Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources

OBJECTIVES

Agriculture and Life Sciences Division within the College of Natural Applied Sciences will offer the Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (SAFNR) Program with two tracks to create leaders and professionals for the next generation needed to address challenges which are closely tied to the global food systems, nutrition and human health, energy security, climate change, as well as agricultural enterprises, using sustainable approaches. The goal of the program therefore, will include educating students and developing and disseminating science-based information to promote sustainable agricultural production, healthy living, and natural resource management that is appropriate for the Western Pacific Region. Courses are offered by faculty from the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, School of Nursing and Health sciences, College of Liberal Arts, and the sponsored programs. Specific objectives of the program include seeking answers to agricultural and natural resources as well as food, nutritional and health related questions, especially those arising in the developing island nations of the Pacific; promoting needed educational and service projects in Western Pacific island communities; and equipping graduates with the knowledge and skills needed for sound scientific inquiry and professional practice, and a solid understanding and commitment to professional ethics in the pacific regions.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of the Program:

The students will demonstrate the ability to apply, analyze, synthesize and evaluate issues in the areas of sustainable agriculture, food, nutrition and natural resources.
The students will demonstrate mastery in quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis in agricultural science, food and nutrition science, as well as the natural resources.
They will demonstrate ability to write technical scientific reports and articles.
The students will demonstrate knowledge of current topics and research activities related to sustainable agriculture, food and natural resource sciences in the literature as well as in the island communities.
Students will demonstrate the ability to conceive, conduct and report original research results.
Students will apply knowledge and technical skills in order to solve discipline related challenges in tropical systems.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must first meet all University requirements stated under “Academic Requirements, Section B. Admission Requirements for Graduate Status.” Once admitted by the University’s Graduate Admissions Office, students may apply for admission to the ‘Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (SAFNR) Program.

For Pre-candidate status, students must submit the following to the SAFNR Admissions and Recruitment Committee:

A written, personal statement in English of up to 1000 words that addresses:
1. A discussion of why the student is applying specifically to SAFNR, highlighting aspects of the program that most attracts him/her.
2. A description of the research interest that the student would like to explore and the academic and/or professional experiences that have most prepared him/her to study that topic.
A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) that outlines personal, professional, and academic experiences that have prepared the student to pursue training in the SAFNR program,
A copy of all undergraduate transcripts,
Three (3) letters of recommendation submitted from individuals familiar with the student’s academic or professional performance.
Pre-candidates MUST apply for Candidate status prior to completing 12 credit hours towards the SAFNR degree.

For Candidate status:

The student must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for all graduate courses,
The student will form a Thesis Committee composed of the thesis advisor (chairperson) and at least two additional members, one of whom must be from outside the specialty area of the thesis project,
The student will present to the UOG community an oral proposal for a thesis project.

Application packages are first evaluated by the Admissions and Recruitment Committee who then present their recommendation to the Program Chair. Upon approval by the Program Chair, the applicant is admitted to the program as Pre-candidate or Candidate.

BACKGROUND AND PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES

The SAFNR is built around two component disciplines (Tracks): Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources, and of Food and Nutrition. Applicants are expected to have backgrounds related to at least one of these disciplines. Related backgrounds are broadly defined. Students who do not possess these background courses will be advised to take key undergraduate courses as part of their program. For example, for Sustainable Agriculture, related disciplines include all the sub-disciplines of biology and other life sciences, such as biochemistry, or genetics; the health sciences; and agricultural, animal, and plant sciences. Disciplines related to Natural Resources-include the natural sciences, particularly the earth sciences, tropical ecosystem, and atmospheric sciences. Relevant disciplines also include; applied mathematics, statistics, and computer science. Applicants with other backgrounds, especially with interdisciplinary training or experience, who have completed the prerequisites listed below or can provide other evidence of their ability to successfully complete the core course requirement will be considered as well.

