Doctor of Philosophy in Community Nutrition and Development

Expected Learning Outcomes

1. Apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to undertake quality community nutrition and development practice in a range of settings including disasters and emergencies.
2. Apply independent learning and reflective thinking, practice skills to allow capacity for self-evaluation and management.
3. Demonstrate commitment to the nutrition and dietetic discipline including individual and collective professional development.
4. Demonstrate the ability to apply interdisciplinary approaches to the prevention, promotion of well-being and management of nutritional problems.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the distribution and causes of nutrition disparities in populations using tools from epidemiology, social sciences, systems science, and policy analysis.
6. Demonstrate leadership in solving problems related to community nutrition and development.
7. Demonstrate the ability to conduct research in community nutrition and development. 
8. Think critically, creatively and solve problems in their field of study.
9. Designing, implementing and evaluating nutrition interventions and policies, in particular for limited resource and under-served populations
10. Demonstrate the understanding of people’s food choices and the contributions of social, cultural, policy, and food systems to those choices and behaviours.
11. Demonstrate the understanding of policy making, leadership and governance frameworks.

 

Programme Courses

PPN 910	Advanced Research Methods
PPN 911	Advanced Biostatistics
PPN 912	Creative and Critical Thinking in Research
PPN 913	Ethics and Biosafety in Health Research and Practice
PPN 914	Advances in Nutritional Epidemiology
PPN 915	Practice of Public Health Nutrition
PPN 916	Research Concept Paper
Year One Semester 2
Course Code	Course Title
PPN 920	Advanced Epidemiologic Methods
PPN 921	Leadership and Management in Science
PPN 922	Grant Writing and Management
PPN 923	Advances in Public Health Nutrition Surveillance
PPN 924	Special Topics in Nutrition Research
PPN 925	Policy Analysis and Practice
PPN 926	Research Proposal
PPN 999	Research Thesis

 

Programme Requirement

To be admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Community Nutrition and Development applicants must satisfy the minimum university entrance requirements.

Candidates holding an MSc in community nutrition, nutrition and dietetics from recognized institutions with the minimum university entrance requirements also qualify for admission.

Duration of the Programme

Duration for Doctor of Philosophy in Community Nutrition and Development programme in the university is three (3) academic years.

 

Degree Structure

The program offers courses within the degree structure spelled out by the Faculty.

Course Structure

 

1. Course work must include at least 1 unit of Research methodology.

 

2. The PhD degree in Community Nutrition and Development shall consist of a minimum of a maximum of 6 core units of coursework, examination and thesis distributed over two semesters as below:
3. PhD by Coursework and Thesis

              First Semester: Coursework:                                        6 units max

              Second Semester: Coursework:                      6 units max

              Research Proposal                                           1 unit

              Third Semester: Research                               2 units

              Fourth Semester: Research                               2 units

              Fifth Semester: Research                                 2 units

              Sixth Semester: Research/Thesis submission 4 units

 

4. During the coursework semesters, students shall be encouraged to propose prospective supervisors to the Chairperson DPGSC, from amongst the postgraduate faculty in the department.
5. The candidate shall submit a thesis research proposal to the DPGSC within 4 weeks of the next semester following completion of coursework.
6. Within two days of proposal receipt, the DPGSC Chairperson shall forward the proposal to the Chairperson, SPGSC who will convene a proposal presentation seminar that must be attended by all postgraduate faculty of the department concerned and chairpersons of DPGSC in the Faculty or their representatives. All postgraduate studies faculty shall be invited to the presentations. The Chairperson, SPGSC/representative shall chair the presentations.

The processing of the submitted thesis research proposal from the DPGSC to School of Graduate Studies shall take a maximum of four (4) weeks.