Sustainable Food & Farming

4-year Bachelor of Science Degree

Sarah Berquist, MS, Program Advisor

@email

 

Students in this major learn about the complexities of the food system, including farming, marketing, policy, advocacy, and community education. The curriculum is flexible, with a wide range of electives, allowing students to specialize their degree as they desire.

 

To receive a bachelor’s degree, the University requires that you complete the requirements below, and also earn a total of 120 credits. Credits earned beyond the requirements are applied towards the 120.

 

UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (39-45 credits)

NOTE: Be sure to meet with advisor! While the University offers a wide range of courses to satisfy Gen Ed categories, the SFF major has its own specific requirements, some of which can help you to satisfy Gen Ed requirements at the same time. These courses are noted below.

 

STOCKBRIDGE CORE (20-24 credits)

Biological Science (8 cr)      NOTE: STOCKSCH 105 can also satisfy Gen Ed BS (BioSci) Req

STOCKSCH 105 Soils  4

STOCKSCH 108 Introductory Botany  4

 

Chemistry (3-4 cr)     NOTE: CHEM 111 also satisfies Gen Ed PS Req

STOCKSCH 117 Agricultural Chemistry  3

Or CHEM 111 General Chemistry  4

 

Mathematics (3-6 cr)     NOTE: MATH 104 also satisfies Gen Ed R1 Req

MATH 104 Algebra, Analytic Geometry & Trig  3

Or MATH 101 Precalc Algebra and Math 102 Analyt Geom & Trig  6

Or MATH 127 Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences 3

 

Junior Year Writing (3 cr)     NOTE: Either course also satisfies Gen Ed JYW Req

STOCKSCH 382 Professional Development in Sust. Food & Farming  3

Or NATSCI 387 College of Natural Sciences Junior Writing  3

 

Integr. Experience (3 cr)     NOTE: Either course also satisfies Gen Ed IE Req

STOCKSCH 379 Agricultural Systems Thinking  3

Or STOCKSCH 494I Global Issues in Applied Biology  3

 

 

SUSTAINABLE FOOD & FARMING CORE (12 credits)

Students must complete one course from each major core category below.

 

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (3 cr)

STOCKSCH 165 Intro to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems  3

 

Environmental Issues (3 cr)

STOCKSCH 186 Intro to Permaculture  3

STOCKSCH 270 Sustainable Soil and Crop Management  3

STOCKSCH 378 Intro to Agroecology  3

 

Social and Community Issues (3 cr)

STOCKSCH 263 Agricultural Leadership and Community-Based Education  3

STOCKSCH 355 Community Food Systems (online only)  3

STOCKSCH 356 Food Justice and Policy  3

STOCKSCH 358 Social Permaculture for Food Justice  3

 

Economic and Business Issues (3 cr)

STOCKSCH 266 Farm Management, Planning and Marketing  3

STOCKSCH 354 Non-Profit Mgmt. of Community Farming Programs (online)  3

ACCNT 221 Principles of Financial Accounting  3

MKTG 301 Fundamentals of Marketing  3

 

 

SUSTAINABLE FOOD & FARMING ELECTIVES (27 credits)

Students must complete 27 credits from across the categories below, with a minimum of 6 credits from each of the Mid- and Upper-level lists of electives, and a maximum of 9 credits from the list of Lower-level electives. Students may use up to 9 credits from the Practica and Independent Study list.

 

Lower-Level Electives (Max 9 cr can apply to SFF Electives Requirement)

STOCKSCH 200 Plant Propagation  4

STOCKSCH 209 Holistic Fruit Production (online)  3

STOCKSCH 210 Retail Floral Design  3

STOCKSCH 211 Pasture Management  3

STOCKSCH 258 Urban Agriculture (online)  3

STOCKSCH 263 Agricultural Leadership & Community Education  3

STOCKSCH 266 Farm Management, Planning and Marketing  3

STOCKSCH 268 Small Farm Husbandry I – Meat Animals  3

STOCKSCH 269 Small Farm Husbandry II – Poultry & Pigs  4

STOCKSCH 270 Sustainable Crop and Soil Management  3

STOCKSCH 280 Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants (online)  4

STOCKSCH 281 Topics in Herbalism (online)  2

STOCKSCH 284 Cultivation of Edible Mushrooms (online)  3

STOCKSCH 286 Permaculture Design and Practice  3

STOCKSCH 289 Forest Gardens: Perennial Ag. for Ecological Regeneration  3

STOCKSCH 290N Native Food Systems (online)  3

STOCKSCH 297L Intro to Food and Agricultural Law (online)  3

 

Mid-Level Electives (Min 6 cr required)

STOCKSCH 301 General Plant Pathology (formerly 505)  3

STOCKSCH 315 Greenhouse Management  4

STOCKSCH 320 Organic Vegetable Production  3

STOCKSCH 350 Sustainable Soil and Crop Management  3

STOCKSCH 354 Non-Profit Mgmt for Community Food Programs (online)  3

STOCKSCH 358 Social Permaculture: Building Resilient Communities  3

STOCKSCH 365 Hydroponics (online)  4

STOCKSCH 376 Student Farm Management I: Planning for Production  3

STOCKSCH 378 Intro Agroecology  3

STOCKSCH 379 Agricultural Systems Thinking  3

STOCKSCH 384 Plant Physiology  3

STOCKSCH 386 Sustainable Site Design and Planning (online)  3

STOCKSCH 387 Global Food Systems  3

STOCKSCH 476 Student Farm Mgmt II: Harvesting, Marketing and Mgmt  3

STOCKSCH 490S Soil Ecology  4

STOCKSCH 494i Global Issues in Applied Biology  3

 

Upper-Level Electives (Min 6 cr required)

STOCKSCH 510 Management and Ecology of Plant Diseases  3

STOCKSCH 515 Microbiology of the Soil  3

STOCKSCH 523 Plant Stress Physiology  3

STOCKSCH 530 Plant Nutrition  4

STOCKSCH 575 Environmental Soil Chemistry  3-4

STOCKSCH 580 Soil Fertility  3

STOCKSCH 581 Integrated Pest Management  4-5

STOCKSCH 587 Phyto/bioremediation  3

STOCKSCH 597AL Advanced Agricultural Leadership & Community Education  3

STOCKSCH 597S Advanced Community Food Systems  3

 

Practica and Independent Study (OPTIONAL: Max 9 cr can apply)

NOTE: From this list, students may take up to 18 credits, but only 9 credits can be applied to the 27-credit Sustainable Food & Farming Electives requirement. Additional credits earned here can be applied to the 120 credits needed to graduate.

STOCKSCH 396 Independent Study  1-6

STOCKSCH 398 Practicum  1-9

STOCKSCH 398D HydroFarm Practicum  1-3

STOCKSCH 398E Farm Enterprise Practicum  1-6

STOCKSCH 398G Greenhouse Practicum  1-9

STOCKSCH 398P Permaculture Practicum  4

STOCKSCH 496C Teaching Assistant  2-4

STOCKSCH 498E Farm Enterprise Practicum II  1-6

 

NOTE: A bachelor’s degree requires 120 credits. After completing all university gen ed requirements, and all major requirements, you’ll still have several “free” credits with which to pursue a double major, a minor, or just a passion. UMass provides a lot of options for adding your own flavor to your degree.