TRACKS

The two tracks of the program will cover the following topics:

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

The following topics will be covered in the Track of Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources:

Evaluation methods of plant, soil and natural resources interaction
Technologies in sustainable agriculture and agro-ecosystem
Method of selection of plants adapted to environments
Plant materials in tropical urban landscape and farms
Evolving methods of engineering technologies in tropical sustainable agriculture
Effects of soil fertility on plant nutrition and metabolism
Experimental designs in agricultural field and laboratory
Sustainable animal production systems
Agricultural biotechnology
Tropical aquaculture

FOOD AND NUTRITION

The following topics will be covered in the Track of Food and Nutrition:

Applications and issues related to nutrition research
Dietary assessment methods; nutrition monitoring and surveillance
Evolving methods of assessing health status
Assessment and treatment of nutritional health risks
Health promotion and disease prevention theories and guidelines
Influence of socioeconomic, cultural and psychological factors on food and nutrition behaviour
Food safety issues, solutions, and regulations
Food security and value-added food products
Changes of food quality and components during processing and storage
Methods of detecting and characterizing microbes and food components.

MASTERS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Upon the admission to the program, students must choose and be accepted by a faculty advisor with expertise in their selected sub-discipline. Subsequently, the student’s individual program is developed by the student and his or her advisor and monitored by the advisor and the student’s advisory committee. Final program approval requires endorsement by the Program Chair, with subsequent approval by the Director of Graduate Studies. In consultation with his or her advisor, each student must select which of the two tracks he or she will follow for the two capstone experiences: Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Food and Nutrition as described below. Students may apply for degree candidacy and register for capstone credits only after their proposal has been presented to and approved by their advisory committee, as described below.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (33 credit hours)

The University of Guam’s graduate SAFNR Program is designed to produce graduates equipped with essential knowledge and skills. It fosters a committment to the highest standards of professional integrity in research and application of Agricultural and Natural Resources as well as Food and Nutrition to matters of public interest.

Students are required to take a minimum of 33 credit hours to graduate from the SAFNR program. A thesis with a satisfactory grade point average of 3.0 or higher will confer the Master of Science in Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Food and Nutrition.

Core Courses (13 credit hours)

The CORE curriculum for ALL TRACKS consists of four courses totaling 13 credit hours:

Course	Course Title	Credits	Term Offered
BI503	BIOLOGICAL LITERATURE AND SCIENTIFIC WRITING + Survey of biological literature as an assist in thesis and manuscript preparation in the areas of writing, proofreading, literature citation, figure and table preparation. Two hours of lecture weekly.	2 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS
BI507	ADVANCED STATISTICAL METHODS + An advanced course in applied statistical methods as used in the biological and environmental sciences stressing the design and analysis of experimental and observational studies. Lectures will be 3 hours per week. Prerequisites: MA385 or equivalent.	4 credit hours	FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS
AL691	SEMINAR AND CURRENT TOPICS + This course is graduate seminar course that combines formal student presentations with invited presentations by faculty and community members involved with agriculture and life sciences and related subjects. The course consists of 1-hour sessions each week throughout the semester.	1 credit hour	SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS
AL695	THESIS + The ALS 695 Thesis course is a final course of the SAFNR graduate program. This course is designed to give the student field and research experience within the UOG Research and Extension framework to complete and defend Thesis work. UOG faculty-directed projects are designed for individual students. The student is required to complete two 3-credit courses (i.e. 135 hours for 3 credits) directed research during their last two semesters. Prerequisite: Instructor's consent.	1 - 6 credit hours	FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS

Among the core courses which are the tool courses are: Advanced Statistical Methods (BI-507, 4 credit hours), Seminars on current topics (AL 691, 1 credit hour), Biological Literature & Scientific Writing (BI/EV 503, 2 hours). These core courses equip students with quantitative skills for rigorous experimental design and, interpretation as well as rigorous training in, scientific writing. Students take all four of these core courses, irrespective of which track they choose for their concentration. This suite of courses, thus equips students with the essential knowledge and skills from each of the two tracks that define the ‘SAFNR’. Once students are admitted to the program he or she must demonstrate proficiency in spoken English and presentation skills to the satisfaction of the program admissions committee. If, however, the advisory committee determines that the student would not benefit from additional formal instruction in oral presentation they may waive the Literature & Scientific Presentation (seminar, 1 credit hour) requirement as it is listed above.

