For Students
Graduate Certificate in Food Systems
About the Certificate
The Graduate Certificate in Food Systems (GCFS) was collaboratively developed in response to an increasing need for innovative solutions to pressing food and farming challenges. The Certificate builds upon UC Berkeley’s strength as a multidisciplinary pioneer in food systems studies and invites graduate and doctoral students from all programs at UC Berkeley to think critically about the multi-level, multi-system factors that affect food production, distribution and consumption. Berkeley Food Institute administers the Certificate with support from affiliated faculty and staff across campus to train the next generation of food and farm systems leaders.
The Certificate offers opportunities to take classes outside degree programs and participate in special projects and events designed specifically for students studying food systems. We encourage those who are interested to apply early in their academic career to gain access to Certificate programming opportunities. Please contact gcfs@berkeley.edu with any questions or to schedule a meeting with the GCFS administrator.
How to earn the Graduate Certificate in Food Systems
To earn the Graduate Certificate in Food Systems, you must:
- Currently be enrolled in a UC Berkeley graduate program.
- Be in good academic standing, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Complete a minimum of nine graduate-level units for a letter grade.
- Complete the required core course, PB HLTH 207 Transforming Food Systems: From Agroecology to Population Health.
Final grades will be verified before the GCFS is awarded. Upon completion, the BFI administrator will send you a required Google form that asks for feedback about the program and suggestions for improvement. Once the form is submitted, the GCFS completion will be noted in the memorandum section of your official transcript (not on your diploma), in addition to providing you with a physical certificate signed by the deans of Berkeley Public Health, Rausser College of Natural Resources and Goldman School of Public Policy.
To apply for the Graduate Certificate, please complete this form. The BFI administrator reviews applications on a rolling basis and will reach out with any follow-up notes, questions or guidance as needed.
PBHLTH 207 Transforming Food Systems: From Agroecology to Population Health is a 3-credit course held every fall and taught by Kristine Madsen, Professor in the Joint Medical Program/Public Health Nutrition. The course is conducted as a weekly seminar with guest lectures by UC Berkeley’s preeminent food systems scholars and other experts in the field. It takes a solutions-oriented approach to address the pressing problems in food systems through strategies used by the disciplines of agroecology, policy, law, public health and business. Through weekly readings, discussions and problem-solving sessions with leading food systems experts, students will gain a broad understanding of food systems and the leverage points that can be targeted to improve the health of people and the planet.
Only pre-approved electives will count toward the Certificate. We encourage students to take elective courses outside their primary degree. Electives develop the knowledge and skills necessary to address critical food and farm systems issues. This Google Excel is updated each semester with elective courses organized in tabs for spring and fall. Not every course is offered annually. Check the catalog.berkeley.edu for the most up-to-date course descriptions and class schedules. This Google sheet also indicates the schools and degree programs with closed enrollment for non-degree seeking candidates. Such classes will require you to follow additional processes to enroll.
Students can propose alternative electives with at least 25% of the core content related to food systems by emailing the GCFS administrator at gcfs@berkeley.edu. Include the course title and a link to the syllabus or enrollment number. The GCFS administrator will get back to you quickly with any follow-up questions or approval. Upon completion of a pre-approved elective, you will need to email the administrator a PDF copy of your final student project demonstrating how you utilized the course skills to examine a food and/or farm systems focus area.
By applying for the Certificate you are automatically included in updates and notifications about new courses, lunch and learns with experts and connections to internships. In past years, students have joined field trips to values-based supply chain businesses and farms, and engaged with organizations and food systems professionals.
Starting fall 2025 GCFS graduate and undergraduate students will have access to mentorship opportunities with alumni professionals. We have a growing network of alumni and we encourage you to join our Berkeley Food Institute Alumni page on LinkedIn to connect with this dynamic network.
In 2025, BFI student fellow, Sofia Lyons, completed a comprehensive GCFS program assessment that looked at how well we were serving students over the years since the program’s founding in 2018. The full report can be found here. Ms. Lyons worked with Jezra Thompson, the GCFS administrator, Professor Kris Madsen and BFI staff to design an evaluation that clarified program objectives, successes and areas for improvement.
The GCFS objectives are defined as:
- Academic Opportunities: Pre-approved electives and the required core course provide a multi-level and multi-system understanding of factors that impact food production, distribution, and consumption locally, nationally and globally.
- Community Building: Students are invited into a community of engaged peers, faculty, alumni and a network of expert professionals off campus.
- Access and Awareness: The student body is diverse in the departments and demographics represented.
- Career Development: Workforce development opportunities are offered to students to help them gain access to various academic and career pathways.
This holistic approach to assessing the GCFS included interviews, literature reviews, survey assessments and a close analysis of original applications approved for establishing a UC Berkeley Certificate. Key learnings and recommendations that came from this assessment include:
- There is low student representation from schools that have more restrictive course requirements and schedules. We address this by offering a flexible elective audit process and engaging with faculty and students from those schools to support food and farm system-aligned curricula and new course offerings.
- Students desire experiential learning opportunities that include field trips, mentorship access and connections to alumni. In spring 2025, we addressed this by facilitating field trips, panels, small group discussions with experts and alumni and developing a mentorship project.
- Community building events organized in the 2024-2025 school year were well attended and received positive feedback, such as gatherings at Oxford Tract farm, field trips to other farms and food hubs and lunch and learns facilitated by graduate students.
In conclusion, this program assessment shows how the Certificate provides invaluable opportunities for students, faculty and staff. It also informs the program’s short and long-term goals. This report gives us a platform to continue to build upon, evaluate and address the needs of our students and those of the overall food and farm system.