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College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

Academic Information

This program prepares you for professional practice in public health and applied research settings as well as further academic study in public health related fields. Through quality classroom instruction, applied practice experience, and a public health project, students will be adequately prepared for employment within public health agencies.

This program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)

This program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Public Health - Nutrition?

With a Master of Public Health - Nutrition you can make a difference in the health and well-being of others through agencies and healthcare systems that address the health needs of individuals, communities, and populations. The Nutrition concentration prepares students to work both in public health settings and in agencies with a need for nutrition expertise. MPH students will be eligible to sit for the Certified Health Education Specialist examination and the credentialing examination to become a Registered Dietician Nutritionist.

Career opportunities that might be pursued:

Community Health Program Director
Public Health Educator
Public Health Research Coordinator
Public Health Instructor
County or Tribal Health Director
Employee Wellness/Worksite Wellness Coordinator
Public Health Nutritionist

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

University Requirements

To receive a master’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject areas, consisting of at least 30 units of graduate-level courses. Many master’s degree programs require more than 30 units.

You must additionally complete:
- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s). This may include a thesis.
- All graduate work with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
- All work toward the master's degree must be completed within six consecutive years. The six years begins with the semester and year of admission to the program.
Read the full policy here.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

Overview

In addition to University Requirements:

Complete individual plan requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion	65
Additional Admission Requirements	Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
Fieldwork Experience/Internship	Required
Research	Individualized research is required.
Additional Fees/Program Fees	Required
Progression Plan Link	View Program of Study
Licensure	This program may lead to licensure.

Purpose Statement

The Master of Public Health prepares students for public health professions emphasizing the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health programs and policies. We aim to prepare public health professionals to address the health needs in Northern Arizona. Students gain knowledge and skills in biostatistics, epidemiology, public health research, program planning and evaluation, health policy and management, and environmental health. We support student development by offering high-quality instruction, which includes opportunities for professional growth and community engagement in public health and nutrition.

The Nutrition concentration emphasizes public health nutrition, culinary arts, food service management, and clinical nutrition. The Nutrition concentration is designed for students who are interested in careers as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. With the training, research, and internship experiences offered, graduates are well-prepared to address the health needs within their communities.

Student Learning Outcomes

Our student learning outcomes are aligned with the competencies required by our accreditor, the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH):

Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate.
Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice.
Compare the organization, structure, and function of healthcare, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and systemic levels.
Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities' health.
Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention.
Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue.
Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
Communicate audience-appropriate (i.e., non-academic, non-peer audience) public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health.
Apply a systems thinking tool to visually represent a public health issue in a format other than a standard narrative.

Competencies

"Resource management" refers to stewardship (planning, monitoring, etc.) of resources throughout a project, not simply preparing a budget statement that projects what resources will be required.
This competency refers to technical aspects of how public policies are created and adopted, including legislative and/or regulatory roles and processes, ethics in public policy-making, and the role of evidence in creating policy.
This competency refers to the ability to influence policy and/or decision-making, such as through stakeholder mobilization, educating policymakers, etc. The ability to argue in support of (or in opposition to) a position, as in a standard debate, is not sufficient. Students must produce a product that would be part of an advocacy campaign or effort (e.g., legislative testimony, fact sheets, advocacy strategy outline, etc.).
Such principles may include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decision-making.
"Negotiation and mediation," in this competency, refers to the set of skills needed when a common solution is required among parties with conflicting interests and/or different desired outcomes. Such skills extend beyond the level of negotiation required in a successful intra-group process; effective communication within a work group or team is more closely related to competency.
This competency requires direct engagement (in-person or online) between the student and an individual or individuals in a profession or sector other than public health; students must combine the external sector/profession¿s perspective and/or knowledge with their own public health training to complete a task, solve a problem, etc.. Role-playing, in which public health students assume the identity of an individual from another profession or sector to which they do not already belong, is not an acceptable substitute for actual engagement with an individual or individuals from a profession or sector outside of public health.
Systems thinking tools depict or map complex relationships, demonstrating, for example, how component parts of a system interact with and influence one another. Examples include causal loop diagrams, systems archetypes, network analyses, and concept maps. Logic models and evidence tables are not sufficient to address this competency.

MPH Nutrition Learning Outcomes:

Applies knowledge of nutritional health promotion and disease prevention on a population or community scale.
Gains a foundational knowledge of public and global health issues and nutritional needs.
Applies and demonstrates an understanding of agricultural practices and processes as related to public health.
Engages in a legislative and/or regulatory activity that addresses community, population and/or global nutrition health and/or nutrition policy.
Utilizes program planning steps to develop a nutrition community or population program.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

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Graduate Admission Information

The NAU graduate online application is required for all programs. Admission to many graduate programs is on a competitive basis, and programs may have higher standards than those established by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

Admission requirements include the following:
- Transcripts.
- Undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale ("A" = 4.0), or the equivalent.
Visit the NAU Graduate Admissions website for additional information about graduate school application deadlines, eligibility for study, and admissions policies.

