Doctoral Program

Introduction and Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition and Food Systems is designed to prepare individuals for teaching and research positions in universities, administrative positions in institutional food service programs, and research positions in the public and private sectors.  The areas of food service and applied nutrition are integrated into a unique graduate program that allows either a general or a more specialized approach to the subject matter areas.

• Students may elect a comprehensive program for practice in settings where nutrition and food service management are equally important (such as child nutrition or healthcare management).  Students also may select either applied nutrition or food service management as an area of emphasis while developing a broad understanding of both.  The course of study is planned individually; faculty advisors review academic background and professional experience in their efforts to help each student articulate specific career goals and select appropriate courses to help meet those goals.
• The program offers an excellent faculty-student ratio, thus providing students the personal attention and the guidance they need to facilitate both the educational process and the successful transition from classroom to professional setting.  Faculty members’ extensive involvement in professional organizations enhances students’ opportunities to develop support networks.
• The Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Systems is closely integrated with the active nutrition and food systems research agenda at The University of Southern Mississippi.
  • A National Institutes of Health funded initiative focuses on improving health status of health disparate populations in Mississippi through community based participatory research.  The Department of Nutrition and Food Systems collaborates with its partner, the city of Hattiesburg, to address cardiovascular health through a neighborhood walking program initially developed and tested in the Mississippi Delta. 
  • The Applied Research Division, National Food Service Management Institute is a national research unit funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct research to improve the general operation and quality of Child Nutrition Programs such as the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, and Child and Adult Care Food Programs.
  • The Delta Nutrition Obesity Prevention Research Program is a consortium of six universities funded by and in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, to prevent obesity in the Lower Mississippi Delta region of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana through research in nutrition and intervention methodology. 
  • Other research addressing health disparities focuses on food insecurity, food accessibility and affordability in rural regions, the role of nutrition literacy in adopting dietary guidelines recommendations. 
• The PhD in Nutrition and Food Systems prepares its students to understand and address the unique needs and challenges to which the efforts of the NFSMI and its health disparities research are directed.  The University of Southern Mississippi through the NFSMI-ARD is the principal institution conducting research on issues relevant to Child Nutrition Program management in the United States.  Nutrition and Food Systems students develop competencies in core areas such as food and nutrition public policy that are highly relevant to management and policy issues facing Child Nutrition Programs in the U.S.  Graduates of the Ph.D. in Nutrition and Food Systems, educated in nutrition intervention methodology and nutrition care of at-risk populations, are able to address the needs of the residents of the Lower Mississippi Delta and similar populations.
• Nutrition and Food Systems students and graduates have attained national recognition for their achievements.  Students have received scholarships and grants from national professional associations and research agencies to fund their research and graduate study.  Other achievements of students and graduates include invited presentations at national and regional research meetings, the awarding of the New Researcher Award from the American Dietetic Association, and published abstracts, monographs, journal articles and presentations at national meetings.