• Food Studies Hero

    Food Studies (BA/BS/AAS)

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  • Admission Events

    Explore upcoming webinars and other events for prospective students.
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  • Contact Us

    Admission Contact
    Office of Undergraduate Admission
    72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor
    New York, NY 10011
    [email protected]
    212.229.5150 or 800.292.3040

    Program Contact
    Kristin Reynolds
    66 W 12th Street, room 904
    New York, NY 10003
    [email protected]

  • Earn a bachelor's degree and/or an associate in applied science (AAS) degree in Food Studies. This program is open to adults, transfer students, and other nontraditional undergraduates. Food Studies majors explore the connections between food, culture, social policy, and the environment to enter or advance careers in the food sector. Led by our expert faculty, students investigate subjects ranging from food media and technology to global food and immigration policy to public health and environmental issues like food security and climate change.

    • Degree Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science / Associate in Applied Science
    • Format Full-time or part-time, on campus or online
    • Start Term Fall, spring, or summer

    Interdisciplinary Curriculum

    The BA and BS in Food Studies foster students' intellectual and practical engagement with urgent social and cultural issues ranging from food deserts to childhood obesity, from the presence of immigrants in U.S. food production to food security. The AAS in Food Studies is designed for students looking to enter the job market in the food sector, professionals in the food and hospitality industry, and student chefs who want to integrate their existing skills with a deeper knowledge of cultural, social, and environmental issues connected to food.

    View BA and BS curriculum

    View AAS curriculum

    In addition to engaging in coursework, you use New York City as your laboratory for learning, benefiting from unparalleled opportunities to explore contemporary food issues. The city has one of the largest wholesale food markets in the nation and is headquarters to numerous NGOs with interests in food, health, and the environment. Internships, apprenticeships, self-directed learning, and other professional experiences let you apply what you learn in the classroom to real-world situations. The Food Studies program also maintains collaborations with GrowNYC, Edible magazine, the Street Vendor Project, Family Cook Productions, the Restaurant Opportunities Center, and the James Beard Foundation.

    Career Paths

    A degree in food studies prepares you to begin or advance your career in the food sector, in areas including food policy research and advocacy, environmentally sustainable agriculture, urban policy analysis and management, food marketing and distribution, food media, public relations, business administration for governments and NGOs, culinary journalism, and food and culinary businesses. AAS students can also proceed to earn a BA or BS in Food Studies or a related discipline at The New School.

    ICC Partnership 

    The New School collaborates with the International Culinary Center (ICC) to provide opportunities for ICC graduates to continue their studies by earning an AAS, BA, or BS in Food Studies through the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students. 

    Graduates from selected ICC programs can earn up to 22 credits toward their AAS, BA, or BS degree through this transfer agreement. To learn more about The New School’s partnership with ICC, including terms and conditions, please write to the Admission team at [email protected].

  • An expert faculty of culinary historians, policy activists, entrepreneurs, and scientists will lead you on an exploration of issues ranging from food deserts (areas where affordable healthy food is difficult to obtain) to childhood obesity, and from food security to food journalism.

  • Featured Courses

    • NFDS 2906

      NYC Eats: Food, People, Places

      This course examines the history of food in New York City, from the city?s early colonization to contemporary restaurant culture. We will explore issues of class, ethnicity, immigration, labor, technology, and culture, with a special focus on New York?s culinary pioneers from the Delmonico brothers...

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    • NFDS 3019

      Black Farmers and Foodways in the US

      In this course we explore the development of Black farming communities in the United States. The course is designed to give students knowledge and understanding of African American rural material culture, including the function of gardens and yard ornamentation. These material expressions are examin...

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    • NFDS 3410

      Hungering for Opportunities: Food and Migrations

      In the contemporary world, food sparks debates on power structures, race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism that acquire particular relevance in places where people from around the world live together and interact. In this course, we examine food in relation to migration in New York City and at the na...

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  • I thought I would take food studies and photography courses to develop my food styling business. Instead, my courses led me on a totally different career path, focusing on food as a vehicle for social justice.

    Francisca Sanhueza, BS Food Studies ’15

  • Take The Next Step

Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.