SFF Careers

Online Certificate Program

B.S. Degree

Continuing & Professional Education

UMass SFF Program

The major for those of us who love food and farms

UMass Sustainable Food and Farming The following courses are offered online this summer PLSOILIN 100 - Botany for Gardeners (4 credits) is a class on the science of plant growth, using world food production, our favorite foods, and backyard gardening as the framework for study.   Click here. PLSOILIN 115 - Plants, Soils and the Environment (3 credits) explores how various human activities affect the environment with specific attention to plant and soil resources.  Click here. PLSOILIN 265 - Sustainable Agriculture (3 credits) explores the ethical, practical and scientific aspects of agricultural sustainability including economic, social and environmental impacts of food and farming. Click here. PLSOILIN 290C - Land Use Policies and Agriculture in the U.S. (3 credits) provides students with an opportunity to explore the political, economic and societal forces that influence land use decisions, an understanding of the history of land use policies and planning in the U.S. as they relate to agriculture. Click here. PLSOILIN 397C - Community Food Systems (3 credits) examines the movement of food from seed to table. Participants in the course explore local and global food systems, and specific food related issues that impact health of communities. Click here. STOCKSCH 290U - Urban Agriculture: Innovative Farming Systems for the 21st Century (3 credits) explores the subject of Urban Agriculture through the investigation and evaluation of current urban farming systems and agroecological research. Click here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This course is offered blended (online and face-to-face) this summer PLSOILIN280 -  Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants (4 credits) is an introduction to the growth, culture, and science related to the production and use of herbs, spices, and medicinal plants. Emphasis on plants used in the home with discussions on bioactivity of plant extracts. Click here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This course is offered face-to-face (in class) this summer PLSOILIN 398P - Permaculture (4 credits) includes in-class lectures, field trips and a hands-on field component at the Montview Neighborhood Farm, to offer students a foundation in permaculture history, ethics, principles, design process, and techniques.  Click here.

The SFF degree prepares students to: Grow food Teach others Advocate for change

@ 2012 John M. Gerber