International Agriculture, Minor

Program Code: INTAG_UMNR

Program Description

This minor is an interdisciplinary program of study designed to enable students to:

  1. gain an awareness and appreciation for the interrelationship and interdependency of the nations of the world for their food and fiber systems worldwide;
  2. gain awareness of problems in international agriculture and sustainability of alternative solutions;
  3. understand global impacts of technology;
  4. 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).

Prescribed Courses
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
INTAG 100NEveryone Eats: Hunger, Food Security & Global Agriculture Keystone/General Education Course3
INTAG 490Senior Seminar in International Agriculture3
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 Keystone/General Education Course
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 Keystone/General Education Course
Environment and Society in a Changing World Keystone/General Education Course
Geography of Developing World
Economic Geography Keystone/General Education Course
Perspectives on Human Geography Keystone/General Education Course
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 Keystone/General Education Course
AGECO 3
Principles of Integrated Pest Management
The Earth System and Global Change Keystone/General Education Course
ENT 202
ENT 222
Principles of Integrated Pest Management
Environmental Factors and Their Effect on Your Food Supply
Food Facts and Fads Keystone/General Education Course
Global Change and Ecosystems
Agroforestry: Science, Design, and Practice
FOR 488Y
Geographic Perspectives on Environmental Systems Science Keystone/General Education Course
Tropical Agriculture and Food Systems
Microbe-Plant Interactions: Plant Disease and Biological Control
Environmental Sustainability Keystone/General Education Course
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.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A MINOR IN INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE

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.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

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