Support our communities with a Food Security certificate
Food security is essential for everyone’s health and well-being. But there’s a long way to go in improving global food security for all, due to social and economic inequality, conflict, climate change, and environmental degradation.
That’s why there is a rapidly growing need for passionate, qualified professionals to create and implement food security programs and policies to help achieve food security locally, nationally and globally. This is why The Chang School is proud to offer Canada’s only online certificate program in food security.
This program was developed with the Centre for Studies in Food Security to provide professional food-security accreditation and help raise awareness of food security issues across a wide range of professional sectors.
Many of our graduates have found the program invaluable in making career moves into sectors where food security expertise is needed. There’s a wide variety of opportunities available for trained food security professionals, including in government, local and international community development, the nonprofit sector, food-system planning, regional health authorities, or even the expanding urban agriculture sector.
Our food security certificate is online, so you can complete it at your own pace. Coursework covers many different topics, both local and global, including food justice, gender and food security, food systems, climate change and food security, the politics of food, health and food security, urban food security, Indigenous food systems in Canada, and food-security research. The certificate also offers courses in urban agriculture.
The world needs more advocates to advance food justice and battle global food insecurity. Are you ready to step up to help create food-secure communities?
Who should take this Food Security certificate?
- You need a degree accreditation in food security to advance your career professionally or academically
- You’re a working professional with food-security experience in public health, social work, agriculture, international development, or the food sector and want to broaden your knowledge and skill set to expand their career opportunities
- You’re a degree graduate looking for a stepping stone from undergraduate studies to a master’s or PhD program in food security or related studies
- You’re passionate about the subject and would like to transition to careers in this field
- You’re a practitioner working locally or regionally on food security in your community
What will you learn while taking the Food Security certificate?
You’ll learn how to:
- Apply appropriate research and evaluation methods for assessing food security at individual, household and community levels
- Determine the prevalence of hunger and food insecurity in a population
- Use international databases and software to assess trends in food security for different countries in order to identify food crises
- Use research to inform on policy making and practice to improve food security based on a right to food perspective
- Apply new economic thinking to strengthening food security
- Design inclusive, collaborative policymaking processes for building household and community food security
- Identify the requirements for creating sustainable food systems based on social justice principles
Career Options
This certificate can prepare you for jobs like:
- City social worker dealing with poverty and food security issues
- Community development officer
- Director of a non-profit organization
- Program leader for a food program or food bank
- Program leader for a regional health authority
- Research associate for food insecurity
- Urban farm manager
- International development professional
- Policy maker in health, education, the environment or economic planning
Certificate Requirements
- 3 required courses
- 3 electives
- Complete a minimum of 50 percent of the courses through The Chang School
- Successfully complete your program requirements within four years of registering in the certificate
- Achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) 1.67+
Admission Criteria
Required:
- An undergraduate degree
OR
- 5 years of professional experience in a field relevant to food security work
OR
- A 3-year Baccalaureate study with a clear academic standing (at least a C average or GPA of 1.67)
Admission interview and placement assessment
If you wish to apply to register for the Certificate in Food Security, contact the Academic Coordinator, who will assess whether you are eligible and answer any questions you might have about the program. You can reach Reg Noble at food@torontomu.ca. If you’re interested in taking individual courses, Toronto Metropolitan University’s general eligibility rules apply.
If you’re an undergraduate student, you should be aware of possible certificate restrictions. For complete details, check Curriculum Advising.
Questions?
Contact Client Services ce@torontomu.ca
