The Bachelor of Sciences degree in Sustainable Food and Farming is a welcoming home for those students who want to apply their knowledge of biology, environmental science, sociology, anthropology, policy, health and education to the real world!

Our students get involved in the world!

Many students at UMass find that while they have a desire to be useful in the world, their area of study turns out to be a bit abstract and they are disappointed when their classes seem to be disconnected from the real world.  If this is the case…..

the Stockbridge School of Agriculture welcomes you!

Our major in Sustainable Food and Farming allows students to create their own degree plan, while earning a B.S. degree from UMass.   Working closely with an adviser, our students select courses from a diverse set of interest areas at UMass and the Five Colleges.  They are encouraged to get involved in internships which count toward their major.   And each academic plan is custom designed based on the student’s personal passion and career goals.

This major is about growing food….. and much, much more!  Our students are headed for careers in:

• local ecological farming and marketing
• community-based education for sustainability
• public policy, advocacy and community development
• permaculture and community gardening
• food justice
• medicinal herbals
• and more…

If you are struggling with your current major and would like to explore your options in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, please contact Dr. John M. Gerber for an appointment.

A few fall classes that may be of interest are:

STOCKSCH 197D – Draft Horse Husbandry (get up close and personal with some really big horses.  Meets at the AG Learning Center.  Very hands-on!)

STOCKSCH 197G – Intro to Permaculture (both the application and ethics of ecological living)

STOCKSCH 197 MC – Intro to Mushroom Culture (practical class that fills up fast)

STOCKSCH 211 – Pasture Management (for the serious farming student who wants to work with livestock)

STOCKSCH 265 – Sustainable Agriculture (field trips to local farms every Tuesday afternoon)

STOCKSCH 281 – Topics in Herbalism I (Chris Marano is the guy to know on local herbalism)

STOCKSCH 297 AL – Ag Leadership and Community Education (Sarah Berquist will teach you how to be an effective community leader)

STOCKSCH 297P – Small Farm Husbandry II – Pigs and Poultry (small class, very practical – fills fast)

STOCKSCH  300 – Deciduous Orchard Science (field trips to local orchards every Wednesday afternoon)

STOCKSCH 350 – Sustainable Soil and Crop Management (for the serious farming student)

STOCKSCH 397C – Community Food Systems (best local food systems class on campus)

STOCKSCH 397 GB – Grapevine Biology (new class on growing grapes)

STOCKSCH 397 PB – Pollinator Biology and Habitat (very practical science class with lots of work outdoors)

For more classes, see: Requirements for the Major