Master of Science in Human Nutrition

NUT 610 is a highly specialized, advanced course in nutrition science which extends the prerequisite knowledge and skills in the biosciences and nutrition acquired at the undergraduate level. This course will enable students to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the physiological requirements and main metabolic functions of macronutrients and micronutrients within the human body. This includes developing a critical awareness of specific dietary sources, and detailed intake levels, as well as the physiological role and function and recommended requirements of nutrients in promoting normal growth and optimal health. Additionally, students will evaluate scientific evidence and develop new strategic approaches to combatting the consequences of inadequate nutrition for growth and health across the lifecycle.

This course provides a comprehensive description of the methods and approaches for conducting nutrition assessment of individuals and populations throughout the lifecycle. The course is structured into three assessment components: dietary, biochemical, and body composition. Main topics include in-depth discussion of the assessment methods, strengths and limitations of methodology, evaluation and interpretation of assessment data, sources of measurement errors, validity of assessment methods, and basic analytical approaches used to interpret assessment data. The course also provides practical experience with dietary and nutritional status assessment using dietary analysis software and in vivo methods to measure body composition using the state-of-the-art body composition laboratory.

This graduate course enables students to design, analyze, and critically evaluate population-based nutrition research. Relating dietary and nutritional exposures to health outcomes requires a rigorous approach to measurement of both the key exposure and outcome variables of interest and the associated measurement errors. This course will examine methodologies used in nutritional epidemiological studies. More specifically, it provides students with hands-on experience in selecting nutritional measures, and in interpreting data.

This course provides an overview of statistical techniques for analyzing data in the field of health-and human nutrition. This course will include exploratory data analysis, statistical estimation, and sample size determination, comparing means, categorical data analysis, correlation, regression models, and multinomial analysis. The course emphasizes practical application of these techniques in health and human nutrition related data analysis using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS). This course also equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and critically appraise statistical methodology utilized in research literature.

This course provides an in-depth understanding of medical nutrition therapy in non-communicable chronic diseases including Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer. The course also emphasizes how pathophysiology and metabolic demands dictate nutritional requirements and form guidelines for the nutritional management of such diseases.

This course covers the biochemical characteristics of different classes of nutrients and their functions in the body. Main features of metabolism, as well as the integration of pathways for the metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrate and the mechanisms for the regulation of flux of energy through these pathways are covered. The biochemical, physiological, and clinical impact of inadequate intakes of specific nutrients is explored. This course also introduces the molecular and genetic basis of nutrients in health and disease.

This course provides an overview of quantitative and qualitative research methods and the professional skills necessary for the planning, data gathering and dissemination of health and human nutrition-related research. Topics covered include research design, methods of data collection, ethical considerations, and approaches to analyzing data and writing a successful research proposal. By the end of the course students will successfully select a research topic and complete a master’s thesis proposal.

This course aims to provide an overview of the Global nutritional status with an emphasis on low- and middle-income settings including food security at all levels in the food system. The causes and effects of malnutrition, and evidence-based interventions to improve nutritional status in these populations will also be explored.

This course will provide a comprehensive and critical insight into the discipline of Public Health Nutrition (PHN) within the context of current and emerging global health issues. Equipping graduates to design, implement and evaluate appropriate interventions to address diet related issues and promote health in populations. It is widely acknowledged that a primary focus of PHN is to influence nutrition through actively improving individual and population level dietary behavior.

The syllabus includes the following key concepts:

Part 1 - Understanding PHN within the public health domain: the origins and a conceptual comparison of public health, health education, health promotion in the context of PHN; biomedical, social and salutogenic model of health; emerging PHN issues and priorities; bio-psycho-social factors influencing health related behavior at an individual and societal level, including social and environmental determinants of nutrition, health and disease; theories of individual and community behavior change.

Part 2 - Global and national strategies and tools to address PHN issues: environmental determinants of dietary and physical activity behavior and the socio-ecological approach; health promotion theory and practice; life course and healthy settings approaches; planning evidence-based nutrition interventions to address PHN priorities in the UAE; the 5 approaches to health promotion; nutrition labelling, social marketing and policy options

This course provides opportunities to acquire a deeper understanding and practical experience of the research process and skills required to undertake a supervised research project in the field of Human Nutrition. During the course, students will demonstrate their ability to independently plan, carry out and present their research on a nutrition-related topic. This involves formulating a research problem and objectives, critically appraising and interpreting published literature, selecting appropriate methods, analyzing data and presenting results. . In this research thesis, the student will produce a master’s level research thesis in the field of Human Nutrition.