Human Nutrition

The program provides training leading to both the Master of Health Science (MHS) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in Human Nutrition. The objective of the program is to provide students with specific foundations and the practical skills to address major nutrition-related public health problems.

Through required and elective course work and with the guidance of their academic advisors, doctoral students are able to concentrate in the areas of international nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, nutritional epidemiology, nutritional anthropology, or clinical nutrition. Opportunities for thesis research include the study of maternal and child nutrition, obesity, relationships between diet and chronic diseases, micronutrient deficiencies (with emphasis on vitamin A, iron, calcium, zinc, selenium, and iodine) and nutrition interventions in developing countries, protein-energy metabolism in health and disease, and use of stable isotopes for metabolic research.

In the MHS program, students concentrate during the first year on course work in the core area of public health nutrition, and choose electives in accordance with their intended career path in public health nutrition. During the second year (two quarters), students complete an internship/field placement designed to provide practical experience in their intended area. 

Students in the program plan to pursue careers in management of nutrition and health programs, or in the technical content of health promotion and disease prevention programs, or go on to doctoral degrees in nutrition (PhD), medicine (MS), or related fields.

JHU/Cornell University Educational Collaboration in Public Health Nutrition

To enhance the training available in public health nutrition, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Cornell University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences are offering students an opportunity to attend courses given at both universities. Graduate students enrolled in a doctoral or master’s program at Cornell or at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are able to study at the other school for up to one academic year after they have completed one academic year of study at their home institution. 

Tuition is charged by the student’s home institution, and information on courses attended at the institution visited are recorded on the student’s transcript at the home institution.