Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, Bachelor of Science

The multidisciplinary Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) serves students interested in improving the sustainability of modern food and agricultural systems. This major prepares graduates to understand the interdisciplinary and systems-based aspects of sustainability and provides them with the knowledge, leadership skills, and experiences required to excel in agricultural and food systems professions. A degree in SAFS prepares students for a broad range of careers related to agricultural production (including plant, animal, and biofuels) and food system management, rural and urban community services, education and development, as well as careers in agricultural, environmental, and economic policy and analysis. Employers may include private industry, local, state and federal government, public service agencies, non-profit organizations, nature preserves, community organizations, or any other group that aims to produce, distribute, or improve access to food, to improve the quality and/or sustainability of food or food systems, to improve human health related to diet and nutrition, to work towards social justice related to food access or hunger, or to develop policy or social structures related to food or food systems. The SAFS major also prepares students for graduate studies in a wide range of fields related to agriculture, food, water, and energy systems.

Note: For a PDF version of the degree requirements for this program go to the Undergraduate Programs page on the UTRGV website. 

 

Core Curriculum - 42 Hours

Students must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements. The courses listed below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements.

Mathematics – 3 hours

Choose one:

MATH 1324Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences

3

MATH 1325Calculus for Business and Social Sciences

3

MATH 1342Elementary Statistical Methods

3

MATH 1343Introduction to Biostatistics

3

MATH 1414College Algebra

4

MATH 1414: required for Agriculture & Ecology or Food & Health Tracks

Life and Physical Sciences – 6 hours

ENVR 1401Introduction to Environmental Science I

4

ENVR 1402Introduction to Environmental Science II

4

Social and Behavioral Sciences – 3 hours

ECON 2301Principles of Macroeconomics

3

Integrative and Experiential Learning – 3 hours

COMM 1315Public Speaking

3

ENVR 1401Introduction to Environmental Science I

4

ENVR 1402Introduction to Environmental Science II

4

Major Requirements – 65 - 69 Hours (49 advanced minimum)

Students should carefully plan prerequisites and proper course sequence by meeting with an advisor from the program when selecting this major.

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Core – 42 hours (34 advanced)

Required:

BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

BIOL 1407General Biology II

4

ANTH 4310Food and Culture

3

BIOL 4388Global Change Ecology

3

BIOL 4429Agroecology

4

ECON 3355Development Economics

3

ENVR 3305Sustainable Agriculture

3

HIST 4333Food and Agricultural History

3

PHIL 4318Philosophy of Food

3

Note: BIOL 4388 and BIOL 4429 require consent of the instructor.

Choose one:

ENVR 3301Natural Resources Conservation

3

ENVR 3304Sustainable Development

3

Choose one:

EEMS 4381Community-Engaged Service Learning I

3

CESL 3301Community Engaged Scholarship and Learning Internship I

3

Choose one:

EEMS 4382Community-Engaged Service Learning II

3

CESL 3302Community Engaged Scholarship and Learning Internship II

3

Required

EEMS 4191Interdisciplinary Seminar Series Fall

1

EEMS 4192Interdisciplinary Seminar Series Spring

1

EEMS 4193Interdisciplinary Synthesis & Communication

1

Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Track – 23 - 27 hours (15 advanced minimum)

The BS in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems includes the following track options:

Agriculture and Ecology Track

Food and Health Track

Food and Society Track

Business and Policy Track

Agriculture and Ecology Track – 23 hours (23 advanced)

Track Core – 13 hours (13 advanced)
BIOL 3409Ecology

4

EEMS 3360Soil Science and Conservation

3

EEMS 4365Integrated Pest Management

3

ENVR 4351Environmental Management

3

Track Electives – 10 hours (10 advanced)
Choose at least one:
BIOL 3404Conservation Biology

4

BIOL 3413Genetics

4

BIOL 4415Entomology

4

BIOL 4316Environmental Toxicology

3

BIOL 4423Wildlife Ecology and Management

4

ECON 3360Managerial Economics

3

EEMS 4360Food Science

3

EEMS 4366Nanotechnologies for Food and Agriculture

3

ENVR 3303Research Methodology and Data Analysis in Environmental Sciences

3

ENVR 4350Environmental Planning & Permitting

3

ENVR 4450Environmental Monitoring

4

GEOL 3402Hydrologic Systems

4

Note: BIOL 4415, BIOL 4416, ECON 3360, ENVR 3303, and GEOL 3402 have additional prerequisites.

