Campus-based and Online
Public health nutrition professionals integrate nutrition science with epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral theory, and policy work to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. This concentration prepares graduates to address nutrition-related determinants of health through evidence-based interventions and evaluations, policy advocacy and development, systems and environmental change, and community engagement.
Public health nutrition is about getting things done, collaborating, and becoming a leader. Students work on community-based projects and collaborate with local nutrition professionals from the Knox County Health Department and other nutrition-related community organizations to gain practical experience. The courses and fieldwork are designed to help graduates become leaders in official governmental health agencies, healthcare, non-profits, community programs, food systems, and research, who can make a difference in people’s lives and help create healthier communities. By working with different organizations, students learn to translate their knowledge into action and improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. Students work on projects that matter, such as helping people make healthy food choices and learn to work with others to make it happen. This program is ideal for students passionate about improving community health and food systems, preventing chronic diseases, and ensuring food security in a sustainable, evidence-based manner.
For more information about the NUTR concentration, contact:
Professor of Practice
Marsha Spence
[email protected]
865-974-5445
CEPH-Aligned Competency Focus
Graduates of the MPH Program with a Public Health Nutrition concentration will demonstrate proficiency in:
- Evidence-Based Approaches to Public Health
- Applying epidemiologic and biostatistical methods to nutrition-related population health issues.
- Interpreting and translating scientific literature to inform practice and policy.
- Conducting community nutrition assessments using quantitative and qualitative methods.
- Public Health & Healthcare Systems
- Analyzing how food systems, healthcare systems, and public health infrastructure influence nutrition outcomes.
- Examining social determinants of health and structural drivers of nutrition-related inequities.
- Planning & Management to Promote Health
- Designing, implementing, and evaluating community-based nutrition interventions.
- Applying program planning frameworks and logic models.
- Using evaluation findings for continuous quality improvement.
- Policy in Public Health
- Assessing the impact of local, state, and federal nutrition policies.
- Developing policy briefs and advocacy strategies related to food security, school nutrition, maternal and child health, and chronic disease prevention.
- Leadership & Communication
- Communicating nutrition science effectively to diverse audiences.
- Leading interdisciplinary teams to address complex public health challenges.
- Engaging stakeholders and community partners in collaborative decision-making.
- Interprofessional Practice & Systems Thinking
- Applying systems-thinking approaches to food systems and community nutrition.
- Collaborating across disciplines to implement sustainable, equity-centered solutions.
What You Will Learn
Through coursework, applied practice experiences, and integrative learning activities, students will:
- Conduct community nutrition needs
assessments and interpret surveillance data. - Develop evidence-based nutrition education programs.
- Create and evaluate logic models and performance measurement plans.
- Develop grant proposals and budgets for nutrition-focused public health services and programs.
- Design policy advocacy messages grounded in scientific evidence.
- Evaluate program outcomes using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Apply systems thinking to improve food access and population health
As part of the program, students must complete a supervised applied practice experience (APEx) that includes a final project. This project brings together the basic skills required by the Council on Education for Public Health, with additional training in public health nutrition. A comprehensive exam is required.
Program of Study
Course Title* |
Credit Hours |
Foundational Public Health Courses(Required for all concentrations) |
|
|
PUBH 509 – Graduate Seminar in Public Health MPH Curriculum requires completion of two semesters of PUBH 509 |
1 (2 times) |
| PUBH 510 – Environmental Health | 3 |
| PUBH 520 – Health Systems, Policy, and Leadership | 3 |
| PUBH 530 – Biostatistics | 3 |
| PUBH 537 – Fundamentals of Program Evaluation | 3 |
| PUBH 540 – Epidemiology | 3 |
| PUBH 552 – Assessment and Planning | 3 |
|
PUBH 587 – Applied Practice Experience |
6 |
NUTR Concentration courses |
|
| NUTR 503 – Community Nutrition Assessment | 2 |
| NUTR 504 -Community Nutrition Intervention and Evaluation | 2 |
| NUTR 507 -Introduction to Theories of Health Behavior Change | 3 |
| NUTR 510 – Applied Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NUTR 514 – Advanced Community Nutrition Practicum | 2 |
| NUTR 531 – Nutritional Foundations | 1 |
| NUTR 540 – Public Policy in Action | 3 |
Total Credit Hours |
42 |
*For course descriptions, please visit the graduate catalog.