Sustainable Food Systems B.S.

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems B.S. – Pre-Fall 2026

Contact

John Taylor
ph: 401.874.9027
email: jr_taylor@uri.edu

The SAFS B.S. is a legacy program superseded by the SFS BS and BA programs.and that These pages are provided only for the reference of students already enrolled in the SAFS B.S. program.

Specializations:

Food and Society

Students in this option will specialize in the social, political, economic, and marketing aspects of food production.

Requirements

120 credits are required to graduate, including:

A common introductory core sequence including:

  • AFS/AVS/PLS 132G: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems, and Society
  • COM/SUS 108G: Spaceship Earth: Communication and Sustainability
  • EEC 105: Intro to Resource Economics
  • HSS/PSY 130G: The Problem of Hunger in the U.S.
  • NFS 210: Applied General Nutrition
  • BIO 101/103: Principles of Biology I/Lab
  • BIO 102/104: Principles of Biology II/Lab
  • CHM 101/102: General Chemistry Lecture I/Lab or CHM 103/105: Intro to Chemistry/Lab
  • APG/SOC/GWS 308: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Cultures

Two courses on the cultural aspects of food, chosen from:

  • APG 203: Cultural Anthropology
  • APG/SOC 329: Contemporary Mexican Society
  • APG/SOC 415: Migration in the Americas
  • and other relevant courses in APG, GWS, SOC

Two courses on policy, chosen from:

  • MAF 100: Human Use and Management of the Marine Environment
  • APG/MAF 413: Peoples of the Sea
  • MAF 330: World Fishing
  • and other relevant courses in APG, MAF

Two courses on economics, chosen from:

  • EEC 205: Environmental Economics and Policy
  • EEC 310: Economics of Natural Resource Management and Policy
  • EEC 325: Planning and Managing a Small Natural Resources Firm
  • EEC 355: The Economics of Climate Change
  • EEC 440: Benefit-Cost Analysis

Two courses from each of the two other options (Sustainable Agriculture, Nutrition and Food).

A robust capstone experience in which students will master the ability to address the complex challenges in the area of sustainable agriculture and food systems through experiential learning in interdisciplinary teams. Students are required to take a total of 13 credits, including 4 credits of internship or special project and an additional 9 credits in courses to choose from NRS 300, PLS 320, PLS 385, AVS/NFS 404, or SAF 400G.

Nutrition and Food

Students in this option will learn the basic principles of food science and nutrition.

Requirements

120 credits are required to graduate, including:

A common introductory core sequence including:

  • AFS/AVS/PLS 132G: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems, and Society
  • COM/SUS 108G: Spaceship Earth: Communication and Sustainability
  • EEC 105: Intro to Resource Economics
  • HSS/PSY 130G: The Problem of Hunger in the U.S.
  • NFS 210: Applied General Nutrition
  • BIO 101/103: Principles of Biology I/Lab
  • BIO 102/104: Principles of Biology II/Lab
  • CHM 101/102: General Chemistry Lecture I/Lab or CHM 103/105: Intro to Chemistry/Lab
  • APG/SOC/GWS 308: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Cultures

Students are required to take:

  • NFS 212G: Public Health Nutrition
  • NFS/CMB 245: Food Safety and Microbiology
  • NFS/CMB 336: Scientific Principles of Food I
  • NFS/CMB 337: Scientific Principles of Food II
  • NFS/CMB 375: Food Service Management I
  • NFS/CMB 376: Food Service Management II
  • Two courses from each of the two other options (Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Society).

A robust capstone experience in which students will master the ability to address the complex challenges in the area of sustainable agriculture and food systems through experiential learning in interdisciplinary teams. Students are required to take a total of 13 credits, including 4 credits of internship or special project and an additional 9 credits in courses to choose from NRS 300, PLS 320, PLS 385, AVS/NFS 404, or SAF 400G.

Sustainable Agriculture

Students in this option will specialize in the harvesting and production of either terrestrial or aquatic plants and animals for human uses. They will understand the integrated components of fisheries and agriculture/aquaculture systems (soils, microbes, plants, animals), and the impacts of agriculture and food harvesting on the environment.

Requirements

120 credits are required to graduate, including:

A common introductory core sequence including:

  • AFS/AVS/PLS 132G: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems, and Society
  • COM/SUS 108G: Spaceship Earth: Communication and Sustainability
  • EEC 105: Intro to Resource Economics
  • HSS/PSY 130G: The Problem of Hunger in the U.S.
  • NFS 210: Applied General Nutrition
  • BIO 101/103: Principles of Biology I/Lab
  • BIO 102/104: Principles of Biology II/Lab
  • CHM 101/102: General Chemistry Lecture I/Lab or CHM 103/105: Intro to Chemistry/Lab
  • APG/SOC/GWS 308: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Cultures

Two introductory food production courses, chosen from:

  • AFS 105G/106: Food from the Sea/Lab
  • AVS 101/102: Intro to Animal Science/Lab
  • PLS 150: Plants, People and the Planet
  • PLS 255: Applied Plant Biology

Two agriculture management courses, chosen from:

  • AFS 201: Shellfish Aquaculture
  • AFS 202: Finfish Aquaculture
  • AFS 215: Fisheries Science
  • AFS 321/322: World Fishing Methods/Lab
  • AVS 304: Advanced Animal Management Techniques
  • PLS 311/312: Fruit Culture/Practicum
  • PLS 321: Sustainable Grain Production
  • PLS 324: Vegetable Crops
  • PLS 325: Hydroponic and Greenhouse Vegetable Production
  • and other relevant courses in AFS, AVS, or PLS

Two environment-related courses, chosen from:

  • AVS/PLS 275: Pasture and Grazing Management
  • CHE 212: Chemical Process Calculations
  • ENT 411: Pesticides and the Environment
  • NRS 212: Introduction to Soil Science

You are also required to take one course from each of the two other options (Nutrition and Food, Food and Society).

A robust capstone experience in which students will master the ability to address the complex challenges in the area of sustainable agriculture and food systems through experiential learning in interdisciplinary teams. Students are required to take a total of 13 credits, including 4 credits of internship or special project and an additional 9 credits in courses to choose from NRS 300, PLS 320, PLS 385, AVS/NFS 404, or SAF 400G.