Choose at least one:
Crop production related courses:
BIOL 3408Plant Morphology

4

BIOL 4318Ethnobotany

3

BIOL 4404Ichthyology

4

BIOL 4408Plant Pathology

4

 

BIOL 4410/MARS 4410Marine Botany

4

Or

MARS 4410/BIOL 4410Marine Botany

4

 

BIOL 4414Plant Taxonomy

4

BIOL 4420Plant Anatomy

3

Livestock production related courses:
BIOL 3345Animal Nutrition

3

BIOL 4407Animal Parasitology

4

BIOL 4411Ecological Physiology of Animals

4

BIOL 4432Animal Behavior

4

Aquaculture/Fisheries related courses:
BIOL 4402/MARS 4402Marine Zoology

4

Or

MARS 4402/BIOL 4402Marine Zoology

4

 

BIOL 4404Ichthyology

4

BIOL 4419Aquatic Entomology

4

 

BIOL 4426/MARS 4426Marine Ecology

4

Or

MARS 4426/BIOL 4426Marine Ecology

4

 

BIOL 4427/MARS 4427Marine Animal Field Studies

4

Or

MARS 4427/BIOL 4427Marine Animal Field Studies

4

 

BIOL 4430/MARS 4430Coastal Ecology

4

Or

MARS 4430/MARS 4430Coastal Ecology

4

 

ENVR 3405Oceanography

4

BIOL 3408Plant Morphology

4

BIOL 4318Ethnobotany

3

BIOL 4405Plant Physiology

4

BIOL 4408Plant Pathology

4

BIOL 4410/MARS 4410Marine Botany

4

MARS 4410/BIOL 4410Marine Botany

4

BIOL 4414Plant Taxonomy

4

BIOL 4420Plant Anatomy

3

BIOL 3345Animal Nutrition

3

BIOL 4407Animal Parasitology

4

BIOL 4411Ecological Physiology of Animals

4

BIOL 4432Animal Behavior

4

BIOL 4402/MARS 4402Marine Zoology

4

MARS 4402/BIOL 4402Marine Zoology

4

BIOL 4404Ichthyology

4

BIOL 4419Aquatic Entomology

4

BIOL 4426/MARS 4426Marine Ecology

4

MARS 4426/BIOL 4426Marine Ecology

4

BIOL 4427/MARS 4427Marine Animal Field Studies

4

MARS 4427/BIOL 4427Marine Animal Field Studies

4

BIOL 4430/MARS 4430Coastal Ecology

4

MARS 4430/MARS 4430Coastal Ecology

4

ENVR 3405Oceanography

4

Note: BIOL 4407 and ENVR 3405 have additional prerequisites.

Food and Health Track – 27 hours (22 advanced minimum)

Within the track core, students must complete one course from one of the following areas of focus:

Required:
Biochemistry:
CHEM 2123Organic Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 2323Organic Chemistry I

3

CHEM 3103Biochemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 3303Biochemistry I

3

Microbiology:
BIOL 3401General Microbiology

4

BIOL 3403Medical Microbiology and Immunology

4

Toxicology:
BIOL 3412Cell Biology

4

BIOL 3416/MARS 3416Coral Reef Ecology

4

Track Core – 16 - 17 hours (10 – 14 advanced)
Required
BIOL 1322Human Nutrition

3

BIOL 4319Medical Entomology

3

EEMS 4360Food Science

3

Choose one (from biochemistry, microbiology and toxicology focus areas):
CHEM 2123Organic Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 2323Organic Chemistry I

3

CHEM 3103Biochemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 3303Biochemistry I

3

BIOL 3401General Microbiology

4

BIOL 3403Medical Microbiology and Immunology

4

BIOL 3412Cell Biology

4

BIOL 4316Environmental Toxicology

3

Note: BIOL 4316 has additional prerequisites.

