About the Nutrition Concentration
Our mission is to improve and protect the public’s health through teaching, research and practices that foster optimal nutrition. To that end, the Nutrition concentration, offered on-campus and online, focuses on nutrition science, as well as on behavior change, communication, counseling and the effects of dietary culture on the individual and within the community.

What You'll Learn

As a student in the Nutrition concentration, you will gain the skills to assess scientific evidence for nutritional guidelines and recommendations, evaluate how social, cultural, environmental and community factors affect dietary intake and nutrition-related outcomes in individuals, families and communities, demonstrate proficiency in writing evidence-based, nutrition-related professional and consumer communications using a variety of media platforms and practice in compliance with current federal regulations and state statutes related to public health nutrition programs.

This program will empower you with the knowledge and skills to achieve the following core competencies:

Assess the scientific evidence for nutritional guidelines and recommendations.

Assess dietary intake and nutrition status of individuals and populations.

Evaluate how social, cultural, environmental and community factors have an impact upon dietary intake and nutrition-related outcomes in individuals, families and communities.

Evaluate nutrition-related health promotion/disease prevention services, products, programs or interventions (including policy analysis), using appropriate evidence or data.

Create
an evidence-based nutrition-related professional and consumer communications

Analyze
local or global food or nutrition-related policy issue.

Required Courses & Sample Plan of Study

In addition to the interdisciplinary, 14-credit Gillings MPH Core, you will take six concentration-specific courses, including food and nutrition policy, nutritional epidemiology, and nutrition communication.


NUTR 711: Nutrition Across the Life Cycle
NUTR 713: Nutrition Communication, Counseling and Culture
NUTR 723: Community Nutrition
NUTR 765: Nutritional Epidemiology
NUTR 805: Food and Nutrition Policy
NUTR 992: Nutrition MPH Culminating Experience*


* Students without a prior college course in Human Nutrition will also take NUTR 705: Human Nutrition (3 credits) as an elective.


Fall 2023 Nutrition Degree Requirements and Plan of Study (PDF)

Fall 2024 Nutrition Degree Requirements and Plan of Study (PDF)

Spotlight

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD

Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD, assistant professor of nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, has been named one of two winners of the American Diabetes Association’s® (ADA) Pathway to Stop Diabetes® (Pathway) grants, a five-year grant to support breakthroughs in translational science, clinical science, technology, care, and potential cures in the field of diabetes.

Graduating with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Nutrition will empower you to meet the growing demand for nutritionists in a range of professional settings where disease prevention and nutrition promotion are needed. These settings include public health nutrition programs, governmental agencies, nonprofits, public policy organizations and nutrition marketing and media companies.

Providing one-on-one, personalized nutritional counseling requires a registered dietitian (RD) license. While this concentration does not prepare you for RD licensure, it will equip you with the skills needed to offer nutritional and dietary guidance to groups of people. (If you are interested in pursuing RD licensure, explore our MPH/RD program.)

Career Opportunities

Our Graduates Work As...
Nutritionist
Consultant
Worksite Wellness Specialist
Policy Assistant
Clinical/Registered Dietitian
Program Coordinator
Research Associate
Our Graduates Work With...
Government agencies
Colleges and universities
Exercise and fitness centers
Food manufacturers
Health-related magazines and Internet sites
Hospitals
Pharmaceutical companies

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of dietitians and nutritionists will grow by 15 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is faster than the average for all occupations.1

Learn more about the opportunities that await you with an MPH from the Gillings School.


Looking for more flexibility?
Explore the online version of our Nutrition concentration by filling out the form below.


The right food for all
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CONTACT INFORMATION
Academic Coordinator
Jonathan Earnest
Rosenau Hall 260

Concentration Leader
Primary Contact: Melinda Beck, PhD