The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy will this month conclude the first year of its Master of Nutrition Science and Policy program based in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), a state in the United Arab Emirates.
"This is a way for us to extend the mission of the school, which is to improve nutrition through both science and policy worldwide," Director of Distance Learning for the Friedman School Paul Giguere said.
The program, a joint effort by the Friedman School and the RAK government, is taught through a hybrid system that combines in−person classroom instruction by Tufts faculty with online learning and consists of eight courses and a thesis. Students in the program graduate with the same degree as students studying at the Friedman School in Boston.
It builds on the Friedman School's expertise, focusing on nutrition science, policy and research, but with an added emphasis on nutrition and public health issues and challenges specific to the Middle East, according to Giguere.
"We've customized the courses a little bit to deal specifically with policy issues and things of that nature that are more interesting to the students who are taking the program, as opposed to a U.S.−centered approach," Giguere said.
"I try to use examples from the region," Associate Professor Susan Harris, who teaches a course in the program, said. "Any teacher wants to try to make things relevant."
The 12−month school year consists of three consecutive terms, each of which begins with a five− to 10−day residency in RAK. After the residency period, students return home and complete the rest of the term's work online.
This differentiates the Friedman School program from other Internet−based degree programs, according to Giguere.
"It's a combination of that face−to−face and online interaction that's really important," he said. "It's what sets the program apart from an online program."
The inaugural class is made up of five students from different parts of the Middle East. According to Professor Lynne Ausman, who has been involved with the program since its inception, the Friedman School will recruit more students for the next school year.
Giguere echoed this, saying that the school has been working to attract more students. "It's a program that the school is committed to and we're committed to developing it," he said.
Ausman said that the program aims to have anywhere from 10 to 20 students in next year's graduating class.
"That's our goal for the program, to grow it beyond our pilot phase," Giguere said.
The majority of students currently enrolled in the Friedman School program already have established careers in their field, although that could potentially change in the future, Giguere added.
"As the program extends, we'll be attracting different kinds of students at different times, but right now we seem to be attracting mid−career professionals," Giguere said.
Based on this year's feedback, administrators will continue to adjust the program and implement changes next year, according to Ausman. She added that one major change might involve the addition of electives to the curriculum.
"Instead of everybody taking the same eight or nine courses, we'd like to have there be a couple of electives," Ausman said. "For people who feel that they're more policy−focused, it would be nice if they could take an extra policy course or two. And if they're more clinically focused, it would be nice if they could take an extra course in the health care field."
Ausman said that the program is made possible through technological progress. She explained that students and professors can easily communicate through Skype and e−mail, and lectures are available on audio−narrated PowerPoint presentations.
"They can download that and play it, wherever they are in the world," Ausman said.
This has enabled the program to overcome the challenge of geographical separation and internationalize the Friedman School's mission.
"You can figure out how to overcome that barrier," Ausman said. "If I were going to set out to do something easy, I would not have picked that. But one of our goals is to bring health and wellness and capacity building to other people in other parts of the world."
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, crown prince and deputy ruler of RAK, first approached the Friedman School in 2007 to propose a partnership to further three initiatives.
These three initiatives were to continue professional medical education in RAK, to found an Enhanced Nutrition and Wellness Center in RAK and to create a Masters program in Nutrition Science and Policy.
The resulting first class of students will receive their degrees after completing their theses, which are due this August. They will be invited to join next year's class at the commencement ceremony in May 2011.
Although this past year's program was held from March 2009 to March 2010, next year's program will be conducted from Sept. 2010 to Sept. 2011, according to Giguere.
This year's students helped each other during the learning process, according to Harris. "They were such a cohesive group," Harris said. "They were very supportive of each other. I'm sure that all of that made for a much richer experience."
