Agriculture and Food Systems Major (B.S.)
https://colsa.unh.edu/agriculture-nutrition-food-systems/program/bs/agriculture-food-systems-major
Building on a strong foundation in the biological sciences, the Agriculture and Food Systems B.S. offers a highly flexible curriculum to students interested in cultivating expertise in a wide variety of topics including modern agricultural practices, the science and management of working landscapes, local and regional food systems, value-added agricultural products, and the promotion of healthy eating through sustainable food production and policies. An interdisciplinary field comprising the social, physical, and life sciences and beyond, agriculture and food systems lie at the center of many of the major challenges facing the world, such as producing food to meet the needs of an ever-growing population while conserving natural resources and promoting human wellness.
Our students get hands-on experience in applied coursework and are actively encouraged to conduct impactful research alongside faculty. Our graduates become practitioners and entrepreneurs of agricultural and food businesses, researchers and policy-makers at state/federal agencies and non-profit organizations, laboratory technicians, and agricultural educators. Some go on to obtain advanced degrees in the agricultural sciences.
Degree Requirements
All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.
Major Requirements
The AGFS B.S. program structure includes FOUR major components: foundation courses, courses in a student-designed emphasis area, program elective courses, and a capstone. Students must earn a minimum grade of C- in all courses required for the major.
Foundation courses include 49 credits, which satisfy at least 6 of the University Discovery requirements.
Student-Designed Emphasis courses include 20 credits that make up a cohesive emphasis or focus area. Courses may be selected from the List of Approved Program Electives, but do not need to be on that list. Each student will define their emphasis area in consultation with their advisor and submit it to the AGFS program committee for approval prior to the start of their 7th semester.
Elective courses include 16 credits, chosen from the List of Approved Program Elective courses.
A Capstone experience must take place during senior year. There are two capstone course options below. The capstone MAY NOT be counted towards elective or emphasis credits.
Of the Student-Designed Emphasis and Program Elective courses, at least 16 credits (not counting the capstone) must be earned at the 600/700-level.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses (B.S.) | ||
| AGFS 405 | Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production | 4 |
| AGFS 421 | Introductory Horticulture | 4 |
| AGFS 502 | Agroecology | 4 |
| AGFS 602 | Emphasis Development and Professional Pathways in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems | 1 |
| AGFS 620 | Food Systems & Community Resilience | 4 |
| ANSC 421 | Introduction to Animal Science | 4 |
| BIOL 411 | Introductory Biology: Molecular and Cellular | 4 |
| BIOL 412 | Introductory Biology: Evolution, Biodiversity and Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 528 | Applied Biostatistics I | 4 |
| or NR 525 | Statistical Methods and Applications | |
| AGFS 690 | Agricultural and Food Policy | 4 |
| or NR 411 | Environmental and Resource Economics Perspectives | |
| or ECON 402 | Principles of Economics (Micro) | |
| CHEM 403 | General Chemistry I 1 | 4 |
| or CHEM 411 | Introductory Chemistry for Life Sciences | |
| CHEM 404 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| or BMCB 501 | Biological Chemistry | |
| or BIOL 541W | Ecology | |
| NR 501 | Studio Soils | 4 |
| Student-Designed Emphasis Area | ||
| At least 20 credits, proposed using the emphasis area declaration form (see your advisor) at least 2 semesters prior to planned graduation date. | 20 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 16 credits from the approved electives list below. | 16 | |
| Capstone | ||
| AGFS 733W | Advanced Topics in Agriculture and Food Systems | 4 |
| or ANSC 750 | Collaborative Farm Design and Development | |
| Total Credits | 89 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Approved Electives | ||
| AAS 421 | Large Animal Behavior and Handling Techniques | 2 |
| AAS 423 | Dairy Selection | 2 |
| AAS 425 | Introduction to Dairy Herd Management | 4 |
| AAS 432 | Introduction to Forage and Grassland Management | 3 |
| AAS 434 | Equipment and Facilities Management | 3 |
| AAS 439 | Fundamentals of Animal Health | 2 |
| AGFS 410 | A Taste of the Tropics | 4 |
| AGFS 415 | Introduction to Brewing Art and Science | 4 |
| AGFS 515 | Technical Brewing | 4 |
| AGFS 601 | Fruit Crop Production | 4 |
| AGFS 632 | Urban Agriculture | 4 |
| AGFS 651 | Plant Pathology | 4 |
| AGFS 670 | Systems Thinking: Land Use Capability and Sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand | 4 |
