Undergraduate Course Catalog 2012-2013
College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
» http://www.colsa.unh.edu/
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS)
» http://sustainableag.unh.edu/
» Click to view course offerings
Professor: David L. Berlinsky, William E. Berndtson, John E. Carroll, Andrew B. Conroy, Thomas M. Davis, Jon M. Wraith
Associate Professor: Alberto B. Manalo, David H. Townson
Assistant Professor: Andre F. Brito, Kirk D. Broders, +Iago L. Hale, Richard G. Smith
Clinical Assistant Professor: Joanne D. Burke
Lecturer: Trent S. Schriefer
Extension Professor: Catherine A. Neal, Cheryl A. Smith
Extension Associate Faculty: Rebecca Grube Sideman
Extension Assistant Professor: Brian A. Krug
The sustainable agriculture and food systems (SAFS) program offers a flexible curriculum to students seeking to acquire integrated knowledge and experiences related to modern agricultural and food systems and/or preparing for varied careers in these fields. It draws upon the diverse course offerings by the three academic departments in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and the Thompson School of Applied Science as well as those from other colleges at UNH.
Students in this program will obtain knowledge in a variety of topics including sustainable agricultural practices, the promotion of healthy eating through sustainable food production and food policies, the science and management of working landscapes, locally produced foods and value-added agricultural products. SAFS graduates will be prepared to pursue careers in a wide range of fields including, but not limited to, integrated agriculture; the production of food, fiber, and agricultural services; management and marketing of agricultural operations; management of working lands and landscapes; agriculture/food/nutrition/natural resources-related research; policy-making; and other current and emerging professions.
The program offers both a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree and a bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree. The B.A. degree will be particularly useful to those interested in having more flexibility to take courses from a variety of disciplines or pursuing a dual degree, second major, or minor. The B.S. degree will best serve those seeking a strong foundation in scientific and technical knowledge and/or who envision pursuing an advanced degree.
Foundation Requirements
All students pursuing either a B.A. or B.S. in SAFS are required to earn 38 credits of foundation courses which will provide them with fundamental knowledge in disciplines relevant to agricultural production and management. Most of these courses are offered by departments in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. The specific courses that meet foundation requirements are as follows:
PBIO 405, Organic and Sustainable Food Production
CHEM 403, General Chemistry I or equivalent
SAFS 502, Agroecology
NUTR 405, Food and Society
ANSC 401, Animals and Society
EREC 411, Environmental and Resource Economics Perspectives
PBIO 421, Introductory Horticulture
NR 501, Studio Soils
BIOL 528, Applied Biostatistics I
Other Requirements for B.A. Students
Student-Designed Emphasis Area: Earn 20 credits to complete the emphasis area requirement. Students may select a cohesive group of courses from the List of Approved Program Electives, or may use a group of courses transferred from a completed 2-year degree program such as the Thompson School of Applied Sciences. Students will define their emphasis area and submit it to the SAFS program advisory committee for approval prior to the start of their fifth semester or third year.
Program Electives: Complete 20 credits of courses found in the List of Approved Program Elective Courses.
Senior Capstone Experience: Earn at least 4 credits in a course approved and supervised by the SAFS Program. Capstone experiences may include formal coursework, pre-approved honors theses or mentored research projects, or other special student activities accepted by the SAFS program.
Of the emphasis and program elective courses, at least 16 credits (not counting the capstone) must be earned at the 600 or 700 level. Furthermore, at least four credits must qualify as experiential.
Other Requirements for B.S. Students
B.S. students must meet the Student-Designed Emphasis Area, Program Electives, and Senior Capstone Experience requirements described above for B.A. students. In addition, they must satisfy the Core Science Courses requirement by completing 12 credits of science courses chosen from the List of Approved Core Science Courses.
Of the core science emphasis and program elective courses, at least 20 credits (not counting the Capstone) must be earned at the 600 or 700 level. Moreover, at least four credits must qualify as experiential.
The List of Approved Program Elective Courses, which includes those classified as Experiential, and List of Approved Core Science Courses may be obtained from the program director.
University Requirements
In addition to meeting the SAFS major requirements, students must satisfy all University requirements including those that pertain to the minimum number of credits, grade-point average, writing-intensive courses, the Discovery Program, and foreign language (only for B.A. students).
Students interested in the sustainable agriculture and food systems program should contact Becky Sideman at (603) 862-3203 or becky.sideman@unh.edu.