Track Electives – 10-11 hours (10 – 11 advanced)

Students should always consult a faculty mentor when choosing electives to ensure an

appropriate course of study.

Recommended courses related to nutrition or dietetics:
Choose from:
EEMS 4366Nanotechnologies for Food and Agriculture

3

HLTH 3372Nutrition and Health

3

HPRS 3316Nutrition Concepts for Allied Health Practitioners

3

Notes:

1. Any Nutritional Sciences (NUTR) course with Program Director approval

2. HPRS 3316 and HLTH 3372 require faculty mentor or Program Director approval

Recommended courses related to epidemiology:
BIOL 3401General Microbiology

4

BIOL 3413Genetics

4

BIOL 3414Invertebrate Zoology

4

BIOL 4317Disease Epidemiology

3

BIOL 4407Animal Parasitology

4

BIOL 4413General Virology

4

BIOL 4415Entomology

4

BIOL 4421Biotechnology

4

BIOL 4424Microbial Ecology

4

BIOL 4428Medical Genomics

4

ENVR 3303Research Methodology and Data Analysis in Environmental Sciences

3

EEMS 4365Integrated Pest Management

3

ENVR 4351Environmental Management

3

Note: BIOL 4317, 4407, 4413, 4415, 4421, 4424, 4428, ENVR 3303, EEMS 4365 have additional prerequisites not required by this degree plan

Food and Society Track – 24 hours (15 advanced minimum)

Track Core – 18 hours (12 advanced minimum)
Required
ANTH 4314Environmental Anthropology

3

HIST 3335American Environmental History

3

POLS 4357Urban Sustainability

3

SOCI 1301Introduction to Sociology

3

Choose one:
GEOL 4411Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

4

SOCI 3301Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

3

Choose one:
ENVR 3302Environmental Ethics

3

PHIL 2324Professional Ethics: Business

3

Track Elective – 6 hours (3 advanced minimum)
Choose one course each from two of the pools below.
Pool 1
COMM 3321Public Relations: Theory and Practice

3

COMM 4334Communication Campaigns

3

COMM 4345Conflict Management

3

ENVR 4301Environmental Regulations

3

GEOL 4408Applications of Geographic Information Systems

4

HIST 3302Geography and Environment in History

3

Note: COMM 4334, ENVR 4301, and GEOL 4408 have additional prerequisites that may not be required by this degree plan.

Pool 2
ANTH 1324Human Evolution

3

ANTH 4385Topics in Anthropology

3

HIST 3326Indians of North America

3

HIST 3329American Legal History

3

HIST 3332Mexican-American History

3

MASC 3332/HIST 3332Mexican American History

3

MASC 2301Introduction to Mexican American Studies

3

PHIL 1360Understanding Society and Politics

3

PHIL 1364Philosophy of the Social Sciences

3

PHIL 4322Social and Political Philosophy

3

POLS 4344Green Political Theory

3

ANTH 4385: Food and Drink from Past to Present

Pool 3
SOCI 3312Environmental Sociology

3

SOCI 3348Disaster and Society

3

SOCI 4310Sociology of Gender

3

SOCI 4313Race and Ethnic Relations

3

SOCI 4326Population and Society

3

SOCI 4343Sociology of Globalization

3

SOCI 4352Social Stratification

3

SOCI 4380Social Protest and Social Movements

3

SOCI 4326: Denotes electives with additional prerequisites not required by this degree plan

Note: SOCI 4313, 4326, 4343, 4352, 4380 have additional prerequisites that may not be required by this degree plan.

