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Food Studies (MAFS) Overview
Everyone eats. Food is an ubiquitous part of the human experience, connecting us to each other as well as to plants and animals. At Chatham’s Master of Arts in Food Studies (MAFS) program, you will build knowledge through hands-on experience and opportunities that open you up to a holistic and equity-based view of the food system, from agriculture and food production to cuisines and consumption.
Priority deadline for fall enrollment is February 1. Submit all materials by this date for fellowship and assistantship consideration. Regular deadline for fall enrollment is July 1. Regular deadline for spring enrollment is November 1.
Credits Required
42
The Chatham University's MA in Food Studies requires 42 credits to complete and can be completed in 2 years of full-time study. A part-time enrollment option is also available.
Cultivating Connections
Community Partnerships
The Falk School of Sustainability & Environment cultivates robust partnerships with entities in Pittsburgh and beyond.
I entered the food studies program convinced that industrialized farms were the enemy and that local/organic farms were the avenue to creating a more just food system. I’ve learned that there is no black and white in the world of food. There are many obstacles to achieving a just and equal food system, but this program is giving me the tools to ‘fight the good fight.'
—KAITLYN BEST, MAFS ’13
Cultivating Partnerships
The Falk School of Sustainability & Environment cultivates robust partnerships with entities in Pittsburgh and beyond. Find out how one such partnership brought new life to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown.
Courses & Curriculum
Chatham University's MA in Food Studies (MAFS) requires 42 credits and can be completed in two years of full-time study, with part-time options available. Courses explore agricultural and culinary history, as well as food production and consumption, through sociological, cultural, political, ecological, economic, and geographic perspectives. For more details on the curriculum progression, click the button below.
In Chatham's Master of Arts in Food Studies program, we stress experiential learning, which often focuses on "learning how" alongside "learning what". One way we accomplish this is through the student-driven Agroecology Demonstration Garden (ADG).
Since the start of Chatham University’s Master of Food Studies program, students have been touring the Pittsburgh coffee purveyor La Prima Espresso Company. Through partnerships like this one with local businesses, government, non-profits, farms, purveyors, and restaurants across the region, Chatham MAFS students gain the kind of hands-on, experiential understanding of their field that marks our Food Studies program as truly unique.
Frankie Williams, MAFS is the fire master for the Eden Hall bread oven, a community gathering place on campus. The bread oven was a thesis project by MAFS alum Shauna Kearns, who wrote a successful grant for this project.
Located 20 minutes north of Pittsburgh, Chatham's Eden Hall Campus is the world's first academic community built from the ground up for sustainability. The grounds and infrastructure support research and learning around energy and climate; water and aquaculture; food and agriculture; community and health; and design and planning.
Chatham's Food Studies faculty members are accomplished teachers, scholars, practitioners, and active leaders in the field. They serve as mentors and advisors and are there for you every step of the way.
Center for Regional Agricultural, Food, and Transformation (CRAFT)
An affiliate of the MAFS program, CRAFT provides resources, learning opportunities, and technical assistance on food systems, regional food cultures, and sustainable economies to individuals, organizations, and businesses. It offers ample opportunities for students to be involved in assistantships, research, and project engagement.
The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement comes to Pittsburgh Public Schools
Simple changes in the environment can lead to healthier lunchtime choices. That’s the thinking behind the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement (SLM), a program started in 2009 by researchers at the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition.
The cost of a graduate degree consists of university tuition (per credit charge), fees, and any other personal expenses you may require for earning your degree. Chatham also offers a 20% corporate partner discount, graduate assistantships, and professional campus work positions for many graduate programs that can help make a Chatham graduate education more affordable. Our Financial Aid and Admissions offices will also work with you to understand loan and financing options available.
Start the next steps in your graduate journey at Chatham University by visiting campus or attending upcoming events. Join virtual info sessions, open houses, or admitted student sessions to learn about our programs and the application process, interact with faculty, and experience the Chatham community. Click the button below to view the schedule and register, and email graduate@chatham.edu with any questions.
Where can you brew beer, make yogurt from scratch, learn about the inner workings of a cider house and produce a student-run magazine? In Chatham’s Sustainable Fermentation class, of course!
Find out about Chatham's Agroecology Demonstration Garden, a student-focused garden at Eden Hall Campus where they pursue projects that illustrate what they're learning in class.
As a final project, Rachel Waugh designed a tour of Eden Hall Campus that focuses on the earliest known occupants of the land, acknowledging that it “shares the legacy and continued violence of settler colonialism with the rest of the state and country.”
