Urban Food Systems Certificate Program

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
• GPA of 3.0 or higher in the final two years of undergraduate study or approximately the last 60 credit hours
• Computer proficiency sufficient to complete the online course work
• A completed application to the K-State Graduate School. This application has a $35 fee.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for students whose native language is not English. Acceptable TOEFL score is 550 (paper-based test), or 79 (IBT-internet-based test).

Students not meeting the requirements above may be admitted on a provisional basis at the discretion of the certificate faculty if the student has demonstrated adequate preparation in this or an equivalent field and has successfully completed projects of equivalent difficulty.

• Designed for for professionals with a bachelor's degree who want to increase their knowledge about urban food systems and current issues around them, or current K-State graduate students who want to add expertise in urban food systems
• Entirely online
• Six credits of core courses and six credits of elective courses
• No out-of-state tuition and fees

Core Courses (6 credits)

• UFS 791 - Urban Agriculture (2 credits) — fall semester
  *cross-listed as HORT 791
• UFS 794 - Urban Food Systems (2 credits) — spring semester
  *cross-listed as HORT 794
• UFS 796 - Professional Development in Urban Food Systems (1 credit) — fall and spring semesters
  *cross-listed as HORT 796
• UFS 798 - Urban Food Systems Field Experience (1 credit) — summer semester

Elective Courses (6 credits)

Select from the following:

Plant and Agricultural Sciences

• AAI 795 - Topics in Applied and Interdisciplinary Studies (5-6 credits)
• AGEC 710 - Comparative Food and Agriculture Systems (3 credits)
• AGEC 810 - Price, Income and Trade Policies in Agriculture (3 credits)
• AGEC 815 - International Agricultural Development (3 credits)
• AGEC 825 - Natural Resource Policy (3 credits)
• AGEC 890 - Advanced Food and Agribusiness Management (3 credits)
• AGRON 605 - Soil and Environmental Chemistry (3 credits)
• AGRON 615 - Soil Problems (0-18 credits)
• AGRON 635 - Soil Conservation and Management (3 credits)
• CIS 590 - Food Informatics (1-4 credits)
• CIS 890 - Knowledge Engineering for Concordant Systems (1-4 credits)
• ENTOM 612 - Insect Pest Diagnosis (2 credits)
• ENTOM 799 - Problems: Economic Entomology (3 credits)
• HORT 725 - Postharvest Technology and Physiology of Horticultural Crops (3 credits)
• HORT 780 - Health-Promoting Phytochemicals: Fruits and Vegetables (2 credits)
• HORT 790 - Sustainable Agriculture (2 credits)
• HORT 793 - Farm to Fork Produce Safety (2 credits)
• HORT 795 - Urban Food Systems Study Tour (1 credit)
• PLPTH 765 - Integrated Plant Disease Management (2 credits)
• UFS 640 - Topics in Urban Food Systems (1-3 credits)

Leadership and Management

• AGCOM 845 - Approaches to Public/Community Engagement (3 credits)
• COMM 845 - Approaches to Public/Community Engagement (3 credits)
• LEAD 845 - Approaches to Public/Community Engagement (3 credits)
• CDPLN 633 - Grant writing (3 credits)
• CDPLN 700 - Foundations of Community Development (3 credits)
• CDPLN 704 - Community Leadership and Capacity Building (3 credits)
• CDPLN 713 - Nonprofit Management (3 credits)
• CDPLN 720 - Community and Regional Economic Policy and Analysis (3 credits)
• DMP 815 - Multidisciplinary Thought and Presentation(3 credits)
• LEAD 801 - Foundations of Leadership (3 credits)
• POLSC 740 - Nonprofit Financial Management (3 credits)

