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Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition

The Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition offers undergraduate academic programs in: Food Studies, BS; Nutrition, BS; Nutrition Science, BS; and Public Health, BS; 

Students’ academic programs move outside of the classroom to gain hands-on experiences in their major. The faculty and students in the department are experiencing ever-increasing opportunities for interdisciplinary research and experiential learning locally, nationally and globally in the areas of public and community health, nutrition, and food studies, as well as other fields related to these specialties.

Facilities

The Falk Complex, which includes both MacNaughton and White Halls, is located on the western portion of the Syracuse University campus. The renovated complex includes the new Experimental Food Lab Kitchen, Commercial Kitchen, Baking Nook, and Susan Klenk Cafe. The premier and state-of-the-art kitchens are equipped with commercial equipment and appliances. Combined with our Cafe/Classroom, the kitchens offer unparalleled resources for the College. One of the most exciting parts of the experimental food kitchen is the video camera system which allows our instructors/faculty to broadcast classes, food demos and seminars from our location to anywhere on campus, and across the country. Our facilities represent the next chapter - it sets the stage for industry-leading, forward-thinking approach to food culture, nutrition, research, and food studies development. It provides students with the science and technology to create extraordinary food study - science - technology experiences unimaginable to previous generations. In addition to administrative and academic program offices and classrooms, the Falk Complex also offers students hands-on experiences in simulated environments like the Nutrition Assessment Lab, as well as dedicated study/collaborative space, computer labs and comforts like a café and student lounge.

Undergraduate Programs

Public Health

Description 

We offer a bachelor’s of science in public health (BSPH) and minors in addiction studies, health and wellness, and public health. The BSPH program is accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH).  Service learning and community engagement are cornerstones of public health education at Falk College. By purposefully integrating classroom instruction with hands-on opportunities, longstanding faculty-agency collaborations locally and globally allow us to customize student learning experiences while helping address some of today’s most pressing public health needs.  Undergraduate students have the opportunity to work with faculty-led research projects on topics including community and work disparities for people with disabilities, malaria elimination, mindfulness-based meditation for veterans with posttraumatic stress, the impacts of community-level violence and the Syracuse Lead Study, among many others.  The BSPH program prepares students to work in a variety of public health positions and newly emerging preventive health areas in corporate wellness centers, college health services, insurance agencies, and pharmaceutical companies. Many students plan for graduate education in public health, health administration, health-related social sciences (medical anthropology, medical sociology, or health psychology), health policy and the law, and the health professions (medicine, nursing, physician assistance, pharmacy, or dentistry).

Food Studies

Description

The 120 credit bachelor of science in food studies-helps students develop analytical skills and knowledge about links between food system structure, dietary choices and health outcomes.

Courses cover topics like food as medicine in disease prevention and treatment, women’s rights to adequate food and nutrition, and global rules for governing trade and distribution of food and agricultural products, among many others. Hands-on field learning is often linked to faculty affiliations with organizations of professional significance, such as the USDA, UN and USAID. Students encounter many diverse opportunities, such as:

• Experiential learning requirements that include a strong network of community-based partnerships and regional, national and international opportunities.
• Global gastronomy studies, including specialized study abroad programming in Florence.
• Hands-on learning in culinary labs working with professional chefs and experts in nutrition, food policy and public health.

One-on-one interactions with faculty experts in rights-based approaches to food and nutrition, scale-appropriate technologies to support rural development, emerging food social movements, nutrition focused on pediatrics, and community education.

Increased emphasis on healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, public interest in food policy, growing and aging populations, and diet-related disease epidemics continue to spur demand for our graduates.

Nutrition Science and Dietetics

Description

The undergraduate program in Nutrition offers majors and minors in both Nutrition and Nutrition Science. The Nutrition major meets the pre-requisite guidelines to apply to a dietetic internship to become a Registered Dietitian. The 124 credit B.S. degree program in nutrition includes coursework in 1) science: chemistry, biology, physiology, and biochemistry and 2) food: safety, science and service management. The nutrition curriculum includes nutrition in health, life span, medical nutrition therapy, community nutrition, nutrition education and counseling. Opportunities for fieldwork provide students with hands-on experience.

The Nutrition Science major is based upon the sciences and a flexible nutrition curriculum to meet the pre-health (medical school, physician assistant, physical therapy, etc) curriculum needs. The 124 credit B.S. degree program in nutrition science emphasizes the general and organic chemistry, biology, physiology, biochemistry and if needed physics. The nutrition curriculum includes nutrition in health, life span, research methods, medical nutrition therapy, and nutrition classes of the student’s choice.

Programs

• Food Studies, BS
• Nutrition Science, BS
• Nutrition, BS
• Public Health, BS

• Public Health, BS/Global Health, MS
• Public Health, BS/MS

• Addiction Studies Minor
• Food Studies Minor
• Health and Wellness Minor
• Nutrition Minor
• Nutrition Science Minor
• Public Health Minor

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