Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems (BS): Community Food Systems Concentration
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
The Bachelor of Science in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems is offered jointly through the Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences and Horticultural Science. This multidisciplinary major offers students diverse courses, hands-on learning, community engagement opportunities, internships, and research experiences to address the grand challenges of agriculture and food systems. Students can choose from three career path concentrations – Agroecology Research and Production, Community Food Systems, and Urban Horticulture.
The Agroecology Research and Production concentration is for students interested in the deeper science of sustainable agriculture production practices, research, and graduate school opportunities in agriculture, entomology, horticulture, soil sciences and related sciences. Students will have the opportunity to learn from a wide diversity of faculty leading cutting edge sustainable agriculture research, many at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), a national recognized sustainable agriculture research, education and extension facility.
Community Food Systems is a broad concentration for students interested in connecting production with issues in the greater food system, such as food security, policy, community education or extension. Students can also participate in social science, agricultural economics, agriculture education research and others with food system with researchers at CEFS and NC State that support this concentration.
The Urban Horticulture concentration integrates horticulture production and agriculture business education for students interested in starting or managing their own sustainable horticultural farm, working with community gardens, and more. There are many focused horticulture classes, research and internship opportunities as well for this concentration.
Program Highlights:
- Students in our program gain valuable hands-on experience in sustainable and organic production in our hands-on Agroecology Education Farm, a student farm near campus where all the food produced goes back into NC State Dining cafeterias and the food pantry on campus.
- Students interested in Agroecology can also join the Agroecology Student Club at NC State who organize various sustainable agriculture and food system activities each semester.
- As a required part of the curriculum, students will complete either an internship program or research experience to gain practical and professional development experience. Students will have no problems finding an opportunity with the numerous sustainable agriculture researchers and community stakeholders that collaborate with NC State focused in sustainable agriculture and food systems.
- Seniors will complete a Senior Capstone Project through which they draw on both their major courses and their concentration to address a problem or issue that they identify.
- Agroecology and Sustainable Food System students have the opportunity to student abroad with the various global food and sustainable agriculture focused study abroad programs in Ireland, Scotland, England, Mexico and others.
Contact Person
Undergraduate Programs Office
Crop & Soil Sciences Department
2234 Williams Hall
Campus Box 7620
919-515-5820
cropsoil-undergraduate-office@ncsu.edu
For more information about our program, visit our website.
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| ALS 103 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 | |
| or ALS 303 | Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | ||
| CSSC 290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 | |
| Mathematics & Natural Sciences | |||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Elements of Calculus | |||
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | |||
| Calculus I | |||
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 | |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 | |
| or PB 200 | Plant Life | ||
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 | |
| AEC 360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| or PB 360 | Ecology | ||
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 | |
| Communication/Advanced Writing | |||
| COM 110 | Public Speaking | 3 | |
| or COM 112 | Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
| Communication Methods and Media | |||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | |||
| Communication for Business and Management | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| Major Requirements | |||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 | |
| CS 230 | Introduction to Agroecology 1 | 3 | |
| CS/HS 410 | Community Food Systems | 3 | |
| CS 415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 | |
| CS 430 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 | |
| CS/HS 480 | Sustainable Food Production (capstone) | 1 | |
| FS/NTR 301 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 | |
| SOC 202 | Principles of Sociology | 3 | |
| SOC 350 | Food and Society | 3 | |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science 1 | 3 | |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| SSC 427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 | |
| SSC 428 | Service-Learning in Urban Agriculture Systems | 1 | |
| Experiential Learning | 3 | ||
| Select one of the following: | |||
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | |||
| International Learning Experience in Agriculture and Life Sciences | |||
| Teaching Experience in Horticultural Science | |||
| Concentration Electives | |||
| Foundational Elective | 3 | ||
| Agricultural Sciences Electives | 9 | ||
| Economics, Education and Policy Electives | 9 | ||
| Advanced Economics, Education and Policy Electives | 9 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) | 4 | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement.