Sociology, Economics, Health

• CDPLN 701 - Special Studies in Community Development (1-3 credits)
• CDPLN 711 - Immigrants in Communities (3 credits)
• CDPLN 712 - Sustainable Communities (3 credits)
• FDSCI 630 - Food Science Problems (0-18 credits)
• FDSCI 730 - A Multidisciplinary Overview of Food Safety and Security (2 credits)
• FDSCI 731 - Food Protection and Defense — Essential Concepts (2 credits)
• FNDH 600 - Public Health Nutrition (3 credits)
• FNDH 700 - Global Health and Nutrition (3 credits)
• FNDH 701 - Sensory Analysis (3 credits)
• FNDH 820 - Functional Foods for Chronic Disease Prevention (3 credits)
• FNDH 833 - Descriptive Sensory Analysis: Methods (1 credit)
• FNDH 841 - Consumer Research — Fundamentals (1 credit)
• FNDH 843 - Consumer Research — Qualitative (1 credit)
• FNDH 848 - Consumer Research — Quantitative (1 credit)
• FNDH 851 - Sensory Analysis Applications of Statistics (2 credits)
• FNDH 862 - Maternal and Child Nutrition (3 credits)
• LAR 741 - Problems in Landscape Architecture (3 credits)
  *for LAR 322 Ethics in Environmental Dilemmas
• MPH 818 - Social and Behavioral Bases of Public Health (3 credits)
• PLAN 718 - Principles and Strategies of Community Change (3 credits)
• PLAN 720 - Infrastructure and Plan Implementation (3 credits)
• PLAN 801 - Knowledge Methods (3 credits)
• PLAN 812 - Planning Theory and Law (3 credits)
• SOCIO 831 - Sociology of Agriculture (3 credits)
• SOCIO 832 - Sociology of Community (3 credits)
• SOCIO 835 - Environment and Society (3 credits)

Total Hours Required: 12

Course Descriptions

Apply to the certificate program through the online graduate admissions application process.

When asked to select a degree program, choose "Graduate Certificate" for degree and "Urban Food Systems – Graduate Certificate" for the program. The program will be listed under the Interdisciplinary tab. Once your application is set up, you will be asked to provide the following documents that you will upload to the online application and pay the application fee:

• Statement of Purpose (1-2 pages) describing your interest in urban food systems, your objectives in pursuing this certificate and plans for completion of the program requirements. The Statement of Purpose is an important component of your application.
• Copies of all transcripts. If accepted, you will need to provide "official" transcripts to the Graduate School.
• One letter of reference from you supervisor, advisor or a professor that can address your ability to succeed in Graduate School. You will provide the name and email address and the online system will email that person and provide them with a link.

K-State students currently enrolled in masters programs, who are adding the certificate to their degree, will not have to pay the applicaiton fee.

Application Deadlines

The urban food systems graduate programs (M.S. in Horticulture with an emphasis in urban food systems and Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Urban Food Systems) are competitive interdisciplinary graduate programs in urban food systems. Starting in Fall 2026, this program has adopted the following Graduate School application deadlines:

Fall semester (August start)

Domestic students

• Dec. 1 — Priority deadline
• Feb. 1 — General deadline

International students

• Feb. 1

Spring semester (January start)

Domestic students

• July 1 — Priority deadline
• Sept. 1 — General deadline

International students

• Aug. 1

Summer semester (June start)

Domestic students

• Dec. 1 — Early deadline
• Feb. 1 — General deadline

International students

• Dec. 1

Resident of Johnson County

Students who live in Johnson County and who are applying to this program may be eligible for a Johnson County resident scholarship.

These scholarships for Johnson County residents are sponsored by the Johnson County Education and Research Triangle, or JCERT. Scholarship awards are based on availability of funds. Applicants may be awarded up to $2,500 for certificate programs for the duration of their program of study, provided they meet minimum academic and enrollment requirements. Scholarship amounts vary depending on fund availability, merit and need.

Eligibility details:

• Applicant must be a resident of Johnson County, Kansas. Proof of residency will be required.
• Applicants must be resident at K-State Olathe and admitted to or seeking admission to the following JCERT mission-related programs:
• Urban Food Systems Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate

Apply for a Johnson County resident scholarship.