The College will offer an eclectic new master’s degree in Food Studies in Fall 2021
Next fall, students at IU Bloomington will be able to earn a master’s degree in Food Studies through a new interdisciplinary program run by the departments of Anthropology and Geography in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Food studies is really emerging as a viable and vibrant academic area,” says Andrea Wiley, who chairs the Anthropology department. “The College has long been at the forefront of food studies, and now is the perfect time to launch an M.A. program to provide individuals from a wide range of backgrounds with holistic training in this area.”
Thanks to Richard Wilk, professor emeritus of Anthropology, IU was an early leader in the study of the anthropology of food and has offered a Ph.D. minor in Food Studies since 2008. So, the department was in an ideal position to capitalize on the growing interest in food by offering the new master’s degree, Wiley says.
“Many people have been contacting us about studying food who don’t necessarily want to earn a Ph.D. or do academic research,” she explains. She hopes that the new master’s degree will draw diverse students from many backgrounds: chefs, restaurants owners, and growers, for example, as well as recent college graduates from a wide variety of majors.