Postgraduate Agriculture Qualifications

Agriculture is one of the world’s oldest industries and refers to the study of food growth and production methods. Covering a wide range of topics from crop protection and fertilisers to animal care and feeding habits, there are currently a number of different postgraduate courses.

Indeed, thanks to the development of new technology and a recent ‘horsemeat scandal’ (March 2013) the agricultural sector has never been under such close scrutiny. As such the sector is having to develop and adhere to new legal restrictions and consumer demands making it a fascinating industry to study.

Taught master’s and postgraduate certificate/diploma

Taught courses are offered in areas such as agronomy, rural development, sustainable agriculture, resource management, organic farming, and food, agriculture and environment.

Teaching is usually delivered through lectures and small-group seminars, with project work and workshops backing up the practical elements, and a dissertation on a research topic of your choice being submitted at the end of the course.

MBA

Specialist MBAs in agriculture are available from a number of universities and colleges, reflecting the need for strong managers in the increasingly globalised food supply industries. MBAs are taught through seminars and project work, often in groups, and are supplemented by a dissertation at the end of the programme.

Research degrees: MPhil, MRes and PhD

While productivity and food quality is essential to agriculture, its success is inextricably linked to its sustainability and effect on the surrounding environment. As a result, there is a huge amount of funded research in these areas available to graduates studying for an MPhil, MRes or PhD.

Postgraduate research can focus on a range of national and global topics, such as animal- and environment-friendly food production, food safety, seed preservation, crop growth, efficiency and yield, weed control, risk management, agricultural systems, the growing of crops for energy purposes (bioenergy), and the potential agricultural impact of climate change and how to minimise it. In recent years, there has been a considerable amount of funding of research projects relating to genetically modified crops and livestock diseases such as Foot and Mouth, Bird Flu and CJD, as well as climate change and bioenergy, with a significant funding boost coming from the BBSRC. Priority research areas that the BBSRC is particularly keen to support range from integrative behaviour of the soil-plant system to control of infectious diseases, animal welfare to crop science, food metabolomics to multiprotein complexes, and fossil carbon substitution to biodiversity utilisation and conservation in agroecosystems.

Entry requirements

For master’s degrees, a first degree related to a chosen field of study is a standard requirement. Other degrees may be considered on a case-by-case basis, but this will be up to the department. PhD applicants will usually need to submit a research proposal by a certain time.