| AGFS 671 | Agroecology and Sustainable Land Management in Aotearoa New Zealand | 4 |
| AGFS 672 | Pathways to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Aotearoa New Zealand | 4 |
| AGFS 673 | Agricultural Production and Business Practice in Aotearoa New Zealand | 4 |
| AGFS 679 | Food Production Field Experience I | 4 |
| AGFS 680 | Food Production Field Experience II | 4 |
| AGFS 689W | Greenhouse Management and Operation | 4 |
| AGFS 733W | Advanced Topics in Agriculture and Food Systems | 4 |
| AGFS 750 | Food System Solutions; Increasing Sustainability and Equity | 4 |
| AGFS 760W | Integrated Pest Management | 4 |
| AGFS 795 | Investigations | 1 |
| AGFS 795W | Investigations | 1 |
| ANSC 548 | Agricultural Business Management | 4 |
| ANSC 600 | Field Experience | 1-4 |
| ANSC 602 | Animal Rights and Societal Issues | 4 |
| ANSC 603 | Introduction to Livestock Management | 4 |
| ANSC 605 | Poultry Production and Health Management | 4 |
| ANSC 609 | Principles of Animal Nutrition | 4 |
| ANSC 612 | Genetics of Animals | 4 |
| ANSC 625 | Animal Diseases | 4 |
| ANSC 650 | Dairy Industry Travel Course | 1 |
| ANSC 690 | Livestock and Wildlife in Namibia: Challenges, Opportunities and Geography | 4 |
| ANSC 698 | Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management (CREAM) | 4 |
| ANSC 701 | Physiology of Reproduction | 4 |
| ANSC 710 | Dairy Nutrition | 4 |
| ANSC 715 | Physiology of Lactation | 4 |
| ANSC 724 | Reproductive Management and Artificial Insemination | 4 |
| ANSC 727 | Advanced Dairy Management I | 4 |
| ANSC 728 | Advanced Dairy Management II | 4 |
| ANSC 750 | Collaborative Farm Design and Development | 4 |
| ANSC 795 | Investigations | 1-4 |
| BIOL 409 | Green Life: Introducing the Botanical Sciences | 4 |
| BIOL 510 | Mushrooms, Molds, and Mildews: Introduction to the Fungal Kingdom | 4 |
| BIOL 541W | Ecology | 4 |
| BIOL 566 | Systematic Botany | 4 |
| BIOL 704 | Plant-Microbe Interactions | 3 |
| BIOL 720 | Plant-Animal Interactions | 4 |
| BIOL 752 | New England Mushrooms: a Field and Lab Exploration | 4 |
| BMS 503 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| BMS 504 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| CEP 415 | Community Development Perspectives | 4 |
| CHBE 410 | Energy and Environment | 4 |
| ECOG 401 | Introduction to Ecogastronomy | 4 |
| AGFS 690 | Agricultural and Food Policy | 4 |
| NR 579 | Wildland Fire Ecology and Management | 4 |
| GEN 604 | Principles of Genetics | 4 |
| GEN 772 | Evolutionary Genetics of Plants | 4 |
| GEOG 670 | Climate and Society | 4 |
| HMGT 570 | International Food and Culture | 4 |
| MGT 520 | Topics in Management | 4 |
| MKTG 530 | Survey of Marketing | 4 |
| NR 425 | Field Dendrology | 4 |
| NR 435 | Contemporary Conservation Issues and Environmental Awareness | 4 |
| NR 504 | Freshwater Resources | 4 |
| NR 506 | Forest Entomology | 4 |
| NR 527 | Forest Ecology | 4 |
| NR 602 | Natural Resources and Environmental Policy | 4 |
| NR 643 | Economics of Forestry | 4 |
| NR 650 | Principles of Conservation Biology | 4 |
| NR 706 | Soil Ecology | 4 |
| NR 729 | Silviculture | 4 |
| NR 749 | Forest Inventory and Modeling | 4 |
| NR 760 | Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resources | 4 |
| NR 761 | Environmental Soil Chemistry | 4 |
| NR 782 | Forest Health in a Changing World | 4 |
| NR 785 | Systems Thinking for Sustainable Solutions | 4 |
| NUTR 400 | Nutrition in Health and Well Being | 4 |
| NUTR 405 | Food and Society | 4 |
| NUTR 550 | Food Science: Principle and Practice | 4 |
| NUTR 720 | Community Nutrition | 4 |
| NUTR 730 | From Seed to Sea: Examining Sustainable Food Systems | 4 |
| NUTR 795 | Investigations | 1-4 |
| RMP 724 | Research, Evaluation, and Data-Driven Decisions | 4 |
| MEFB 772 | Fisheries Biology: Conservation and Management | 4 |
| ZOOL 555 | Introduction to Entomology | 4 |
| ZOOL 610 | Principles of Aquaculture | 4 |
University Requirements
In addition to meeting the AGFS major requirements, students must satisfy all University requirements including those that pertain to the minimum number of credits, grade-point average, writing-intensive courses, and the Discovery Program.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate a working understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of agriculture and food systems and the basic principles underpinning sustainability including: economic viability, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and the trade-offs between competing metrics of sustainability.
- Students will demonstrate in-depth knowledge, critical thinking and analysis, and effective written communication in a self-declared area of emphasis within the program.
- Students will gain an applied understanding of agriculture and food systems by engaging in an experiential education opportunity.
- Students will be able to independently interpret, evaluate, and engage with research in the agricultural sciences, including its biological, physical, social, and/or economic aspects.