Bachelor and Master in Agricultural Sciences, «Agrofutur»

Process and results

The project was triggered by weaknesses in the programmes related to multiple changes in the orientation of the agricultural research field and the labor market that had occurred over the years. In addition, the degree programmes had lost profile due to the expanded freedom of choice, and graduates lacked important qualifications in the professional field.

In several retreats, workshops and working groups, with the participation of all stakeholders (professors, lecturers, administration, students, alumni), the new orientation of the Bachelor’s and the Master’s degree programme was discussed and implemented in the curriculum. Interfaces to other study programmes, especially to food science, have been incorporated into the process. After the qualification profile and a rough structure of the programmes had been developed, red threads for the three disciplines – agricultural economics, plant sciences and animal sciences – in the bachelor’s were developed and the internships for the bachelor’s and master’s degree programme were designed. The integration of cross disciplinary competencies into the course offerings was concretized in workshops with the lecturers.

The most important innovations in the Bachelor’s programme
The first year: the basis is expanded
In addition to the basic science subjects such as biology, chemistry and mathematics, agricultural science subject content is now a compulsory part of the basic year. These include, for example, the three lectures on the subjects of crops, farm animals and agricultural economics in the world food system.

The second year: practical work is included
During the third and fourth semesters, central specialised courses from all three specialisations and basic natural science subjects are compulsory for all students. After the fourth semester, all students complete a ten-week internship on a mixed farm at the same time.

The third year: practical work is included
In the fifth semester, a compulsory laboratory science internship takes place and skills in scientific writing, data analysis and various forms of presentation are rounded off, so that the Bachelor’s thesis in the sixth semester can be seen as testing the sum of the skills trained.

The most important innovations in the Master’s programme
Before starting the Master’s degree programme, students choose, as before, from the three specialisations of agricultural economics, plant science and animal science the one in which they would like to specialise.

Acquiring interdisciplinary expertise
The range of courses remains as before, only the interdisciplinary project work is expanded. More emphasis is placed on the more intensive teaching and direct application and reflection of interdisciplinary expertise such as teamwork, project management and giving feedback.

Learning the language of science
With few exceptions, the language of instruction for the courses is now English. This also makes the Master’s degree programme in Agricultural Sciences more attractive for international students.

Gaining experience in the world of work
A professional internship of at least 16 weeks becomes compulsory. This extends the standard duration of the study programme by one semester to two years, making it possible to incorporate experience from working life in administration, private-sector companies, development cooperation or the field of start-ups into the final courses of the degree programme.

Bachelor’s degree programm

Mandatory courses in the three subject areas plant sciences, animal sciences and agricultural economics, which already take place at the bachelor’s level, ensure uniform subject knowledge in agricultural sciences. The teaching of the natural and social science fundamentals of the old study programme will remain and also the connections to the Food Science and Environmental Science majors are maintained. The agricultural science internship (Agrar-Praktikum) will now be completed by all students between the 4th and 5th semester. This allows a targeted preparation of the internship and an adequate follow-up, so that the full potential of the internship can be fully exploited. A newly created, obligatory laboratory internship in the 5th semester also teaches important basics in laboratory methods and thus completes – in addition to courses in experimental design and statistics and in scientific writing –  the basic methodological training of the students.

Master’s degree programme

In the Master’s programme, as before, specialization is achieved by choosing one of the three subject areas: plant sciences, animal sciences and agricultural economics. In order to strengthen the understanding of the professional environment, students will now complete a compulsory professional internship (previously optional!). In this internship, social, professional and methodological skills relevant to the job market will be applied and deepened. Like the agricultural internship, the vocational internship is prepared and followed up in the curriculum and can be carried out in Germany or abroad. Due to the introduction of the professional internship in the amount of 30 KP, 120 instead of 90 KP are now required for the Master’s degree required. In addition, students have the opportunity to acquire and deepen inter- and transdisciplinary competencies in the newly offered minor «USYS TdLab «. Furthermore, the previous bilingualism German/English will be dropped and completely switched to English. This will make German language skills obsolete as a criterion for admission.