If you're interested in the upper management and higher responsibility levels of nutritional science, then you're likely planning to earn your master's degree in the subject. Master's degree programs dive deeper into the areas that you've already learned, so you should have some familiarity with the courses. Five key courses in a Master's in nutritional science program include:
Nutritional Intervention
During this course, you'll learn about the body's nutritional needs and the deficits that frequently occur. Your instructor will teach you how to use different intervention strategies to help those that suffer from diabetes, heart disease and other ailments. The Nutritional Intervention course will also teach you how to complete accurate measurements regarding the effectiveness of the interventions used as well as the best way to research previous interventions employed by an individual. You'll even learn how to research earlier nutritional interventions that were embraced by local communities and within other areas around the world.
Child Development and Nutrition
Childhood nutrition starts before a child is born. The Child Development and Nutrition course focuses on all phases of childhood development. It begins with gestation and infancy. Then, it continues into childhood and adolescence. While taking the course, you'll even learn how teens make the development transition into adulthood. You will learn how to think critically when it comes to child development and nutrition throughout the country as well as around the world. This course will also focus on obesity issues, how to promote good health and international perspectives.
Resource: 15 Most Affordable Online Master's in Nutritional Science Degree Programs 2016
Research Methods
The Research Methods course expands on the basic research methodology that is taught to students while they are earning their Bachelor's degree in nutritional science. The advanced course concentrates on how to complete additional nutritional research. This may include teaching you new methods for performing instrumental analysis, interviewing individuals and investigating proper laboratory techniques. During the advanced research class, you'll gain a solid background in analysis while learning ways to examine different research studies. Your instructor will also teach you how to interpret the outcomes of experiments and studies.
Macronutrients and Micronutrients
In this class, plan to focus on the nutrients that the human body requires as well as the ones that are frequently harmful if a person ingests too much of them. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats and proteins while micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. You will learn about the different uses, storage, absorption, digestion and elimination of various nutrients. This includes the types of foods that affect each stage of the food digestion process. You'll be learning about macronutrients and micronutrients to gain a better understanding of how to inspire people to maintain a healthy nutrient balance within their bodies.
Nutrition Assessment and Healthy Eating
While taking Nutrition Assessment and Healthy Eating, you'll learn what comprises a healthy eating plan overall. The class will even cover this information for every stage of the lifecycle. The class will teach you how to develop healthy eating plans for these stages. You'll also learn about general nutritional information when it comes to food labels and easy ways to interpret and use them to develop healthy eating plans. During the course, your instructor will teach you the best techniques for assessing an individual for nutritional adequacy using environmental, dietary and clinical factors. You'll also learn how to gain this information in different settings.
With a Master's degree in nutritional science, private practices, hospitals and sports teams will consider you a tempting job candidate. This degree will make it possible for you to work on obesity prevention programs or for a medical clinic that focuses on ways to keep pregnant women healthy. In this line of work, you'll be on the frontlines of helping people maintain and regain their health.