Potential career paths might include:

• Public health
• Food and nutrition policy and education
• Community nutrition
• Community food security
• Culinary arts and management
• Community supported agriculture
• Food enterprise

Entering graduate students will have completed a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition, agricultural science, environmental or food studies or a related discipline.  Appropriate background coursework would include:  human nutrition, ecology, economics, culinary fundamentals or food science, microbiology, community nutrition, and political science. 

Dr. Alison Harmon teaches undergraduate courses in community nutrition, culinary management, and sustainable food systems and offers a graduate course that critically examines the American food system.  Her research focuses on the integration of concepts related to sustainability in the nutrition and dietetic curricula, the effectiveness of food system field experiences on learning about systems and sustainability, and community based strategies for increasing food access such as community supported agriculture (CSA) projects.  Dr. Harmon is on the curriculum development team for the Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems Degree program at MSU. She advises the student organization MSU Friends of Local Foods and student operated Towne’s Harvest Garden, a campus CSA and outdoor classroom.  Additionally, she serves on the Montana Food System Council.  Graduate students working with Dr. Harmon are completing projects related to food system curriculum and resource development and evaluation, community food assessments, local food policies, food product development, and community-supported agriculture.

Depending on the student’s goals, undergraduate degree and coursework, additional courses may be needed to supplement the curriculum.