Foundational Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS 224 | Seeds, Biotechnology and Societies | 3 | |
| ES 200 | Climate Change and Sustainability | 3 | |
| FW 221 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 | |
| IDS 203 | Humans and the Environment | 3 | |
| SSC 185 | Land and Life | 3 | |
| STS 323 | World Population and Food Prospects | 3 |
Agricultural Sciences Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 203 | An Introduction to the Honey Bee and Beekeeping | 3 | |
| AEC 400 | Applied Ecology | 3 | |
| CS 213 | Crop Science | 3 | |
| CS 214 | Crop Science Laboratory | 1 | |
| CS 216 | Southern Row Crop Production - Cotton, Peanuts, and Tobacco | 3 | |
| CS 218 | Southern Row Crop Production - Corn, Small Grains and Soybeans | 3 | |
| CS 251 | Production of Forage Crops | 3 | |
| CS 411 | Crop Ecology | 3 | |
| CS 424 | Seed Physiology | 3 | |
| ENT 401 | Honey Bee Biology and Management | 3 | |
| ENT 425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| ENT 526 | Organic Agriculture: Principles and Practices | 3 | |
| HS 205 | Home Food Production | 3 | |
| HS 431 | Vegetable Production | 4 | |
| HS 432 | Introduction to Permaculture | 3 | |
| HS 451 | Plant Nutrition | 3 | |
| HS 462 | Postharvest Physiology | 3 | |
| HS 476 | Crop Physiology and Production in Controlled Environments | 3 | |
| PB 215 | Medicinal Plants | 3 | |
| PB 250 | Plant Biology | 4 | |
| PB 321 | Introduction to Whole Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| PB 345 | Economic Botany | 3 | |
| PB 346 | Economic Botany Lab | 1 | |
| PP 315 | Principles of Plant Pathology | 4 | |
| PB 450 | Plant Ecology | 3 | |
| SSC 332 | Environmental Soil Microbiology | 3 | |
| SSC 455 | Soils, Environmental Quality and Global Challenges | 3 |
Economics, Education and Policy Elective
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEE 206 | Introduction to Teaching Agriculture | 3 | |
| AEE 230 | Introduction to Cooperative Extension | 3 | |
| AEE 311 | Communication Methods and Media | 3 | |
| AEE 323 | Leadership Development in Agriculture and Life Sciences | 3 | |
| AEE 325 | Planning and Delivering Non-Formal Education | 3 | |
| AEE 326 | Teaching Diverse Learners in AED | 3 | |
| ARE 215 | Small Business Accounting | 3 | |
| ARE 306 | Agricultural Law | 3 | |
| ARE 309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| ARE 311 | Agricultural Markets | 3 | |
| ARE 336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 | |
| COM 289 | Science Communication and Public Engagement | 3 | |
| GPH 201 | Fundamentals of Global Public Health | 3 | |
| NPS 340 | Fundamentals of Grant Development for Nonprofits | 3 | |
| IDS 201 | Environmental Ethics | 3 | |
| IDS 211 | Eating through American History | 3 | |
| NTR 210 | Introduction to Community Food Security | 3 | |
| NTR 310 | Food Insecurity and Federal Nutrition Programs | 3 | |
| NTR 330 | Public Health Nutrition | 3 | |
| IDS 203 | Humans and the Environment | 3 |
Advanced Economics, Education and Policy Elective
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEE 433 | Leadership and Management of Volunteers in Agricultural and Extension Education | 3 | |
| AEE 435 | Professional Presentations in Agricultural Organizations | 3 | |
| AEE 460 | Organizational Leadership Development in Agriculture and Life Sciences | 3 | |
| AEE 450 | Transformative Leadership in Agricultural and Life Sciences | 3 | |
| AEE 478 | Advanced Issues in Extension Education | 3 | |
| ARE 433 | U.S. Agricultural Policy | 3 | |
| ARE 448 | International Agricultural Trade | 3 | |
| NPS 340 | Fundamentals of Grant Development for Nonprofits | 3 | |
| PS 320 | U.S. Environmental Law and Politics | 3 | |
| SOC 311 | Community Relationships | 3 | |
| SOC 342 | International Development | 3 |
Semester Sequence
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ALS 103 or ALS 303 | Freshman Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences or Transfer Transitions and Diversity in Agriculture & Life Sciences | 1 |
| CSSC 290 | Professional Development in Crop & Soil Sciences | 1 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Elements of Calculus | ||
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Foundation Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIO 183 or PB 200 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology or Plant Life | 4 |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Agricultural Sciences Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| CS 230 | Introduction to Agroecology | 3 |
| AEC 360 or PB 360 | Ecology or Ecology | 4 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ARE 201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| SSC 200 | Soil Science | 3 |
| SSC 201 | Soil Science Laboratory | 1 |
| NTR/FS 301 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 |
| Economics, Education and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Agricultural Sciences Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SOC 202 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| SSC 427 | Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems | 3 |
| SSC 428 | Service-Learning in Urban Agriculture Systems | 1 |
| CS/HS 410 | Community Food Systems | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication Methods and Media | ||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Economics, Education and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 430 | Advanced Agroecology | 4 |
| SOC 350 | Food and Society | 3 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Agricultural Sciences Elective | 3 | |
| Economics, Education and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CS/HS 480 | Sustainable Food Production (capstone) | 1 |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| Advanced Economics, Education and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Advanced Economics, Education and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Professional Internship Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | ||
| Research Experience in Crop and Soil Sciences | ||
| International Learning Experience in Agriculture and Life Sciences | ||
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CS 415 | Integrated Pest Management | 3 |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| Advanced Economics, Education and Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 4 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Career Opportunities
Interested in food policy and education, nutrition, food security, community impacts, and graduate school opportunities in sociology, economics, education and other disciplines related to food? Then Community Food Systems is for you. Career tracks include:
- Agricultural Educator
- Agriculture Extension Agent
- Community Education Specialist
- Community Garden Manager
- Local Food Procurement Professional
- Food Policy Specialist
- Food Security Professional
- Food Educator
- Community Garden Director
- Farmer/farm worker advocacy professional