About the Program

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Admissions

Any UC Berkeley graduate student in good standing (GPA of 3.0 or better) may apply. Completion of the Application for Admission Form is required before completing the certificate core course. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

This application for admission signals a student's interest in the Graduate Certificate in Food Systems, but does not guarantee a seat in GCFS-approved courses.

Certificate Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Food Systems consists of 3 courses (totaling a minimum of 9 units), each of which must be taken for a letter grade.

• Required core course – Transforming Food Systems: From Agroecology to Population Health (3 units, taught each fall)
• Two elective courses, chosen from the list below, totaling a minimum of 6 units. Courses not on the electives list will be considered on a case by case basis, via submission of the Elective Petition Form.

We encourage students to take all certificate courses outside their primary degrees; however one course can overlap with primary degree requirements.

Core Course

"Transforming Food Systems: From Agroecology to Population Health" is held every fall and taught by Kristine Madsen, Associate Professor in the Joint Medical Program/Public Health Nutrition and Faculty Director of the Berkeley Food Institute. The course is conducted as a weekly seminar with guest lectures by UC Berkeley's preeminent food systems scholars and other experts in the field. It takes a solutions-oriented approach to addressing the pressing problems in current food systems through strategies used by the disciplines of agroecology, policy, law, public health, and business in working to improve food systems and apply their varied approaches to real-world case studies. Through weekly readings, discussions, and problem-solving sessions, students will gain a broad understanding of food systems and the leverage points that can be targeted to improve the health of people and the planet.

Elective Courses

Elective Petitions

Students can petition for graduate courses beyond the standard elective list to count toward the certificate. Particularly 290 Special Topics and 299 Independent Study courses will be considered on a case by case basis, as topics pertain to food systems. Students must submit the Elective Petition Form at least one month prior to enrolling in the proposed course. Electives proposed by the petition must be approved before taking the class.

Program Benefits

The Graduate Certificate in Food Systems provides a unique opportunity for making connections with students from across the campus with a shared interest in food systems. Typically students from ten different Berkeley degree programs participate in the core course; together they make an interdisciplinary intellectual community not typically found within students' primary degree programs.

The core course and certificate provides an integrated and structured overview of food systems such that graduates understand complex "production webs," how each aspect of these systems feeds into and depends on other aspects, and how different disciplines (ecology, business, policy, law, public health) have approached challenges in food systems. Through the certificate, students are exposed to multidisciplinary experiences and trained in analytical and applied skills. Thus, students who complete the certificate are better contributors to the multidisciplinary teams that are increasingly leading food systems changes. Further, students will be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of various strategies (e.g., legal, political, or market-based) that they might pursue as they work to improve food systems during their careers.

Faculty

Kristine Madsen, Associate Professor in the Joint Medical Program/Public Health Nutrition and Faculty Director of the Berkeley Food Institute, serves as the director for the Graduate Certificate in Food Systems.