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 Master's Program
• Admissions
• FAQs
  
• Degree Requirements
• Prerequisites
• Curriculum and Course Descriptions
• Adjunct Bios
• Internships
• Students & Alumni in Print

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

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 the 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.

• 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.
  

Admissions

Application deadlines: February 1 for Fall term admission; November 1 for Spring term admission. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. For information, a copy of the School Bulletin, and application materials, call 212-998-5030, or write:

Office of Graduate Admissions
New York University
The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
Pless Hall, 82 Washington Square East, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003-6644

or Download an application from:
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/application

The Bulletin contains detailed information on admission for students with American or international undergraduate credentials; tuition and living costs; admission of special (non-matriculated) students; and financial aid.

FAQs

Please click here to view Frequently Asked Questions for this program.

The following syllabi refer to the courses mentioned in question #8:

• E33.2191 Food and Culture

• E33.2017 Contemporary Issues in Food Studies

• E33.2012 Food History

Degree Requirements

40-credit M.A. Program

The Master of Arts degree requires completion of 40 credits of core, specialization, and elective course work; cooperative work or field experience; providing evidence of English language competency; and research. Students whose undergraduate degrees are in an unrelated field of study may be required to take prerequisite courses and to obtain work experience additional to the master's degree requirements. During the first semester in the program, every student must enroll in E33.2000.01, New Graduate Student Seminar.

34-Credit M.A. Program

As part of articulation agreements with the French Culinary Institute and The Institute for Culinary Education in Manhattan, students who have completed the 6-month certificate program and who hold bachelor's degrees from accredited institutions may enroll in a 34-credit M.A. program to be developed in consultation with an advisor. Students who have completed equivalent certificate programs at similarly accredited culinary institutions as well as students who already hold a secondary degree are also eligible for this program. Some prerequisite courses may be required in addition to these credits.

Prerequisites

Students enrolled in the M.A. program in Food Culture and Food Systems must present evidence of completion of the following prerequisite course (or an equivalent) and work experience. Any unfulfilled prerequisite may be completed during the master's program in one of two ways: taking course at NYU or other accredited institutions, or obtaining work experience. Prerequisite credits must be taken in addition to the 34 or 40 M.A. credits.

Courses or their equivalents

Prerequisite NYU Equivalent

Food Science E33.0085 Intro to Foods & Food Science (3) (food-oriented course)

Students entering the master's program are expected to have had at least six months of full-time food-related work experience. Students without this experience will be required to complete at least 500 hours of non-credit work experience, either full- or part-time, within the first year of the program. Entering students meet with a faculty advisor to review transcripts and other documentary evidence of prerequisite completion, to determine the sequence of any prerequisite work that remains to be completed, and to assist students with program and career planning.

Curriculum and Course Descriptions

Download a PDF of the full curriculum

Neal Bermas is an instructor of Culinary Management at the Institute of Culinary Education. Dr. Bermas has a BA in both psychology and business from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in policy and management from Brandeis. Previously on the faculty at NYU's Stern School of Business, he has also lectured at UCLA and the University of Southern California. Neal also manages his own consulting group, Bermas Associates.

Mitchell Davis is the Director of Publications at the James Beard Foundation, while also completing his Ph.D. in NYU's Department of Food Studies, Nutrition, and Public Health. Author of three cookbooks - Cook Something, Foie Gras...A Passion, and The Mensch Chef - Mitchell is completing his fourth, Kitchen Sense, due in 2005. His has also written for Food & Wine, GQ, Time Out New York, The Art of Eating and Gastronomica, along with contributing entries in both Scribner's and Oxford food encyclopedias. Mitchell was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in 2003.

Ellen J. Fried earned a Master's Degree in Food Studies from NYU after practicing law for many years in New York City. She teaches law-related food topics both in the Department and is also a guest lecturer at several culinary institutes. In addition to teaching, she has been a legal consultant to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, written articles in several journals, and is currently the research editor of an awardwinning culinary website.

Peggy Grodinsky is editor-in-chief at the James Beard Foundation. Formerly a newspaper reporter, she won an Associated Press Features award in 1992, and was a Gannett Freedom Forum Fellow. Previously the communications director for Peter Kump¹s New York Cooking School, Peggy has also written a short book on Japanese cuisine. Her freelance writing has appeared in Time Out New York, The Christian Science Monitor, and The New York Times.

Linda Lawry is the Executive Director of the International Wine Center in New York where she is the primary instructor for the Advanced Certificate, and a specialist lecturer for the Diploma. Linda holds the Wine and Spirit Education Trust Advanced Certificate with distinction, and earned the WSET diploma in 1997. She is a Certified Wine Educator, of the Society of Wine Educators, and is a Member of the Board of Examiners of the SWE.

Fabio Parasecoli is the New York Bureau chief for Gambero Rosso Magazine. After working as a correspondent in Middle and Far Eastern foreign affairs and political issues, Fabio concentrated his research on the intersection of food, culture, politics and history. He divides his time between NY and Italy where teaches courses in food history and food and culture in the program of Communication and Journalism in Food and Wine at the Città del Gusto School in Rome. His articles have appeared in Gastronomica, and his most recent book, Food Culture in Italy was published in 2004.

