Agricultural Sciences (ANFS)

https://colsa.unh.edu/agriculture-nutrition-food-systems

Degrees offered: Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

These programs are offered in Durham.

The Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems offers advanced degrees in Agricultural Sciences at the Masters and Doctoral levels.

Emphasis is placed on acquiring basic and practical knowledge and research experience in one or more of the diverse components of plant and animal agriculture and food systems including: breeding and genetics, physiology, environmental interactions, organismal health, field and greenhouse production, protected agriculture, and the social and economic dimensions of food production and distribution systems. The agricultural sciences graduate programs prepare students to become highly knowledgeable and competent in professional fields related to agriculture and food systems, and leaders in collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts to address local, regional, national and/or global agricultural issues.

With a M.S. or Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, students may pursue careers in plant and animal agriculture, food production and distribution systems, teaching, public service, positions in federal, state, nonprofit, private organizations, and/or related fields.

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems (ANFS)

ANFS 850 - Food system solutions; increasing sustainability and equity

Credits: 4

We will study a range of solutions to address cross-cutting issues in the food system, including unsustainable farming systems, inequitable access to nutritious food, dietary patterns that promote chronic disease, and the lack of sustainable livelihoods for farmers and food chain workers. Students will learn to critically examine policies, programs and social movements aimed at increasing the equity and sustainability of the food system. We will identify the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches, recognizing the limits and blind spots, uneven impacts, and leverage points of the proposed solutions we study. Food systems coursework required prior to taking this course.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

View Course Learning Outcomes

  1. Summarize the embedded assumptions, values, power, and material tradeoffs associated with conventional and alternative food systems.
  2. Demonstrate awareness of a range of approaches designed to address food system issues.
  3. Demonstrate understanding of a range of policies, programs, and social movements developed to make food systems more equitable and sustainable.
  4. Synthesize central themes from the research and gray literature to evaluate proposed solutions from the perspectives of a diverse range of potential stakeholders and communities impacted by programs and initiatives designed to solve complex problems in the food system.
  5. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to address food system challenges, recognizing the limits and potential blind spots and the opportunities and impacts generated by the solutions we study.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to analyze complex food system issues and formulate solutions that account for conflicting interests and needs and consider unintended outcomes or tradeoffs.

View Course Learning Outcomes

ANFS 895 - Special Topics

Credits: 1-4

Advanced studies in specific areas of relevance to agriculture, nutrition, and/or food systems.

Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

ANFS 899 - Master's Thesis

Credits: 1-10

Master's thesis research.

Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 10 credits.

Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading

ANFS 901 - Introduction to Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems Graduate Studies

Credits: 1

This course explores foundational ANFS graduate program expectations (proposed timelines, programmatic requirements, resources, and research opportunities) while modeling collaborative, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based systems learning. Students will investigate selected topics that permeate across traditional discipline boundaries, thus developing skills ubiquitously applicable to all. Students will sharpen critical thinking, writing and presentation skills to apply systems thinking to graduate research studies. The importance of values, ethics, networking, and work/life balance will be explored.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

ANFS 933 - Design, Analysis, and Interpretation of Experiments

Credits: 4

Through in-depth consideration of common general linear models used in the analysis of variance, this course introduces graduate students to the fundamental concepts and statistical methods necessary to plan, conduct, and interpret effective experiments. The course provides an opportunity for graduate students to receive critical input on the experimental design and analysis of their individual research projects. All analyses are conducted using the open-source package R; no previous coding experience is required.

Grade Mode: Letter Grading

ANFS 997 - Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems Seminar

Credits: 1

Graduate student, faculty and invited presenters on current topics in agriculture, animal science, plant science, nutritional sciences and food systems. Open to COLSA graduate students only.

Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 4 credits.

Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading

ANFS 999 - Doctoral Dissertation Research

Credits: 0

Doctoral dissertation research.

Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading

Please see https://colsa.unh.edu/agriculture-nutrition-food-systems/faculty-staff-directory for faculty.