Degree: B.S.
Director: Xenia Morin (xenia.morin@rutgers.edu)
Program Website:
http://agricultureandfoodsystems.rutgers.edu
The agriculture and food systems (A&FS) major is the result of a
major rethinking of the old agricultural science major. Agriculture and
food systems aims to appeal to those who are interested in an
entrepreneurial and innovative education in the agricultural sciences,
spanning the entire range from production to table. The A&FS major
targets students who seek careers in agribusiness, government service,
and agricultural education and extension, as well as those preparing to
be owner/operators of farming enterprises. Rather than provide specific
options within the major as do other majors, a unique aspect of the
A&FS major is the ability of students to tailor their coursework to
their specific interests, due to their ability to choose classes of
interest from several clusters of specific courses. Depending upon the
courses chosen, areas in which a student could focus include
controlled-environment and precision agriculture, agricultural policy
and entrepreneurship, energy efficiency, and niche agriculture,
including agrotourism, community-supported agriculture, and sustainable
agriculture. The curriculum of this major is expected to continue
evolving as additional experience in the delivery of the curriculum's
courses is gained, and new areas of emphasis are identified.
Students interested in agricultural education, and starting in Fall 2019, there is an agricultural education option within agriculture and food systems major. This option may be combined in a 4 + 1 program with the Graduate School of Education.