Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention Certificate

Program Coordinator/Contact

Jessica Meendering, Associate Professor
Department of Health and Nutritional Sciences
Intramural Building 116, Box 2203
605-688-4668
E-mail: jessica.meendering@sdstate.edu
www.sdstate.edu/health-and-nutritional-sciences/graduate-program

Program Information

The Transdisciplinary Childhood Obesity Prevention (TOP) graduate certificate is a graduate certificate program aimed to engage students in transdisciplinary approaches to childhood obesity prevention through coursework and community based experiential learning opportunities. This program is unique, as it provides expertise in a job market that is desperate for trained professionals in the prevention of childhood obesity. The program will expose students to a variety of disciplines involved in the prevention of childhood obesity, allow students the opportunity to design childhood obesity prevention initiatives, and prepare students to conduct transdisciplinary 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. Faculty from Nutrition, Exercise Science, Early Childhood Education, and Nursing work collaboratively with SDSU Extension to implement the TOP graduate certificate program. Students will obtain a TOP program certificate upon completion of the requirements for both the certificate and the Masters or Doctoral degree from their respective college.

Course Delivery Format

The core classes within the TOP program are delivered in hybrid and face to face format. The face to face course is a practicum course in which students will have the opportunity to participate in experiential learning in the community setting via collaboration with SDSU Extension.

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. Additionally, 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

This certificate will be granted when the individuals meet the requirements for their respective graduate education majors (Ph.D. and Masters) and complete the course requirements listed above.

NUTR 750 - Interprofessional Obesity Prevention: Investigation and Development Credits: 3
NUTR 751 - Interprofessional Obesity Prevention: Implementation and Evaluation Credits: 3
NUTR 795 - Practicum Credits: 1-3 (1 credit required)

Electives

Select 2-3 credits from the following:

CHRD 723 - Counseling the Family Credits: 3
ECE 711 - Child Development Theory and Application Credits: 3
EDFN 725 - Education in a Pluralistic Society Credits: 3
FCSE 761 - Advanced Methods and Assessment in Family & Consumer Sciences Education Credits: 3
HDFS 630 - Lifespan Development Credits: 3
HDFS 742 - Family Theory and Research Credits: 3
HLTH / HSC 520 - K-12 Methods of Health Instruction Credits: 2
HSC 631 - Biostatistics I Credits: 3
NUTR 560 - Human Nutrition and Precision Health Credits: 3
NUTR 715 - Public Health Nutrition Credits: 3
NUTR 775 - Nutrigenomics and Health Credits: 3
NUTR 782 - Epidemiology Credits: 3
SOC 711 - Qualitative Research Methods Credits: 3

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.