Ready to apply? Begin your application now.
International applicants have additional admission requirements. Please see the International Graduate Admissions Policy.

Additional Admission Requirements

Individual program admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.

- Prerequisite courses complete with a Grade of 'C' or better, or in progress at the time of application to the program:
  - One semester of general chemistry (minimum 3 units)
  - One semester of organic chemistry (minimum 3 units)
  - (Note: Labs for the two chemistry courses are not required unless necessary to advance from general to organic chemistry at the institution where you are taking the pre-requisite courses.)
  - One semester of anatomy and physiology (minimum 3 units)
  - One semester of microbiology (minimum 3 units)
  - One semester of an introductory nutrition course (minimum 3 units)
  - One semester course in food safety and sanitation (minimum 3 units) or proof of a current ServSafe® certification.*
  - One semester of an introductory or basic statistics course (minimum 3 units)
  - One semester of biochemistry (minimum 3 units) is not a pre-requisite for admission but is a pre-requisite to take NTS 550, which is a required course in the program. Therefore, students must complete a biochemistry course prior to the start of their first spring semester.
Students who have not completed all pre-requisite courses prior to submitting their application will still be considered for the program as long as no more than 2 pre-requisite courses are outstanding prior to the application deadline, and the student can demonstrate proof of enrollment in the remaining pre-requisite courses in their application (a screenshot demonstrating course enrollment is sufficient). Students with outstanding pre-requisite courses must demonstrate that they completed those courses with a C or better prior to the start of the program. Students will be dropped from the program if pre-requisite courses are not complete, or if a C or better was not earned prior to the start of the program. Pre-requisite courses completed more than 10 years prior to the application deadline may need to be retaken.

*The ServSafe® course and certification can be taken and submitted with your application in place of completing a college-level food safety and sanitation course.
- Resume or curriculum vitae
- Personal Statement. Write a one- to two-page letter of personal introduction and professional intent. Include the following information in your personal statement and submit your personal statement in your NAU Graduate College application:
  - The concentration to which you are applying.
  - Your academic focus or interest areas in health and wellness.
  - Your professional goals and how the MPH Nutrition program at NAU aligns with these goals.
- Letters of Recommendation. Applicants need three professional references who will submit recommendation forms on the NAU Graduate College application portal on their behalf.
  - At least one reference should be a faculty member.
  - At least one reference should be a supervisor or manager.
  - The third reference can be either a supervisor/manager or a faculty member. (Applicants are encouraged to request letters of recommendation from faculty and supervisors at least 3 - 4 weeks prior to the application deadline).
- Must also complete the Dietetics Inclusive Centralized Application System (DICAS) Application.
- Supplemental Application Materials (only if applicable). If applicable, please include the following documentation in your NAU Graduate College application:
  - If you are enrolled in a pre-requisite course the same semester you apply, please include evidence of enrollment in final pre-requisite courses.
  - If you opted to complete the ServSafe® exam in place of a college-level food safety and sanitation course, please upload your ServSafe® certification.
- International applicants: Applications submitted after January 15 will not be evaluated for admission, please apply to the next available admission term.

Master's Requirements

This Master's degree requires 65 units distributed as follows:
- Health Sciences Common Coursework: 27 units
- Nutrition Common Coursework: 26 units
- Supervised Practice Experience: 12 units
Take the following 65 units:

- Students must complete 24 units of formal letter-graded coursework.

Health Sciences Common Coursework (27 units)
- HS 501, HS 503, HS 505, HS 511, HS 572, HS 584, HS 612, HS 622 (21 units)
- HS 608, HS 698 (6 units)

Nutrition Common Coursework (26 units)
- NTS 507, NTS 515, NTS 520, NTS 545, NTS 550, NTS 607, NTS 607L, NTS 630, NTS 650, NTS 657 (26 units)

Supervised Practice (12 units)
- NTS 696 (12 units)

Students enrolled in this plan may not enroll in or pursue the following due to the number of overlapping units:

- Public Health - Health Promotion, MPH
- Public Health, Graduate Certificate

Additional Information

Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.

Program Fee Information

Program fees are established by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). A program fee has been approved for this program. See program fee details. Program fees are subject to change and updated July 1 for the next academic year.

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Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

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College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

Academic Information

Academic Catalog - 2025-2026

College of Health and Human Services

Department of Health Sciences

Public Health - Nutrition, Master of Public Health

Careers

What Can I Do with a Master of Public Health - Nutrition?

Career opportunities that might be pursued:

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