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Curriculum

BS, Global Public Health and Food Studies

The 128-credit BS program in Global Public Health/Food Studies focuses on the ways in which individuals, communities, and societies relate to food within a cultural and historical context. You’ll study topics like food science and technology, food and culture, epidemiology, marketing, nutrition, and health policy, and emerge well-prepared for a career in advocacy, policy, agriculture, food production, and more.

Core Course Sequence

College Core Curriculum (CORE)

NYU’s College Core Curriculum provides a foundational academic experience of general education in the liberal arts for undergraduates at NYU. The Core Curriculum includes courses in foreign language, expository writing, and foundations of contemporary culture and scientific inquiry. In addition to these required subject areas, students also have the opportunity to explore liberal arts electives in the topics that most interest them, gaining the skills and breadth of intellectual perspective to flourish in their major programs of study and in their later careers. 

Major and Co-Major Requirements 

You’ll take core classes in public health, including health policy, epidemiology, and environmental health, and in food studies, including food issues and systems, cuisine, research in food studies, and food science and history. You’ll expand on these foundational courses with electives in the areas that most interest you, such as bioethics or global medicine. The program includes an internship, where you’ll apply course concepts to real-world scenarios and build professional relationships in the field.

Sample Elective Courses

Environmental Health in a Global World  

This course will examine some of the key issues and principles of environmental health practice. It will focus on how environmental health issues are defined and approached by civic groups, governmental officials and researchers. It will highlight how environmental threats come to the attention of the public and weigh the options for addressing these threats. Finally, it will underscore the need for multi-disciplinary approaches in understanding these threats and crafting solutions. We will focus on prevention of environmentally mediated diseases and discuss challenges to effective prevention.

Essentials of Cuisine: International 

This course provides an introduction to the art and science of cuisine characteristics of selected world cultures through lectures, demonstrations, hands-on preparation, and field trips.

Introduction to Food History

This course examines food from historical and transnational perspectives. Topics considered include the origins of agriculture, the phenomenon of famine, the co-evolution of world cuisines and civilizations, the international exchange and spread of foods and food technologies following 1492, issues of hunger and thirst, and the effects of the emergent global economy on food production, diets, and health.

Program Requirements

Course Title Credits
Liberal Arts Requirements
Foreign Language
Select eight credits of a foreign language8
Expository Writing
EXPOS-UA 1Writing as Inquiry4
ACE-UE 110Advanced College Essay: Educ & The Professions4
Foundations of Contemporary Culture
Texts and Ideas4
Cultures and Contexts4
Expressive Culture4
Societies and the Social Sciences4
Foundations of Scientific Inquiry
NUTR-UE 1068Introduction to Human Physiology4
UGPH-GU 20Biostatistics for Public Health4
Select one of the following:4
BIOL-UA 11
Principles of Biology I
CORE-UA 306
Life Science: Brain and Behavior
Other course by Advisement
Unrestricted Liberal Arts Electives
Select 16 credits of Unrestricted Liberal Arts Electives16
Additional Requirements
SAHS-UE 1New Student Seminar0
Writing Proficiency Examination
The Global Health Major requires one Fall, Spring or Summer semester abroad at one of NYU's 14 global sites.
Specialization Requirements
Public Health Core Content
UGPH-GU 10Health and Society in a Global Context4
UGPH-GU 30Epidemiology for Global Health4
UGPH-GU 50Environmental Health in a Global World4
UGPH-GU 40Health Policy in a Global World4
Public Health Electives
Complete 4 credits, by advisement.4
Public Health Internship
UGPH-GU 60Undergraduate Experiential Learning in Global Public Health4
Food Studies Core Content
FOOD-UE 71Fd Issues of Cont Societ4
FOOD-UE 1033Food Systems: Food and Agriculture4
FOOD-UE 1051Food and Identity4
FOOD-UE 1056Internship in Food Stud & Food Mgmt3
FOOD-UE 1118Research in Food Studies2
FOOD-UE 1130Commun Workshop in Foods & Nutrition2
FOOD-UE 1135Essentials of Cuisine:3
FOOD-UE 1180Food and Nutrition Global Society4
FOOD-UE 1204Food in The Arts:2
FOOD-UE 1210Introduction to Food History4
FOOD-UE 1217Advanced Foods:3
NUTR-UE 85Intro to Foods and Food Science3
NUTR-UE 91Food Management Theory3
NUTR-UE 119Nutrition and Health3
Total Credits128

Sample Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
1st Semester/TermCredits
SAHS-UE 1 New Student Seminar 0
Texts and Ideas 4
NUTR-UE 85 Intro to Foods and Food Science 3
FOOD-UE 71 Fd Issues of Cont Societ 4
EXPOS-UA 1 Writing as Inquiry 4
 Credits15
2nd Semester/Term
FOOD-UE 1051 Food and Identity 4
FOOD-UE 1204 Food in The Arts: 2
NUTR-UE 119 Nutrition and Health 3
ACE-UE 110 Advanced College Essay: Educ & The Professions 4
Global Public Health Course 4
 Credits17
3rd Semester/Term
FOOD-UE 1210 Introduction to Food History 4
Societies and the Social Sciences 4
Global Public Health Course 4
Foreign Language 4
 Credits16
4th Semester/Term
FOOD-UE 1033 Food Systems: Food and Agriculture 4
Elective 4
Expressive Culture 4
Foreign Language 4
 Credits16
5th Semester/Term
FOOD-UE 1217 Advanced Foods: 3
Global Public Health Course 4
NUTR-UE 1068 Introduction to Human Physiology 4
FOOD-UE 1180 Food and Nutrition Global Society 4
 Credits15
6th Semester/Term
FOOD-UE 1130 Commun Workshop in Foods & Nutrition 2
FOOD-UE 1135 Essentials of Cuisine: 3
Global Public Health Course 4
FOOD-UE 1118 Research in Food Studies 2
FOOD-UE 1056 Internship in Food Stud & Food Mgmt 1-6
NUTR-UE 91 Food Management Theory 3
 Credits17
7th Semester/Term
Cultures and Contexts 4
Global Public Health Course 4
Elective 4
Physical/Life Science 4
 Credits16
8th Semester/Term
Elective 4
Global Public Health Course 4
Elective 4
Public Health Elective 4
 Credits16
 Total Credits128

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