Dan Rafalin graduated with a Master of Arts Degree in Food Management from NYU, and then joined the food and beverage consulting firm, Clark Wolf Company as a Financial and Business Analyst. Previously, he received a Grande Diplomé in Culinary Arts from The French Culinary Institute. He currently owns the James Beard awardwinning restaurant, PUBLIC.

Krishnendu Ray is an Associate Professor of Liberals Arts and Management Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, and will be joining the NYU faculty in the Fall of 2005. Dr. Ray's superior teaching has been recognized with awards at SUNY Binghamton, the CIA and NYU. His articles have appeared in journals such as Gastronomica and Amerasia, and his book, The Migrant's Table: Meals and Memories in Bengali-American Households was published in 2004.

Irene Sax is a restaurant reviewer for the New York Daily News and a cookbook reviewer for Epicurious.com. Previously, she was the food editor of Newsday and New York Newsday and has written for Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, Saveur, Martha Stewart Living and Food Arts magazines. In 1995, she was named food editor of the year by the James Beard Foundation, and in 2000 she received a James Beard Journalism Award in Internet writing.

Steve Zagor is Director of Management Programs at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. His industry experience includes the development and ownership of a multi-concept restaurant group, owning and operating an award winning limited-service restaurant, and a stint as the General Manager of a $10 million New York City restaurant. Steve has also managed Consulting Services for both Laventhol & Horwath, and later, Coopers & Lybrand.

Internships

• National television news division – internship on a special food production.
• National food magazine – editorial internship, includes food history research, and writing for the magazine (80%), plus fact-checking (20%). Attend planning and editorial meetings, including tastings
• Food website – intern edits the bimonthly newsletter through complete editorial cycle - assigning stories, writing and editing, working with the designer and proofreading.
• Restaurant newsletter – six month internship, including intensive research, story development, product acquisition, organizing tastings, and cooking demonstrations.
• Public Relations Company – work on projects relating to cookbooks, chefs and restaurants.
• International magazine/nonprofit organization award event - work with NY editor to organize the two international wine events including: logistics, catering, press, public relations, relations with the wine producers and the importers.
• National food industry magazine - interview chefs/restaurateurs and write short pieces, blurbs on new products, proofread and edit magazine pages, attend press events
• Work with elementary school – promote wholesome foods and develop food awareness and cooking skills among students, school food service workers, and other members of the school community
• Food company – learn about specialty importing, and retail and online market. Wide range of responsibilities re adapted to each person's skills and interests.
• Food writer and historian - organize and check current positions of food professionals working in the United States for a compilation.
• Food writer and historian – research for major food-related book. National food and beverage magazine - editorial research intern, research and factchecking, plus special projects and administrative duties.
• Foodservice online magazine – (can become a paid position). Work with recipe editor on weekly email newsletter, coordinate with top chefs and their publicists.
• Not for profit organization - research, organizing materials, assistance with public program coordination and outreach relating to food and agricultural issues.
• New website - write about food and/or restaurants.

Paid Internships

• Associate Placement Manager – culinary school. Conduct class orientations, and advise students, run seminars and career fair programs, representing the school at conferences and events
• Assistant to the president – food and beverage consulting group.
• Nonprofit educational food organization – part-time data entry assistant
• Leading fine wine and spirit company - temporary full-time position assisting the special events/public relations department.
• Specialty food sales and distribution company – sales representative.
• Culinary tours company - part-time assistant.
• Spotters – Write observations of restaurants for client reports
• Assistant to wine consultant – administrative duties, special projects, cultivating business leads, web site maintenance, and creation of sales materials.
• International hospitality group - paid full-time intern - administrative duties, sales reports and written correspondence.
• Catering division, gourmet shop – telephone sales.

Students & Alumni in Print

Anne E. McBride
“Have Your Coke and Eat It Too: What Cooking with Coca-Cola Says about Cultural Imperialism"
Gastronomica
Winter 2005

Damian Mosley
“Breaking Bread: The Role of Taste in Colonialism”
Food, Culture, and Society, An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research
Winter 2005

Linda Murray Berzok ‘01
American Indian Food (Food in American History)
Greenwood Press – April 2005
This book is the first, in-depth survey of Native American Indian foodways. It covers the rich spiritual traditions of rituals and feasts that marked the planting and harvesting seasons, and the effects of the European invasion, which forced a radical transformation of the indigenous food habits. Today, American Indians are trying to reclaim many of their food traditions, many of which have become part of the broader American cookbook, including cornbread, clam chowder, succotash, grits, and western barbeque.

Kiri Tannenbaum ‘05
“Getting Into Hot Water: Bottles rival wine lists in variety, price”
New York Post – September 14, 2005

Victor Aoki
Food Studies Resources Website - http://www.foodstudiesresources.org/

Victor Aoki has collected, edited and published a website created for students, and researchers in the emerging field of food studies. Originally begun as a project for the Research Applications, it has grown to become a compendium of a myriad of for anyone interested in the field.

Victor’s mission was to provide a virtual library and up-to-date news that would be relevant to those interested in food studies. The website does not provide answers to research questions, but rather, offers a tool to help access the wide selection of available resources ranging from scholarly sources to current news. Although already massive in scope, he does not expect it to be fully functional for another two years – by browse through anyway – it is amazing.