Master of Science in Nutritional Science

at Kaplan Group - Arizona State University - Downtown Phoenix Campus USA

Lead the field of human performance with your knowledge of strength and conditioning theory and application and the art and science of coaching athletes. Use programming, recovery and injury prevention to help others achieve their goals.

The MS program in strength and conditioning focuses on specialized knowledge of human physiology and movement mechanics to optimize the physical abilities of active groups, including athletic and tactical populations, and to prevent injury-related problems.

Required courses address advances in health and performance monitoring, how to design successful exercise and recovery programs for maximum physical performance, and coaching strategies that motivate increased individual effort in sport or work. Students gain practical experience that hones their coaching skills and refines their abilities to motivate individuals to achieve the increased workloads that are necessary for performance improvement.

This program prepares students to sit for certification examinations offered through the National Strength and Conditioning Association to become certified strength and conditioning specialists, tactical strength and conditioning facilitators or certified performance sports scientists.

Learn to understand complex public problems and develop and implement innovative policy solutions. Through coursework and real-world projects, you gain the analytic skills required to address society's most challenging problems.

The MPP program allows students to approach the study of public policy with a focus on public policy in the urban setting.

The program trains people to lead by making positive policy decisions, addressing the difficult questions associated with public policy, and managing the process of policy creation, approval, implementation and evaluation. Students also gain an understanding of policies addressing issues such as poverty, education, the environment and public safety. At the conclusion of the master's degree program, students are able to identify, analyze and interpret the challenges and dilemmas of public policies, especially those of urban areas. Students also are able to approach policy analysis with a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods and are prepared to develop innovative processes and tools to deal with changing realities of public policy and address issues on a global, regional and local scale.

The Master of Public Policy program with a concentration in urban policy provides knowledge and skills for students seeking or advancing careers in areas in which urban dynamics and local governance play an integral role in the policy process. This concentration's program emphasizes theories and research concerning urban policy analysis and economics as well as urban management, urban city government, public budgeting and finance in an urban context.

The BA program in general studies offers students a flexible, innovative path to degree completion. Graduates of the program are informed and effective members of society who are well prepared for a changing global marketplace with its diverse cultures.

The theme of this degree is society and the individual. Students explore the tensions between individualism and collectivism, the public and private selves, domestic and global, and the interplay of culture and identity constructions.

Understanding the intersections between business and politics is more important than ever for managers and executives in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. The World Economic Forum's latest Future of Jobs Report and McKinsey Global Institute's Jobs of the Future report both have suggested that transdisciplinary, virtual collaboration and cross-cultural competence are extremely important job skills for the near future. Thunderbird's MGM program with a concentration in global affairs equips students with the knowledge base and hard skills needed to thrive in the growing job markets at the nexus of global business and international politics.

This concentration is designed for students who aspire to take on management and executive positions in government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, the State Department and the Treasury Department or similar roles in the government of a student's home country. The global affairs concentration also positions graduates for leadership roles in international organizations such as the World Bank or World Trade Organization and in major companies that require analysts to monitor policy trends, managers to oversee global supply chains and representatives to advance global business interests to governments, both domestic and foreign.

The BS program in community sports management focuses on preparing individuals with an interest in managing sport programs and activities for children, youth, adults and seniors in nonprofit, municipal and for-profit organizations.

The program emphasizes the many roles community sports plays within the community including as a mechanism to improve overall quality of life, youth development, sport tourism and community development. Both program delivery and managerial functions are targeted. Specific areas of opportunity include work with youth sports, adaptive sports, sports tourism, sport events and adult recreational sports.

This highly-ranked concentration within our MPA program (#16 in Public Finance and Budgeting, U.S. News and World Report) will help you turn your desire for public service into a rewarding career in public finance and budgeting. The program can be completed full-time, part-time, or entirely online.

The MPA is a professional degree program designed to prepare students for public service at all levels of government as well as in the nonprofit and private sectors.

The program consists of a core curriculum emphasizing managerial and analytic skills needed in a large range of careers that serve the public good. Through a focused set of electives, the concentration in public finance provides knowledge and skills for students seeking careers or career advancement in areas in which financial management plays an integral role in governance. The concentration deepens knowledge in urban economics, managing money in the public sector, public budgeting, and capital budgeting and financing.

The BS in food and nutrition entrepreneurship addresses significant and ongoing changes in the food industry by preparing students with sound nutrition principles and business acumen that will enable them to competitively participate in a growing field.

The program encompasses important areas of knowledge and skills for future nutrition entrepreneurs, whether they intend to innovate within an organization or launch a food or nutrition-related business. Key topics include how to develop an online presence, supported by evidence-based principles, thorough social media, blogging, podcasting and video; how to launch nutritionally sound startups and businesses for individual practice and consulting; and how to innovate within the food industry through research and development.

The American Indian studies concentration within the BS program in public service and public policy provides students with specialized knowledge about the policy implications of American Indian-related decisions and actions. This concentration will focus on the latest policy implications and research impacting Indigenous communities across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

The MS program in physical activity and health offers a unique opportunity for advanced training with options to focus on exercise science, fitness and conditioning, or physical activity and health promotion alongside faculty who are immersed in the latest research.

This program prepares students to translate and apply evidence-based exercise science, fitness and lifestyle behavior change approaches to improve health and well-being and prevent chronic disease across the lifespan. It also prepares students to design fitness and conditioning programs for athletes.

Students in the program develop competencies in research design, statistical methods and the ethical conduct of research studies and they have the opportunity to conduct a mentored research project as part of a thesis, if desired. They also learn to apply theoretical models of behavior change for the development and implementation of interventions to facilitate the adoption and maintenance of physical activity and other health and wellness behaviors. Students develop and demonstrate their knowledge of the causes, risks factors and impact of exercise, physical activity and fitness on the disease process in cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cancer, musculoskeletal health and functional fitness through a critical examination of epidemiological research and exercise intervention studies.

The BS program in health sciences provides students with the academic knowledge and skills that allow them to move directly into a range of employment opportunities within the health field or to continue their education in discipline-specific programs.

Students choose a track focus in either community-based health outcomes; health legislation and regulation; integrated care; or language, speech and communication.

A limited number of students each year may apply to pursue the echocardiography certificate through Mayo Clinic. Once the certificate is successfully completed, students may transfer the credits to Arizona State University and those credits may be applied toward completion of the Bachelor of Science in health sciences. Students interested in this option should seek advising before starting this track.