At which campus can I study this program?
Program Description
This minor is an interdisciplinary program of study designed to enable students to:
- gain an awareness and appreciation for the interrelationship and interdependency of the nations of the world for their food and fiber systems worldwide;
- gain awareness of problems in international agriculture and sustainability of alternative solutions;
- understand global impacts of technology;
- understand systems of learning across cultures.
What is International Agriculture?
How does climate change affect coffee grown in El Salvador—and migration into the United States? What resources do women farmers have compared to men? How can governmental policies promote all people having food at all times? These are just a few of the questions explored within the field of international agriculture.
Agriculture affects all of us. Every time we eat, go to the grocery store, or even buy clothing, we are participating in complex agricultural systems that are increasingly globally integrated. The interdisciplinary study of international agriculture explores food and fiber production around the world—and the lives of everyone connected to these processes. Utilizing systems thinking we examine the environmental, social, economic, political, and technological challenges and opportunities to promoting food security and sustainable agricultural development around the globe.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You want to examine real world challenges influencing whether people around the world have adequate food to eat.
- You want to explore the interconnected environmental, social, and economic factors which contribute to food and fiber production globally.
- You want to enhance your global and cultural perspectives to apply to careers in business, non-profits, government, and more.
- You want to explore the local implications of agriculture and sustainable development around the globe.
Entrance to Minor
Students may apply for admission to the minor by completing and submitting an application for admission to Office of International Programs, College of Agricultural Sciences, 106 Administration Building, University Park campus. A signature from the student's major program adviser is required.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18 |
Requirements for the Minor
This minor requires 18 credits and may be combined with any undergraduate major in the University. Some courses require prerequisites not included in the minor. World language competence is highly recommended.
Students are given the option of participating in a semester study abroad program that would be discussed and approved by the INTAG coordinator and the student's academic adviser. Twelve credits maximum can count toward the minor, and should normally only fulfill elective and internationally-oriented experience credits, and not replace prescribed credits for the minor. The semester study abroad program needs to focus on courses within the food, agriculture or natural resources areas.
Students must have six credits of 400-level course work for the minor.
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| INTAG 100N | Everyone Eats: Hunger, Food Security & Global Agriculture  | 3 |
| INTAG 490 | Senior Seminar in International Agriculture | 3 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select three courses from the first two categories (9 credits) and one internationally-oriented experience from the third category (3 credits) | ||
Category 1: Social Sciences | ||
| Select up to two courses from this category: | 3-6 | |
| Global Agriculture Education | ||
| Agribusiness in the Global Economy | ||
| First Farmers | ||
ANTH 472 | ||
| Introduction to Global Health Issues | ||
| African Health & Development | ||
| Global Health Equity | ||
| Development Issues in the Global Context | ||
CED 420 | ||
| International Community and Economic Development | ||
| International Development, Renewable Resources, and the Environment | ||
| Food and the Future Environment | ||
| Environment and Society in a Changing World | ||
| Geography of Developing World | ||
| Economic Geography | ||
| Perspectives on Human Geography | ||
| Human Use of Environment | ||
| Resource Governance in Africa | ||
| Biocultural Perspectives on Public Health Nutrition | ||
| Global Nutrition Problems: Health, Science, and Ethics | ||
| Elementary Spanish I for Students in the Agricultural Sciences | ||
| Elementary Spanish II for Students in the Agricultural Sciences | ||
WMNST 420 | ||
Any university language skill development course | ||
Category 2: Natural Sciences | ||
| Select up to two courses from this category: | 3-6 | |
| African Biodiversity and Conservation | ||
AGECO 3 | ||
| Principles of Integrated Pest Management | ||
| The Earth System and Global Change | ||
ENT 202 | ||
ENT 222 | ||
| Principles of Integrated Pest Management | ||
| Environmental Factors and Their Effect on Your Food Supply | ||
| Food Facts and Fads | ||
| Global Change and Ecosystems | ||
| Agroforestry: Science, Design, and Practice | ||
| Global Forest Conservation | ||
| Geographic Perspectives on Environmental Systems Science | ||
| Tropical Agriculture and Food Systems | ||
| Microbe-Plant Interactions: Plant Disease and Biological Control | ||
| Environmental Sustainability | ||
Category 3: International Experience | ||
| Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Comparing Agricultural and Food Systems in the US and France: Lecture | ||
| Comparing Agricultural and Food Systems in the United States and France: Travel | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| International Food Production | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Comparing Agricultural and Food Systems in the US and France: Lecture | ||
| Comparing Agricultural and Food Systems in the United States and France: Travel | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
| Foreign Studies | ||
- 1
With approval of INTAG minor coordinator.
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Noel Habashy
Assistant Teaching Professor
106 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-0249
noel@psu.edu
Schedule an advising appointment with Noel Habashy through Starfish.
Career Paths
Graduates of the International Agriculture minor go on to use their global understanding in a wealth of careers such as:
- Non-Governmental Organizations including Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture, DAI, and local food banks.
- Government including U.S. Agency for International, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service, and working for U.S. representatives in congress.
- Private industry including Hershey, Mars, and Corteva.
- Entrepreneurial efforts including an equine business and a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm.
- Academia including research and teaching in nutrition, food security, veterinary medicine, and agricultural education.
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
Graduates of the International Agriculture minor go on to pursue a wide range of graduate studies. One such program is the International Agriculture and Development dual-degree graduate program at Penn State.
Contact
University Park
AG SCIENCES GLOBAL
106 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-0249
noel@psu.edu
https://agsci.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate/minors/international-agriculture