Science) (3 units)
  • NUT 298 (The Economics of Human Health and Nutrition) (3 units)
  • NRS 205C (Qualitative Research in Nursing Science and Health Care) (4 units)
  • SPH 212 (Migration and Health) (3 units)
  • SPH 213 (Health Disparities in the U.S.) (3 units)
  • SPH 222 (Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health) (3 units)
  • PLS 240 (Extension Education, Outreach and Science Communication) (4 units)

Exceptions and Substitutions 

Students may request exceptions or substitutions to the above requirements. Requests must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee of the Designated Emphasis. 

Questions?

Contact the DE Chair, Dr. Reina Engle-Stone