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EmailNutrition science affects and informs health, lifestyle habits, government policy, international trade and economic development, societal and political infrastructure, and life itself. Policy not informed by sound science is not sound policy. In our programs of study, students are continually exposed to the interface of science and policy, providing a truly unique educational experience.
Educational opportunities are found not only in the classroom, but in our centers and online for remote learners.
About our Programs
Our degree programs are organized into two Departments: the Department of Nutrition Science, chaired by Associate Professor Edward Saltzman and the Department of Food and Nutrition Policy, chaired by Professor William Masters. The departments reflect the philosophy that scientific discovery and the application of sound policy are at the foundation of nutritional wellbeing. The academic departments provide a structure for recognizing the complementary nature of the disciplines and specialization while the school provides students with opportunities to broaden their educational experience across the spectrum of the profession.
View the Friedman School Organization Chart.
Department of Nutrition Science:
- Biochemical & Molecular Nutrition
- Master of Science/Dietetic Internship
- Nutritional Epidemiology
Department of Food and Nutrition Policy:
- Agriculture, Food and Environment
- Food Policy & Applied Nutrition
- Master of Arts in Humanitarian Assistance
- Nutrition Communication
About our Hybrid Degree Programs
In 2009, the Friedman School introduced a unique hybrid masters degree program that combines intensive classroom instruction with online study. The Master's Degree of Nutrition Science and Policy is a sixteen-month academic program taught using the latest distance learning methods and technologies. Residencies are in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Boston-based Tufts faculty travel to the UAE to provide students with the same excellence in teaching as our Boston-based students receive. The program attracts many mid-career professionals for whom a residency in Boston would not be practical.
- Master of Nutrition Science and Policy in Ras Al Khaimah
About our Centers
John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention
Recognizing that physical activity and good nutrition were related to the reductions of chronic disease, Center Director, Dr. Miriam Nelson realized that meeting the goal of broad societal change meant taking knowledge gained from research out of the laboratory and into communities.
In addition to the Strong Women program, a strength training program for midlife and older women, the Center gained international attention for the groundbreaking research led by Dr. Christina Economos called Shape Up Somerville, one of the nation's first community-based environmental change interventions to prevent childhood obesity.
Since 2003, the Center has mentored seven doctoral students and over 100 masters students. Through both StrongWomen and Children in Balance, the Center has trained thousands of allied health professionals nationally in workshops and conferences.
Feinstein International Center
The Feinstein International Center's research — on the politics and policy of aiding the vulnerable, on protection and rights in crisis situations, and on the restoration of lives and livelihoods — feeds into both its teaching and its long-term partnerships with humanitarian and human rights agencies. Through publications, seminars, and confidential evidence-based briefings, the Feinstein International Center seeks to influence the making and application of policy in the countries affected by crises and in those states in a position to influence such crises.
Among the educational opportunities at the Feinstein International Center is the Master of Arts in Humanitarian Assistance, designed to provide an academic setting for humanitarian practitioners seeking to develop their knowledge and skills in the areas of nutrition, food policy, and economic, political and social analysis. The one-year program provides an opportunity for practitioners to study, read, reflect and write about current issues and trends of in humanitarian theories, programs and policies as they relate to famines, complex emergencies and other disasters.
About our Certificates
Beginning in the Fall semester of 2011, the Friedman School will offer three certificates that meet the needs of professionals who wish to deepen their nutrition knowledge as they advance their careers. The certificates in Applied Positive Deviance, Nutrition Science and Communications for Public Relations Professionals and Delivery Science In International Nutrition are all taught online by Tufts faculty, and every course is held to the same academic standards and rigor as those taught live on the Boston campus.
