Food, Food Systems and Culture

The Interdisciplinary Certificate in Food, Food Systems and Culture focuses on developing the student as an informed consumer of food by providing a platform for discussion of what we eat, why we eat, where our food comes from and its journey from production to consumption, and how food affects our bodies, health and lives.

Certificate Requirements

The Food, Food Systems and Culture Certificate requires the completion of a minimum of 4 courses and 12 semester hours as follows. All courses used for the certificate must be completed at UNC Asheville. The certificate may only be completed in conjunction with the completion of an undergraduate degree at UNC Asheville.

At least one course must be chosen from the listing of Food-focused courses. Food-focused courses have food, food systems or food culture as a central theme and consistently offer students an intentionally interdisciplinary experience (e.g. cross-course project or other high impact pedagogical practice). The remaining three or more courses may be chosen from Food-focused or Food-related courses, following the distribution guidelines required of all interdisciplinary certificates. Other courses may be substituted with approval of the certificate coordinator.

Sample courses include Plants and Humans (biology), The Food of Chemistry, Food Politics and Nutrition Policy, and Pathophysiology of Chronic Conditions and Illnesses.

Interdisciplinary certificates may only be completed in conjunction with the completion of an undergraduate degree at UNC Asheville.