Agricultural and Natural Resource Track (9 credit hours)

For the Agricultural and Natural Resource Track students must choose minimum of 9 credit hours from the following courses:

Course	Course Title	Credits	Term Offered
AL443G	TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE TROPICAL AGRICULTURE + FULL COURSE TITLE: ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE TROPICAL AGRICULTURE changed to TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE TROPICAL AGRICULTURE This course provides students with knowledge of Agricultural sustainability through the practice of technologies that efficiently utilize resources that aim to improve and sustain soil and water quality and quantity. Students will gain knowledge of the technologies for improving sustainability on agriculture operations, conservation practices that mitigate degradation of soil and water utility in agricultural operation through sustainable management. Students will learn management strategies and technologies that aim to obtain optimum agricultural production, reduce negative environmental impacts, and sustain natural resources. The course meets for three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory weekly. AL443L/G is the laboratory portion of AL443/G and MUST be taken concurrently. Corequisite: AL443L/G. Prerequisites: MA161A, AL211, AL281 or consent of instructor.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS
EV512	ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: ECONOMICS-MANAGEMENT-LAW + This course equips students with the fundamental elements of microeconomic theory, concepts of environmental economics, techniques of environmental management, and elements of environmental law that are essential for efficient and sustainable conservation, allocation, and management of natural resources, as well as the rational evaluation and effective maintenance of environmental safety and quality.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS
AL536	ADVANCES IN SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE + This course is intended to cover the recent advance in sustainable aquaculture research, development and application, including culture system, aquaculture nutrition, reproductive biology, genetic selective breeding, health management, production techniques, aquatic environmental management, seafood processing technology, off commercially important aquaculture species. It is also designed to provide in-depth knowledge of the molecular techniques currently used in aquaculture research, with emphasis on some applications in developing a sustainable aquaculture in the tropical regions. Prerequisite: AL136 or consent of instructor.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/ODD YEARS
EV561	URBAN LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT + This course focuses on the integration of ecological theory with vegetation management and includes aspects of horticulture, landscape design, recreation studies, planning and financial management. This course emphasizes the use and management of indigenous and introduced vegetation in the public landscape and explores both scientific and philosophical ideas on reasons for undertaking certain practices.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/EVEN YEARS
AL566	AGROECOLOGY FOR ISLAND SUSTAINABILITY + Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable food/agricultural production systems. The lecture topics include comparing structural and functional differences between natural ecosystems and agroecosystems with an emphasis on the tropical islands. The students study the resource-conservation and diversification of plant materials for agricultural sustainability. This course is offered to graduate students who have interested in studying plant, soil, and natural resource science, environmental science, agricultural and food bio-security, socio- and human ecology and general biological sciences. This course includes three hours of lecture weekly. Prerequisite: BI100 or AL101 or AL102, or consent of instructor.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/EVEN YEARS
AL570	SUSTAINABLE ANIMAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS + This course covers farm animal products and provides a general overview of the livestock and poultry industry, relative to biological concepts such as genetics, nutrition, reproduction and disease prevention. This includes biotechnology along with environmental challenges. Prerequisites: BI157, BI157L and AL185.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS
AL581	PRINCIPLE OF PLANT NUTRITION + This course covers plant metabolism and the assimilation of nutrients, their functions in plant and their contributions to plant growth and crop production. The course presents a wide range of topics which cut across the boundaries of soil sciences, plant physiology and biochemistry, as well as some of the ecological conditions pertaining to the tropical and humid environments. Prerequisites: CH102 and CH103.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

Food and Nutrition Track (9 credit hours)

For the Food and Nutrition Track students must choose minimum of 9 credit hours from the following courses:

