Specializations

Food Policy and Economics

Seeking policy and program solutions to hunger and poverty worldwide.

While nutrition issues remain central, the emphasis in the Food Policy and Economics specialization is on understanding a) basic economic principles, b) economic and political issues that influence policy design, c) key food and nutrition concerns at community and household levels, and d) public action aimed at promoting nutritional wellbeing, assuring a safe, accessible food supply, and redressing hunger and poverty in local, national, and global contexts. Students tackle issues of malnutrition and concerns about food safety in the United States as well as in other industrialized and developing countries. Beyond the specialization requirements, students can tailor their selection of elective classes to cover a wide range of topic areas, including hunger and equity, regulatory and trade policy concerning food safety, global institutions and markets, household economics, and food security.

Specialization Requirements

• Economics for Food Policy Analysis (NUTR 238) or Introduction to Economic Theory (EIB E201) or Economics for Planning and Policy Analysis (UEP 251)
• Plus one additional economics course
• Plus one additional course in economics or economic policy analysis

Nutrition Interventions: Design, Operation, and Management

How to design and implement programs to combat malnutrition and promote nutritional well-being.

It has become clear in recent years that reductions in the prevalence of malnutrition in developing and industrialized countries can be accelerated significantly through more effectively designed and managed programs (in areas such as growth monitoring promotion, behavioral change communications, food-based income transfers, micronutrient fortification and supplementation, and breast-feeding promotion). This specialization focuses on developing highly skilled professionals able to design and implement nutrition interventions. Students learn data analysis skills necessary to assess a problem and its causes, project design skills based on solid conceptual frameworks plus practical experience from the extensive array of Tufts worldwide programmatic activities, project management skills including the design and operation of state-of-the-art management information systems, and cutting edge techniques of monitoring and evaluation.

Specialization Requirements

• International Nutrition Programs (NUTR 227) or Community and Public Health Nutrition  (NUTR 228)

Two of the following:

• Management, Planning, and Control of Nutrition and Health Programs and Organizations (NUTR 216)
• Program Monitoring and Evaluation (NUTR 217)
• Community and Public Health Nutrition (NUTR 228)
• Positive Deviance for Behavior Change: A Course for Practitioners (NUTR 317)
• Other Upon Approval of Program Director

Humanitarian Assistance

Meeting the challenge of food and nutrition interventions in emergencies.

This specialization is designed for individuals wanting to work in the demanding context of humanitarian crises. Each emergency presents unique challenges, including the assessment and communication of early warning signals, the design of appropriate food and other interventions, the treatment of severe malnutrition in refugee settings, and the rebuilding of livelihoods that are less vulnerable than before. The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy is committed to developing professionals who are solidly prepared to address the special problems of food and nutrition in disasters. These professionals will be equipped to handle not only the technical, but also the social, political, and economic aspects of disasters that contribute to nutritional stress among at risk populations.

Specialization Requirements

• Humanitarian Aid in Complex Emergencies (NUTR 229)
• Risk and Disaster Management (NUTR 302)
• Nutrition in Complex Emergencies  (NUTR 308)