Food Systems Course List
We have compiled a comprehensive list of undergraduate and graduate food systems courses across campus. The courses are organized by department in alphabetical order. To search the online database for specific faculty or keywords, use Command+F.
If you teach or know of a class that is not on the list, please let us know at foodinstitute@berkeley.edu.
Undergraduate Minor in Food Systems
BFI collaborated with an interdisciplinary group of faculty, students, and administrative staff to develop an undergraduate minor in food systems, which launched in Fall 2015. The Food Systems minor, hosted by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management (ESPM) at the Rausser College of Natural Resources, is an interdisciplinary program of study that explores the role of food within the environment and society. Learn more about the Food Systems Minor here.
Graduate Certificate in Food Systems
The Graduate Certificate in Food Systems (GCFS) responds to an escalating need to empower new leaders with the capacity to create innovative solutions to pressing food and agriculture challenges. Building on UC Berkeley’s strength as a multi-disciplinary pioneer in food systems studies, the Certificate in Food Systems prepares master’s and doctoral students to think critically about the multi-level, multi-system factors that affect food production, distribution, and consumption locally, nationally, and globally. This interdisciplinary program complements students’ primary fields of study by addressing the ecological, social, health, political, policy, legal, and economic dimensions of food and agriculture and providing graduates with the necessary theoretical framework and practical skills that can be applied across diverse and emerging food-systems challenges.
The GCFS is hosted by the School of Public Health, Rausser College of Natural Resources, and Goldman School of Public Policy, and administered by the Berkeley Food Institute. Students from any graduate program at UC Berkeley are eligible to undergo the certificate.
See more here.
Graduate Degrees in Food Systems at UC Berkeley
As a Research Center, the Berkeley Food Institute does not offer degree-granting programs. If you wish to undertake graduate studies in food systems topics at UC Berkeley, you will need to apply to one of the many schools or departments offering related coursework, including, but not limited to: Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM), Agricultural and Resource Economics, Geography, Public Health, City and Regional Planning, Sociology, Public Policy, Anthropology, Journalism, Law, Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, Business, and Landscape Architecture. You should approach specific faculty members who could serve as your admitting professor. Please see our list of affiliated faculty for individual and departmental interests. If you are admitted to UC Berkeley, you will have many opportunities to engage with BFI’s programs and research projects.
Edible Education
Edible Education 101 is a hybrid public lecture series and for-credit class in partnership with the Edible Schoolyard Project and UC Berkeley. It has been offered to undergraduate students and members of the public since 2011, and explores the future of food, its diverse systems, and movements. The course is offered free to the public through the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. We invite you to attend the class in person or stream lectures live each week. You can find more information on the course and individual lectures by visiting the Edible Schoolyard website. Lecture topics have included organic agriculture, food safety, hunger, farm bill reform, farm-to-school initiatives, agroecology, labor in the food system, urban agriculture, food sovereignty, and local food economies.
