Minor Requirements

MINOR REQUIREMENTS

Food Studies Minor (Effective Fall 2020 and thereafter)

Requirement Course Information Units
6 courses, with at least one from each thematic group Select from a list of approved courses

Group A: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives

Group B: Perspectives from the Sciences

24-27
1 Capstone Course* Food Studies 195CE: Internship

Food Studies 199: Independent Research

4
7 Courses 28-31 Units

*The Capstone course is to be taken after all other courses have been completed, or concurrently with one remaining course.

Additional Information:

  • Courses in the minor must be taken for a letter grade, and a student must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or higher.
  • No more than two lower-division courses may be counted towards the minor.
  • A minimum of 20 units applied toward the minor requirements must be in addition to units applied toward major requirements or another minor.
  • Students may petition to have courses other than those listed in the Required Elective Courses be counted for the minor. Contact the Academic Counselor for Food Studies for information on how to petition.
  • Successful completion of the minor is indicated on the transcript and diploma.

Food Studies Minor (Effective Winter 2016-Spring 2020)

Requirement Course Information Units
1 Lower Division Core Course Environment 25: Good Food for Everyone: Health, Sustainability and Culture

GE Cluster M1CW: Food: A Lens for Environment and Sustainability

5-6
1 Lower Division Course Select from a list of approved lower division courses 5
4 Upper Division Elective Courses Select from a list of approved upper division courses 16
1 Capstone Course** Food Studies 195CE: Internship

Food Studies 199: Independent Research

4
7 Courses 30-31 Units

*The Capstone course is to be taken after all other courses have been completed, or concurrently with one remaining course.

**Food Studies 195CE is only offered in Winter and Spring terms.

Additional Information for the Food Studies Minor Requirements (Winter 2016-Spring 2020)

  • Courses in the minor must be taken for a letter grade, and a student must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or higher.
  • To remain eligible for the minor, a student must earn a minimum grade of a C in the lower division core course.
  • A minimum of 20 units applied toward the minor requirements must be in addition to units applied toward major requirements or another minor.
  • No more than two lower-division courses may be counted towards the minor.
  • Students may petition to have courses other than those listed in the Required Elective Courses be counted for the minor. Contact the Academic Counselor for Food Studies for information on how to petition.
  • Successful completion of the minor is indicated on the transcript and diploma.
Capstone Requirement

CAPSTONE REQUIREMENT

The Capstone requirement provides students in the Food Studies minor the opportunity to either put their studies into practice through internship, or complete independent research in a food related area of interest. The Capstone course is required for completion of the minor—it must be the last course undertaken after all other courses have been completed, or concurrently with one remaining course requirement.

The Capstone requirement can be satisfied by completing one of the following:

As an additional resource, students are encouraged to carefully review the 195CE/199 corresponding Capstone Information Guide, which can be found within the supplemental resources on this page.

SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTS

Capstone Information Guide: FOOD ST 195CE

Capstone Information Guide: FOOD ST 199

UCLA Library – Food Studies Research Guide

Research Tips & Strategies

195CE Internship Course

FOOD ST 195CE: INTERNSHIP IN FOOD STUDIES

Food Studies 195CE is an opportunity to apply critical thinking and research skills obtained through the student’s University education to an internship experience.

As an additional resource, students are encouraged to carefully review the Capstone Information Guide  for the course.

Food Studies 195CE is only offered in Winter and Spring quarters.

Internship Requirements

  • Enrollment in a 4-unit FOOD ST 195CE internship course
  • Course can be taken for letter-grade only
  • Internship must consist of 8-10 hours per week amounting to a total of 80-100 hours for the quarter.
  • Challenging, college-level work (i.e. not filing, coffee runs, scheduling appointments, shadowing without interaction, etc.)
  • Professional work environment
  • Supervised off-campus location (UCLA-affiliated centers are RARELY approved, and internship work must involve interaction with community stakeholders, not peers)
  • Connection to your major/interests

 195CE Course Requirements

Types of internships

  • Direct service internships offer a hands-on opportunity to work with food related organizations. Some sample internship sites include, Seeds of Hope, Food Forward and the Social Justice Learning Institute.
  • Policy internships are generally affiliated with government agencies—an example internship site includes the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. Students can also complete food policy related internships through:

Enrollment Steps

  1. Explore and seek potential internships at least one or two quarters before the term you intend to officially enroll in FOOD ST 195CE.
    1. Use the FOOD ST 195CE Capstone Information Guide as a reference.
    2. Be prepared to share a resume with possible sites. (For help with resumes, cover letters, or interview preparation, please consult the UCLA Career Center.)
    3. You can always consult with the Food Studies Academic Counselor or the Food Studies Graduate Student Instructor if you have questions or need help in your search for an internship.
  2. Contact potential internship sites and apply, interview, etc.
  3. Secure an internship that will allow you to work 8-10 hours per week for a minimum total of 80 hours during an academic quarter.
  4. Create a 195CE Course Contract following steps listed on this website (step 4). Please follow the step-by-step guidelines.
    1. The contract must be signed by your internship supervisor.
    2. Petition your academic counseling unit to go over 19 units, if needed.
  5. Request your internship supervisor’s signature on the Letter of Agreement (available on step 6 of website to download.)
  6. Schedule an intake appointment with the Food Studies Graduate Student Instructor during weeks 8-10 of the quarter preceding your internship or weeks 0-2 of the quarter when you want to enroll**.
    1. Schedule an intake appointment via MyUCLA (Academics > Appointments)
    2. For your intake appointment, please have the required information:
      1. Name and location of your internship site
      2. Name and email address of your supervisor at the internship
      3. Description of internship duties from the organization (i.e. offer letter or position ad)
      4. Signed 195CE Contract AND Letter of Agreement by your Site Supervisor
  1. Submit the signed FOOD ST 195CE contract to the Food Studies Graduate Student Instructor during your intake appointment.
    1. The Food Studies Graduate Student Instructor will forward the signed FOOD ST 195CE contract to the Food Studies Academic Counselor for enrollment. The deadline for enrollment is Friday, Week 2.
  2. Verify enrollment on your MyUCLA study list and Degree Audit Report by the end of Week 2 (or Week 3 if you turn in paperwork late).

**International students are asked to schedule intake appointments for Week 8-10 of the quarter preceding their internship course. Domestic students are asked to schedule intake appointments for Week 0-2 of the quarter in which they will be enrolled. All intake appointments must be completed by Wednesday of Week 2.

199 Directed Research

FOOD ST 199: DIRECTED RESEARCH OR SPECIAL PROJECT IN FOOD STUDIES

Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, this independent research course gives students the opportunity to conduct independent research or create a special project related to food studies.

As an additional resource, students are encouraged to carefully review the Capstone Information Guide  for the course.

How to enroll in a FOOD ST 199 course

  1. Identify your faculty mentor before the quarter you want to start your independent research
  2. Create a FOOD ST 199 contract course under your faculty mentor via MyUCLA by going to the “Classes” tab and selecting “Contract Courses.”
  3. Meet with your faculty mentor to review the contract and have it signed.
  4. Submit the signed contract to the Food Studies Minor department by:
    • Fall, Winter and Spring quarters: Friday of Week 2 (can submit through Friday of Week 3, if absolutely necessary and okay with the faculty mentor)
    • Summer Session: Friday of Week 1 (contact the Academic Counselor if submitting after Week 1)
  5. Verify enrollment in the course by reviewing your study list by the end of Week 2 (or Week 3 if you turn in paperwork late).
    • If necessary, please petition with your academic counseling unit to exceed your study list units for the quarter.
  6. Verify enrollment into the course by reviewing your academic study list.

Please note that if you wish to complete FOOD ST 199 as your Capstone requirement, it must be the last course taken after all other courses have been completed, or concurrently with one remaining minor course requirement.

PNP Policy

UPDATE TO THE FOOD STUDIES MINOR REQUIREMENTS FOR SPRING 2020 TO SUMMER 2022

The Chair of UCLA Food Studies and the UCLA Faculty Executive Committee have approved the request to allow minor requirements to be satisfied with a Pass or Letter Grade. This only applies to courses completed in spring 2020, the 2020-21 academic year including summer 2021, and 2021-2022 academic year, including summer 2022. For students who elect to complete a courses for Pass/No Pass (P/NP), they will satisfy the minor requirement so long as they earn a “Pass”, which is a minimum C grade. Please note that satisfactory completion of the minor does require a minimum 2.0 minor GPA. For more information and restrictions about the Pass/No Pass Grading Option.