Nutrition and Food Science and Public Health (M.A./M.P.H. Joint Degree)

The M.A. in Nutrition and Food Science/M.P.H. is a joint degree program offered by the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, School of Medicine.

Students must meet the admission and graduation requirements of both programs and enroll concurrently in the two programs during most of the period in which they are earning the degrees. If they complete requirements for only one degree, one degree will be awarded.

Admission Requirements

Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School.  Admission criteria  for the MA-MPH Joint  Degree will meet the requirements of both MA and MPH Degrees by requiring:

1. A minimum undergraduate Grade Point Average of 3.0 and all requirements for admission to the WSU Graduate School that include satisfying the English proficiency requirements. If applicants have not completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution in the US or in a country where English is the native language, satisfactory attainment of scores in the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) (85), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (79 internet-/550 paper-based), or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (6.5) will be required. Tests should not be more than 2 years old.
2. The completion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with the expectation that scores will be at or above the 60th percentile for verbal reasoning (510/154: new/old), at or above the 55th percentile for quantitative reasoning (675/153: new/old), and a score of at least 4.0 in analytical writing.
3. Completion of college-based courses in mathematics and the social sciences, and completion of the following undergraduate courses or equivalent:

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credits
   NFS 2130 & NFS 2140	Introductory Food Science and Introductory Food Science Laboratory	4
   NFS 2220	Nutrition Laboratory	1
   NFS 3230	Human Nutrition	3
   BIO 2200	Introductory Microbiology	5
   BIO 2870	Anatomy and Physiology	5
   One semester of Organic Chemistry
   Courses in biochemistry and statistics are recommended

4. The submission of a professional curriculum vitae together with a satisfactory personal statement indicating the applicant's background, research and/or work experience, interests, and career goals as they relate to attainment of the MA-MPH degree. Three letters of recommendation will also be required. An interview will also be conducted (when possible).

A minimum of 59 graduate credits beyond the baccalaureate degree is required for completion of the MA-MPH program.

Students enrolled in the MA-MPH Joint Degree Program will be required to take specific NFS and FPH listed public health-related courses. The culminating master's essay (NFS 7999) requirement of the MA degree will be substituted by completion of the 3-credit hour MPH project course (FPH 8990). A total of 12 credits can be double-counted towards completion of this joint degree program.

Graduation requirements for the MA-MPH Joint Degree are consistent with the MA and MPH Degrees and will:

1. Require completion of all required courses for both the MA and MPH degree segments, the public-health related courses specific to the MA-MPH Program, the culminating MPH project course, and elective courses for a minimum total of 59 credit hours within a 6 year period. A total of 15 credits may be double-counted.
2. Require students to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the entire program. A minimum of a B grade in all required courses in both the MA and MPH segments will also be required. Students obtaining less than a B grade in any core or required course will be allowed to retake it only once. Departmental policies will allow for only one C grade over the course of the entire program (and only in an elective course).

M.A. in Nutrition and Food Science

Master of Public Health