COURSE CURRICULUM

The AGFS B.A. program is structured around four key components designed to provide both foundational knowledge and specialized expertise in agriculture and food systems while maintaining academic rigor. Students must achieve at least a C- grade in all required major courses to ensure competency. The foundation courses make up 37 credits and cover essential topics such as horticulture, sustainable agriculture, agroecology, food systems, policy, animal science, biostatistics, chemistry, and soil science, while also fulfilling several university general education requirements. Beyond this core, students are required to complete a 20-credit student-designed emphasis area, allowing them to tailor their studies toward a specific interest such as sustainability, agribusiness, food policy, or environmental management. This emphasis must be carefully planned with an academic advisor and formally approved before the seventh semester, ensuring a cohesive and purposeful academic direction. In addition, students must complete 16 credits of elective courses chosen from an extensive approved list, offering opportunities to explore diverse topics like plant pathology, urban agriculture, animal nutrition, food science, environmental policy, and community development. A key academic requirement is that at least 16 credits from the combined emphasis and elective courses must be taken at the advanced 600 or 700 level, promoting higher-level learning and specialization. The program concludes with a capstone experience during the senior year, where students apply their knowledge in a practical or research-based setting through advanced coursework or collaborative farm design projects; importantly, this capstone cannot count toward elective or emphasis credits. Overall, the program is designed to balance scientific knowledge, practical skills, and interdisciplinary learning, preparing graduates for diverse careers in agriculture, sustainability, food systems management, and related fields while addressing real-world challenges in food production and resource conservation.