Course	Course Title	Credits	Term Offered
BI419G	BIOCHEMISTRY + This course covers the principles of protein chemistry and enzyme nomenclature, catalysis, kinetics and control. It includes three hours of lecture weekly. The lab, BI/CH419L, MUST be taken concurrently. Prerequisites: CH310a, CH311, CH310b and CH312; or concurrent enrollment. Corequisite: BI/CH419L.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS
AL439G	COMMUNITY NUTRITION + This course applies knowledge gained from nutrition across the lifespan to nutrition education. Concepts in nutrition education, community programming, and public health are introduced. It is designed for the student who desires to promote health and nutrition with community groups using community nutrition concepts and strategies. Students taking this course for graduate credit will have additional. requirements. Prerequisites: AL330 or consent of instructor. ED300 recommended, not required.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS
AL445G	FOOD CHEMISTRY + This course focuses on the chemical and functional properties of food constituents. Students learn the effects of processing and storage on the stability of chemical components, nutrition values, and quality of foods. Prerequisite: BI157/157L and BI158/158L or CH102/102L and CH103/103L. Corequisite: AL445G/L.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/EVEN YEARS
AL455G	NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT + An in-depth survey and hands-on experience of methods used in the assessment of food and nutrient intakes to include nutritional status of communities, groups, and individuals in both health and disease. Prerequisites: AL330.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/ODD YEARS
AL460G	ADVANCED HUMAN NUTRITION + This course covers the metabolism and macro- and micronutrients, including structure, digestion, absorption, transport, and cellular functions in human nutrition; energy metabolism and balance; and physiologic basis underlying dietary recommendations for human health. Prerequisites: CH310a; BI157, BI157L and BI158, BI158L, or BI124-124L and BI125-125L with grade of C or better; and AL445, or instructor consent.	4 credit hours	FALL ONLY/EVEN YEARS
AL505	NUTRITIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY + This is a 3-credit course that explores the complex relationships between diet and the major diseases of Western civilization, such as cancer and atherosclerosis. Topics that will be covered include: research strategies in nutritional epidemiology; methods of dietary assessment (using data on food intake, biochemical indicators of diet, and measures of body size and composition); reproducibility and validity of dietary assessment methods; nutrition surveillance; and diet-disease associations. Prerequisites: BI/EV507.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS
AL542	ADVANCED FOOD SAFETY + This course covers biological, chemical, and physical agents of foodborne diseases and provides a farm-to-fork perspective overview of food safety, including the fundamental principles, laboratory and analytical methods, risk assessment and hazard analysis, safe operations and technology, and food safety topics, issues, and regulations. Prerequisites: BI157, BI-157L, BI158, BI158L, BI124, BI124L, BI125, BI125L, BI110, BI110L, BI225, BI225L and AL342.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/EVEN YEARS
AL539	PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION + This course covers farm animal products and provides a general overview of the livestock and poultry industry, relative to biological concepts such as genetics, nutrition, reproduction and disease prevention. This includes biotechnology along with environmental challenges. Prerequisites: AL439/G and AL430.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/ODD YEARS

Elective Courses (11 credit hours)

Students are to choose a minimum of 11 credit hours from another track or from the following Electives and any SAFNR track credit requirement courses with advisor’s recommendation:

Beyond the core courses, each student must complete at least 11 credit hours from the elective courses related to his or her selected area of concentration and agreed upon by his or her advisor. Elective courses should support the student’s proposed capstone requirement within a chosen research track, as described.

The capstone requirement for the research track is thus a traditional research thesis, for which the student earns 6 hours of academic credit. See General requirements for research thesis. Research thesis in SAFNR program are expected to make an original contribution to the selected sub-discipline and reflect mastery of the knowledge and skills required to successfully pursue of advanced study and research in the aforementioned science degree program.

Students are to choose a minimum of 11 credit hours from another track or from the following Electives and any SAFNR track credit requirement courses with advisor’s recommendation:

