The Master's of Arts (MA) Program in Food Studies includes two areas of concentration. Food Culture (FOOD-CUL) examines the social, economic, cultural, and psychological factors that have influenced food consumption practices and patterns in the past and present. Food Systems (FOOD-SYS) explores food systems, tracing commodities and agricultural concerns from production through consumption. Emphasizing international, national and local food systems, students explore environmental, ethical, and economic factors in food production and distribution.

Overview and Background: The U.S. Food Industry

In 1996, New York University launched a new graduate program in Food Studies, an interdisciplinary approach towards food scholarship. In doing so, this department formalized an emerging field as a state-accredited academic entity, offering the first Food Studies degree programs in the United States. We emphasize the ways individuals, communities, and societies relate to food within a cultural and historical context. Food studies is an umbrella term that includes foodways, gastronomy, and culinary history as well as historical, cultural, political, economic, and geographic examinations of food production and consumption, using food as a "lens" through which to view, explore, analyze, and interpret society in the present as well as in the past.

In 2007, we introduced Food Systems, a new graduate concentration within the Food Studies program, which specifically focuses on issues related to food production. This new concentration aligns an academic discussion of economic, political, agricultural, and global concerns with larger contemporary arguments beyond the academy.

Our approach to Food Studies is an interdisciplinary one, instead of multi disciplinary. We present thematically based courses, instead of discipline directed ones. Because of this, we deconstruct historical and contemporary issues from varying angles, viewpoints and perspectives.

The Food Studies M.A. program includes two areas of concentration.

Food Culture (FOOD-CUL) examines the social, economic, cultural, and psychological factors that have influenced food consumption practices and patterns in the past and present. Students research historical, sociological and anthropological aspects of food.

Food Systems (FOOD-SYS) - explores food systems, tracing commodities and agricultural concerns from production through consumption. It emphasizes international, national, and local food systems, where students explore environmental, ethical, and economic factors in food production and distribution.

The overall program includes 40 credits of core, specialization, practical experience, and research courses, and

• Focuses studies in one of two areas of concentration--food culture and food systems.
• Challenges students with core, specialization, and elective courses offered by the department and by New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development; Stern School of Business; Wagner School of Public Service, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, or Tisch School of the Arts.
• Broadens work experience. We help students locate internships in a vast array of potential employment sites, and place them in positions where they can develop new skills and gain access to potential employers.
• Gives access to food production companies, non-profit food organizations, publishers, public relations and marketing firms, magazines, food distributors, food producers and educational institutions, as well as to the food professionals who work in them and enrich the program by serving as adjunct faculty and guest lecturers.
• Emphasizes development of critical thinking and research skills that help students analyze and solve problems that may be encountered in professional work.
• Offers experiential learning courses in global, domestic and local venues.