Business and Policy Track – 27 hours (15 advanced minimum)

Track Core – 12 hours (9 advanced minimum)
Required
HIST 3335American Environmental History

3

POLS 4356U.S. Environmental Policy

3

POLS 4357Urban Sustainability

3

Choose one:
ENVR 3302Environmental Ethics

3

PHIL 2324Professional Ethics: Business

3

Track Electives – 15 hours (6 advanced minimum)
Choose at least one:
ECON 3341Econometrics

3

ECON 3342Business and Economics Forecasting

3

GEOL 4411Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

4

POLS 2470Introduction to Political Science Research

4

SOCI 3301Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences

3

Note: ECON 3341 required additional prerequisites not required by this degree plan.

ECON 3341: Denotes electives with additional prerequisites not required by this degree plan

Choose at least one:
ECON 3343Economics of the Government Sector

3

ECON 3351Macroeconomic Theory

3

ECON 3352Microeconomic Theory

3

ECON 3353International Trade

3

ECON 3357Economics of Poverty

3

ECON 3358Labor Economics

3

ECON 3360Managerial Economics

3

ECON 4340Introduction to Mathematical Economics

3

Choose at least one:
POLS 2340Introduction to Political Theory

3

POLS 2350Introduction to Political Economy

3

POLS 3310U.S. State and Local Government

3

POLS 3321Comparative Politics of Developing Nations

3

POLS 3333Gender Theory in World Politics

3

POLS 3342Contemporary Political Theory

3

POLS 3351Interest Groups and Political Movements

3

POLS 3355U.S. Public Policy

3

POLS 3356U.S. Economic Policy

3

POLS 4313U.S. Legislative Process

3

POLS 4316/MASC 4316U.S. Latin@ Politics

3

MASC 4316/POLS 4316U.S. Latin@ Politics

3

POLS 4332International Organizations

3

POLS 4350Political Socialization and Civic Engagement

3

POLS 4355U.S. Labor Policy

3

Choose at least one:
ANTH 4314Environmental Anthropology

3

ENVR 4301Environmental Regulations

3

ECON 3336The Political Economy of Mexico

3

POLS 3323Middle Eastern Politics

3

POLS 3324Asian Politics

3

POLS 3330International Politics

3

POLS 4320Latin American Politics

3

POLS 4321Central American and Caribbean Politics

3

POLS 4322Western European Politics

3

POLS 4323Mexican Politics

3

POLS 4324Contemporary Chinese Politics

3

 

POLS 4333U.S. ? Mexico Border Relations

3

And

MASC 4333/POLS 4333U.S. - Mexico Border Relations

3

Entrepreneurship Option

Instead of the four selections above, take the two ENTR courses below and choose two

courses from the pool that follows:

 

Required
ENTR 3356Introduction to Entrepreneurship

3

ENTR 3340New Venture Creation and Innovation

3

Choose two:
ACCT 2301Introduction To Financial Accounting

3

MARK 3300Principles of Marketing

3

MGMT 3361Principles of Management

3

FINA 3391Small Business Financial Management

3

FINA 3393Entrepreneurial Finance

3

Note: Any ACCT, ENTR, MARK, MGMT, or FINA course with Program Director approval

C – Support Courses – 9 - 13 Hours

Agriculture and Ecology Track – 13 hours

Required

CHEM 1111General Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 1112General Chemistry II Lab

1

CHEM 1311General Chemistry I

3

CHEM 1312General Chemistry II

3

MATH 1414College Algebra

4

PHYS 1401General Physics I

4

Food and Health Track – 9 hours

Required

CHEM 1111General Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 1112General Chemistry II Lab

1

CHEM 1311General Chemistry I

3

CHEM 1312General Chemistry II

3

MATH 1414College Algebra

4

Food and Society Track – 12 hours (3 advanced)

Required

ANTH 2302Introduction to Archeology

3

ANTH 2351Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

3

HIST 3300Historiography and Methods

3

PHIL 1312Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy

3

Business and Policy Track – 9 hours (3 advanced)

Required

HIST 3300Historiography and Methods

3

PHIL 1312Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy

3

ECON 2302Principles of Microeconomics

3

Total Credit Hours: 52

Total Credit Hours: 120