Course	Course Title	Credits	Term Offered
AL451G	AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT + This course examines the role of the manager in the organization and operation of the farm or agri-business. Will cover developing conservation plans, farm business plans, and enterprise budget, as well as other business planning and financial management tools. Prerequisites: MA115 or higher and AL351 or BA110.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS
MI501	PEOPLES AND CULTURES OF MICRO + This course provides a comprehensive overview of the cultures and societies of the Micronesian area. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing or Senior Level or Consent of Instructor.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS
EV535	TROPICAL CLIMATE & CLIMATE VARIABILITY + This course is a study of the climate of the world's tropical regions. Natural variations in rainfall are studies. Mechanisms for short-term fluctuations and long-term changes including El Niño, La Niña, Quasi-biennial stratospheric oscillations, and the ice ages are presented. Also discussed is what constitutes an optimal climate, and whether or not an ice age is worse than a warmer world. Prerequisites: BI412G, EV511, BI/EV503, or consent of instructor.	3 credit hours	FALL ONLY/EVEN YEARS
AL481G	ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENCE + This course uses the principles of soil science with practical demonstrations to study the relationships among contemporary agriculture, natural resources and the environment. It gives an overview of management techniques for erosion control and soil and water conservation with focus on rill and interril erosion. This course also discusses non-point source pollution and control practices involving disposal of organic wastes on agricultural and forestlands. This course will also equip students with skills useful for environmental assessment and soil contaminants analysis. Techniques used for bioremediation of contaminated soils and how soil can be managed to filter out contaminants will be introduced. The course has three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: AG380, MA161a and two Chemistry Courses (CH102, CH103) or BI100	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS
AL481L/G	ENVIRONMENTAL SOIL SCIENCE LABORATORY + This is the laboratory section of AL481. Concurrent enrollment in AL481 is required. This course meets for three hours of laboratory weekly. Prerequisites: AL/NS380 and MA161a or higher.	1 credit hour	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS
HS405G	EPIDEMIOLOGY + This course offers as overview of epidemiology and the epidemiology approach to problems of health and disease. The major principles and methods of epidemiology are presented together with many of the applications of epidemiology to public health and clinical practice. Prerequisites: MA151 or have demonstrated equivalent knowledge and skills, HS216 or consent of instructor. # Take EN-110 EN-111; Minimum grade C; # Take MA-085 MA-084B MA-9110 MA-9161A MA-110 MA-115(1529) MA-085/LII MA-165 MA-161B MA-203 or MA-204; Minimum grade P2,A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2;	3 credit hours	AS REQUIRED/AS REQUIRED
BI425G	MOLECULAR MEDICINE + This course is designed for students who are planning on entering graduate and professional programs in the biological and medical sciences or careers in the biotechnology industry. This course highlights current concepts and trends in molecular biology as well as the latest developments in novel molecular approaches for detection and treatment of diseases. Selected topics in Immunology, Cardiovascular Biology, Tumor Viruses and Cancer Biology, Viral Pathogenesis, and Neurobiology are the focus of this course. Prerequisite: BI416 & BI416L, or equivalent. Corequisite: BI425/G/L.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/AS REQUIRED
MI514	HEALTH AND HUMAN ADAPTATION IN MICRONESIA + Primarily rooted in medical anthropology, this course uses a multidisciplinary approach to look at the status of health and human adaptation in Micronesia. By using specific examples of disease patterns, adaptation is looked at as an evolutionary process as well as synchronically. Strong emphasis is placed on the changing map of health and disease, generally in the Pacific and specifically in the Micronesian Islands. Along with medical anthropology, ideas and methods from related fields such as medical geography and epidemiology have also been incorporated into course materials. Following a broad overview of medical anthropology with introductions to its related fields, ideas and concepts central to health and adaptation will be presented, followed by case studies from Micronesia and the Pacific. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.	3 credit hours	SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS

AL698	INTERNSHIP IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND NATURAL RESOURCES + The internship course provides students with opportunities to work in the academic and professional areas of their interest under the supervision of the expert in the field. For the internship course, a AL698 Student Contract Form needs to be signed by Student, Course Instructor, Student's Advisor, Chair of the graduate program, Dean of the college, and Supervisor of the participating party such as another academic institution, a government agency, a private business, or a non-profit organization engaged in activities that relate to sustainable agriculture, food, nutrition, and natural resources. Each credit (1 credit) requires 40 hours of job training per semester and the 3-credit internship course requires 120 hours. Students may take up to a maximum of six credit hours for completion of the program.	1 - 3 credit hours	FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS
AL692	TEACHING/RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP + This course provides practical educational experience in graduate Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources' courses. PREREQUISITE: INSTRUCTOR'S CONSENT.	1 credit hour	FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

(15 credit hours)

The Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (SAFNR) also offers a Graduate Certificate in different concentrations to students who have successfully completed a total of 15 credit hours with a satisfactory grade point average of 3.0 or higher. For more information please refer to the program’s website or email at safnr@triton.uog.edu.

Graduate Certificates include: