The minor in food systems is designed to provide students from a range of disciplines with the knowledge and skills to understand how factors of the food system affect the health of a community (e.g., nutrition, food security, inequity, agriculture, food safety). Using a systems approach, students will study the interrelating components, drivers, and outcomes in the national and global food systems, including the obesity epidemic, food security, and the environmental impact of agriculture.

Policies

To complete the minor, students are required to pass at least 15 credits of undergraduate coursework. At least six credits must be completed at Mason, and no more than three credits of C- or D in the minor are accepted. Eight credits of coursework must be unique to the minor.

Students should be familiar with university-wide requirements for minors described in AP.5.3.4 Minors.

Banner Code: FOOD

Minor Requirements

Total credits: minimum 15

Required Courses

NUTR 295Introduction to Nutrition (Mason Core)3
NUTR 318Global Nutrition and Food Security3
NUTR 326Food Systems3
NUTR 383Taste and Place3
Select one course from the following:3
Experimental Foods
and Experimental Foods Lab
Introduction to Food Safety and Defense
Fundamentals of Cooking
Introduction to Wine and Beer
Urban Agriculture
Food and Human Evolution
Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
Urban Ecosystems and Processes
Food Systems and Policy (Mason Core)
Sustainable Food Systems
Professional Pathways in Sustainable Food Systems
Plants and People - Sustenance, Ceremony, and Sustainability
Global Environmental Ethics (Mason Core)
Topics in Environmental Philosophy (Mason Core)
Ethics and Economics
Food and Beverage Management
Total Credits15