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Admission Contact
Office of Undergraduate Admission
72 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor
New York, NY 10011
finish@newschool.edu
212.229.5150 or 800.292.3040
Core Faculty Advisor
Kristin Reynolds
66 West 12th Street, room 904
New York, NY 10003
kristin.reynolds@newschool.edu
Student Success Advisor
Joyinn Paulin
Director of Student Success Advising, Transfer and Non-Traditional Students
paulinj@newschool.edu
Curriculum Notice: Faculty in Food Studies are engaging in a comprehensive redesign of this curriculum. Students who began their studies in the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students (Adult Bachelor's Program) before the fall 2026 semester can continue in or add this major. Students who begin their studies in the Adult Bachelor's Program in fall 2026 or after will still be able to take courses in this subject area and can pursue it through minors, electives, or broader Liberal Arts study.
The Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in Food Studies is awarded upon the completion of 120 credits, including at least 30 credits in Food Studies. The major consists of an introductory course and four core courses, providing the foundation for the study of food from the cultural, political, and environmental points of view, and 12 credits (or four courses, depending on curricular choices), in one of the following concentrations: Culture, Media, and Communication; Health and Environment; and Policy and Politics. Six credits can be chosen from elective courses offered by The New School in topics relevant to students’ professional and cultural interests.
| Sample Courses* | Credits |
|---|---|
| NFDS 2050 Introduction to Food Studies | 3 |
| Food and culture course—choose one NFDS 2101 American Culinary History: From the Erie Canal to the Food Network NFDS 3401 Eating Identities NFDS 3410 Food and Migration
| 3 |
| Health and environment course—choose one NFDS 2720 Food and the Human Body NFDS 4715 Food and the Environment | 3-4 |
| Policy and politics course—choose one NFDS 3201 Making Sausage: Policy Tools for Food Systems, Environment, and Design NFDS 3202 Food, Power, and Paradox ULEC 2662 Global Food and Human Rights ULEC 2663 Global Food and Human Rights: DSC | 3 |
| Concentration areas—choose one Culture, Media, and Communication Concentration Sample Courses NFDS 2009 Design Thinking, Food/Climate NFDS 2080 Introduction to Food Design NFDS 2102 Drinking History NFDS 2101 American Culinary History NFDS 2110 Culinary Luminaries: A Celebration of Those Who Have Changed the Way We Eat NFDS 2615 Food and Media NFDS 2906 NYC Eats: Food, People, Places NFDS 3019 Black Farmers and Foodways: United States NFDS 3401 Eating Identities: Food, Gender, and Race NFDS 3615 Feasting Your Eyes: Food and Film NFDS 4100 Understanding Global Food and Social Justice Through Music | 3 |
| Health and Environment Concentration Sample Courses NFDS 2957 Zero Food Waste NFDS 3406 Umami Studies NFDS 3714 Food and the Environment NFDS 3720 Urban Agriculture and Food Activism NFDS 2019 Black Farmers and Foodways: United States | 3-4 |
| Policy and Politics Concentration Sample Courses NFDS 2009 Design Thinking, Food/Climate NFDS 2019 Black Farmers and Foodways: United States NFDS 2400 Kids and Food NFDS 2662 Global Food and Human Rights NFDS 2663 Global Food and Human Rights: DSC NFDS 3201 Making Sausage: Policy for Food Systems, Environment, and Design NFDS 3202 Food, Power, and Paradox NFDS 3300 Food Fights! Food in Advocacy and Sociopolitical Communication NFDS 3410 Food and Migration NFDS 4100 Understanding Global Food and Social Justice through Music NFDS 4245 Social Justice in the Food System | 3 |
| Two approved electives | 6 |
| Total | 30 |
*Others may be approved by the chair of the Food Studies program.
Students can complete three to six elective credits by taking the courses offered by the Schools of Public Engagement and other colleges of The New School. Credits can also be earned through summer courses, internships, co-ed learning, and prior learning, with departmental approval.
Sample elective courses:
The New School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.