Urban Food Systems Graduate Certificate

All students are required to meet the general university admission requirements.

Additional Documentation

If you are currently enrolled as a graduate student at K-State, please contact the urban food systems program coordinator at epliakoni@k-state.edu with your interest in completing the graduate certificate.

If you are applying for the graduate certificate without being enrolled in another K-State graduate degree program, apply to the certificate program through the online graduate admissions application process.

When asked to select a degree program, choose "Graduate Certificate" for degree and "Urban Food Systems – Graduate Certificate" for the program. The program will be listed under the Interdisciplinary tab. Once your application is set up, you will be asked to provide the following documents that you will upload to the online application and pay the application fee:

• Statement of purpose (1-2 pages) describing your interest in urban food systems, your objectives in pursuing this certificate and plans for completion of the program requirements. The statement of purpose is an important component of your application.
• Copies of all transcripts. If accepted, you will need to provide official transcripts to the Graduate School.
• One letter of reference from your supervisor, advisor or a professor that can address your ability to succeed in Graduate School. You will provide the name and email address and the online system will email that person and provide them with a link.

In this rapidly growing field, you can have a strong influence through your understanding of how agriculture and food systems impact the lives of people in our communities. Be a force for change in community and economic development, local food accessibility, public and farmer education, or by working to provide nutritious, local and regional food to communities that need them.

Graduates and current students are employed in:

• food systems project management
• urban farming or food production management
• nonprofit management
• food aggregation and distribution
• urban planning and landscape design
• farmers market organization and management
• municipal (city/county) horticulture
• community garden coordination
• extension and public education

Core Courses (6 credits)

• UFS 791 - Urban Agriculture (2 credits)
• UFS 794 - Urban Food Systems (2 credits)
• UFS 796 - Professional Development in Urban Food Systems (1 credit)
• UFS 798 - Urban Food Systems Field Experience (1 credit)

Electives (6 credits)

Select from the following:

Plant and Agricultural Sciences

• HORT 725 - Postharvest Technology and Physiology of Horticultural Crops (3 credits)
• HORT 793 - Farm to Fork Produce Safety (2 credits)
• HORT 795 - Urban Agriculture Study Tour (1 credit) *

Leadership and Management

• CDPLN 700 - Foundations of Community Development (3 credits)
• CDPLN 704 - Community Leadership and Capacity Building (3 credits)
• CDPLN 713 - Nonprofit Management (3 credits)
• CDPLN 720 - Community and Regional Economic Analysis (3 credits)
• DMP 815 - Multidisciplinary Thought and Presentation (3 credits)
• LEAD 801 - Foundations of Leadership (3 credits)

Sociology, Economics and Health

• CDPLN 712 - Sustainable Communities (3 credits)
• FDSCI 630 - Food Science Problems (1-3 credits)
• FDSCI 730 - A Multidisciplinary Overview of Food Safety and Security (2 credits)
• FDSCI 731 - Food Protection and Defense-Essential Concepts (2 credits)
• FNDH 600 - Public Health Nutrition (3 credits)
• FNDH 700 - Global Health and Nutrition (3 credits)
• FNDH 820 - Functional Foods for Chronic Disease Prevention (3 credits)
• FNDH 841 - Consumer Research – Fundamentals (3 credits)
• FNDH 862 - Maternal and Child Nutrition (3 credits)
• LAR 741 - Problems in Landscape Architecture (1-3 credits)
• MPH 818 - Social and Behavioral Bases of Public Health (3 credits)

*These courses are in development to be offered online but are currently only available as on-campus courses.