Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention

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Program Description
The Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention (TOP) graduate certificate program offered through South Dakota State University (SDSU) and the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) is a graduate certificate program with experiential learning opportunities addressing childhood obesity. This program is unique and provides expertise in a job market that is desperate for trained health professionals in the prevention of childhood obesity. The program will prepare students to conduct research on the behavioral, social, biological, and environmental causes of childhood obesity. Students will develop skills required to implement evidence based transdisciplinary approaches to prevention. Nutrition, Exercise Science, Health Promotion, Extension, Early Childhood Education, Nursing, and Statistics faculty are collaborating to implement the TOP graduate certificate program.

Students will obtain a TOP program certificate upon completion of the requirements for bot the certificate and the Masters or Doctoral degree from their respective college.

Course Delivery Format
The TOP program consists of lecture, laboratory, and experiential learning projects, as well as the research requirements, culminating exams, and thesis or dissertation requried for the Masters for Doctoral degree.

Student Support and Engagement Opportunities
The College of Education and Human Sciences and the Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences offers a limited number of qualified graduate student applicants scholarships as well as funded assistantships. Additionaly, the department offers a number of opportunities for students to be involved. The student organizations provide opportunities for professional development and social interaction through numerous events on campus as well as service learning projects. Travel opportunities are available, including regional and national conferences.

Program Support
The SDSU/UNL TOP graduate program is supported by the National Research Initiative Grant no. 2011-67002-30202 from the Food and Agriculture Division of Nutrition.

Requirements for Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention Certificate: 9-10

NFS 750 - Trandisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention I
Credits: 3
NFS 751 - Trandisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention II
Credits: 3
NFS 751L - Trandisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention II Laboratory
Credits: 1
Elective Credits: 2-3
- NFS 708 - Evidence Based Analysis
  Credits: 3
- NFS 782 - Epidemiology
  Credits: 3
- HSC 631 - Biostatistics I
  Credits: 3
- HSC 520 - Methods of Health Instruction
  Credits: 2
- SOC 711 - Qualitative Research Methods
  Credits: 3
- CHRD 723 - Counseling the Family
  Credits: 3
- ECE 711 - Child Development Theory and Application
  Credits: 3
- EDAD 730 - School Finance
  Credits: 2
- EDFN 725 - Education in a Pluralistic Society
  Credits: 3
- FCSE 761 - Advanced Methods and Assessment in Family & Consumer Sciences Education
  Credits: 3
- HDFS 711 - Child Development Theory and Application
  Credits: 3
- HDFS 630 - Lifespan Development
  Credits: 3
- HDFS 742 - Family Theory and Research
  Credits: 3
- CA 604 - Family Systems
  Credits: 3
- CD 613 - Introduction to Native Community Development
  Credits: 3
This certificate will be granted when the individuals meet the requirements for their respective graduate education majors (PhD and Masters) and complete the course requirements listed above.

Total Required Credits: 9-10

Admission Requirements

Please refer to the following for additional information.

Admission to the TOP program requires completion of the TOP application.

TOP program webpage

Graduate School Admissions

Additional Information

Students enrolled in SDSU certificate programs are not eligible for federal student financial aid. The non-federal alternative loan programs may be used for students meeting the lender criteria as found at www.sdstate.edu (search alternative loans). For further information, please contact the SDSU financial aid office at 605-688-4695 or finaid@sdstate.edu.