The certificate in food systems is an option open to all undergraduate students. It assembles an interdisciplinary curriculum, integrating different paradigms across all aspects of food production, distribution, and consumption, along with the context and values inherent to the systems.
For students in food or agriculture-related majors, the certificate in food systems will provide a broader context to their disciplinary studies. For students in fields that include food as a possible orientation of their studies, it will provide exposure to the full range of food systems, potentially inspiring an orientation to food as a focus of their studies. For students of any discipline, the certificate will help students be more informed consumers and citizens, hopefully leading to better choices about what they eat through knowledge of food and the social, economic, and environmental outcomes of different patterns of production, processing, distribution, and consumption.
How to Get in
Undergraduate students of any major are welcome to pursue the Certificate in Food Systems. While there are different pathways to complete the certificate, students who declare and plan their coursework earlier in their careers will be in a better position to complete the required coursework.
Students are eligible to declare the certificate once they complete one of the three core courses with a grade of B or better:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AGROECOL/AGRONOMY/C&E SOC/ENTOM/ENVIR ST 103 | Agroecology: An Introduction to the Ecology of Food and Agriculture | 3 |
| C&E SOC/A A E/SOC 340 | Issues in Food Systems | 3-4 |
| DY SCI/AGRONOMY 471 | Food Production Systems and Sustainability | 3 |
Students who meet the eligibility criteria should fill out this short questionnaire and then contact Megan Banaszak (mbanaszak@wisc.edu) to declare the certificate.
Requirements
The Certificate in Food Systems requires that students take two highly interdisciplinary core courses (6 total credits), and at least one course in each of three thematic elective categories (for 9 total credits across electives), plus a one credit culminating activity such as an internship, independent study, or appropriate capstone. The course list below provides a complete list of courses that satisfy each requirement.
Minimum Requirements:
- 2.0 GPA in certificate courses
- At least 50% of certificate courses taken in-residence (i.e. at UW-Madison or through a UW-Madison sponsored study abroad program)
- Minimum of 16 credits total
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 6-7 | |
| Agroecology: An Introduction to the Ecology of Food and Agriculture | ||
| Issues in Food Systems | ||
| Food Production Systems and Sustainability | ||
| Elective Courses | ||
| Complete at least one course from each list: Provisioning, Context, and Values for a total of at least 9 credits | 9 | |
| Provisioning (production, processing, distribution) | ||
| Principles and Practices in Crop Production | ||
| Cropping Systems | ||
| Global Food Production and Health | ||
| Introduction to Animal Sciences | ||
| Livestock Production and Health in Agricultural Development | ||
| Plants, Parasites, and People | ||
| Introduction to the Science and Technology of Food | ||
| Survey of Horticulture | ||
| Tropical Horticultural Systems | ||
| World Vegetable Crops | ||
| Tropical Horticultural Systems International Field Study | ||
| Context (policy, economics, law, society) | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural and Applied Economics | ||
| Genetically Modified Crops: Science, Regulation & Controversy | ||
| Food Laws and Regulations | ||
| Animal Agriculture and Global Sustainable Development | ||
| International Field Study in Animal Agriculture and Sustainable Development | ||
| Environment, Natural Resources, and Society | ||
| Natural Resources Policy | ||
| People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems | ||
| Environmental Governance: Markets, States and Nature | ||
| The Ethics of Modern Biotechnology | ||
| Values (nutrition, equity, environment) | ||
| Cooperatives and Alternative Forms of Enterprise Ownership | ||
| World Hunger and Malnutrition | ||
| Grassland Ecology | ||
| Ethnobotany | ||
| Labor in Global Food Systems | ||
| Food, Culture, and Society | ||
| People, Land and Food: Comparative Study of Agriculture Systems | ||
| American Indian Women | ||
| Plants and Human Wellbeing | ||
| Nutrition Today | ||
| Human Nutritional Needs | ||
| Soil: Ecosystem and Resource | ||
| Food Systems Culmination Activity 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
Independent Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Special Problems | ||
Food Systems Internship | ||
| Coordinative Internship/Cooperative Education | ||
| Total Credits | 16-17 | |
- 1
Culminating activities must be formally pre-approved and incorporated into an independent study (299) or internship (399) within the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology. Click HERE for more information and a form to request approval of a culminating activity.
Certificate Completion Requirement
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
Learning Outcomes
- Evaluate critically the key elements of a food system.
- Evaluate critically how political, social, economic, and environmental forces interact to shape food systems.
- Evaluate critically the biophysical processes inherent in various agricultural production systems.
- Evaluate critically how individuals from different backgrounds interact with local and global food systems as humans, consumers, producers, and citizens.
- Evaluate critically the social, economic, and environmental outcomes of different food systems.
Advising and Careers
Advising
Questions about the certificate may be directed to the advisor, Megan Banaszak (mbanaszak@wisc.edu), or to the Faculty Chair, Michael Bell (michaelbell@wisc.edu).
Careers
For students in food or agriculture related majors, the certificate in food systems will provide a broader context to their disciplinary studies. As they seek careers, they will be able to provide evidence of enhancing their disciplinary learning and skills with a broader framework of food system concepts, including ideas for enhancing food system sustainability. For students in fields that include food as a possible orientation of their studies, it will provide exposure to the full range of food systems, potentially inspiring an orientation to food as a focus of their studies. For students in any discipline, the certificate in food systems will help them be more informed consumers and better informed citizens, hopefully leading to better choices about what they eat through knowledge of food and the social, economic, and environmental consequences of production, processing, distribution, and consumption.
People
Faculty across campus teach courses in the certificate. Please use the Guide to seek out information on individual courses.
For general certificate inquiries, questions about the culminating experience, direct advising on curricular requirements, or to declare the certificate, contact Megan Banaszak (mbanaszak@wisc.edu).