| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Agriculture has a vital role to play in global food production and security, climate change mitigation, environmental protection, water management and renewable energy creation.
Our Agriculture students are taught by lecturers with extensive industry and research experience to develop and manage sustainable production systems integrating appropriate technologies to maximise economic, social and environmental security. You will be studying in a diverse range of learning spaces located at the heart of our Future Farm alongside students from a wide range of rural and urban backgrounds, whilst establishing a life-long network of friends and professional contacts.
You will soon be putting your learning into practice engaging with real-world scenarios and projects from day one. Supported by an integrated placement year in industry, you will be ready for your future career having developed a range of personal, technical and professional skills that today’s employers value. You will be well prepared for careers in farm management, on-farm advisory and consultancy roles, the agri-food industry and both agriculture and environmental policy roles. Additionally, your degree will equip you with the skills to continue in research or education.
The
FdSc Agriculture
degree programme is a three-year course. Opportunities to transfer to the BSc (Hons) Agriculture courses will be made possible at the end of the second year or as a one-year Top-up course upon completion of the FdSc, providing specific academic criteria are met.
What does HF mean? You might notice that the modules on this page have the letters HF before the title. This denotes a module that has been developed as part of the Harper Forward Curriculum Review, through which new versions of existing courses and some entirely new courses have emerged. Teams of university employees have worked with past and present students, employees, industry organisations and more to build these programmes, ensuring every route is able to shape the types of graduate each sector needs, is aligned to relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals and is built to ensure every student leaves the university embodying a specific set of Harper Graduate Attributes, namely that they
Care
for people and planet, have a
Global
mindest, have vital
Digital
skills, seek continued personal
Growth
, can apply
Practical
skills as well as knowledge and are both
Inspired
and Inspirational
Careers
Employability of agriculture graduates is excellent, and there are many diverse career opportunities in all sectors of the food chain. The applied nature of our courses, teaching methods and close links with industry give you the academic, technical and employment skills which are highly sought after by employers.
As an agriculture graduate you may go on to manage farms either at home or elsewhere, for example with Velcourt, Sentry Farming, Dyson Farming, or G’s Fresh.
Alternatively, you may opt for a career in the support industries: example employers include Frontier Agriculture, NFU, Savills; or advisory services such as DEFRA and ADAS.
Studying agriculture also develops the skills needed for other graduate careers such as accountancy, teaching, journalism or the civil service.
Program Outline
What will I study?
| Year 1 | |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Farm Business Management (HF) | 10 |
| Introduction to Farming Systems (HF) | 20 |
| Agri-Food Supply Chains (HF) | 10 |
| Assessing the Efficiency of Farming Systems (HF) | 20 |
| Agricultural Technology and Digital Farming (HF) | 20 |
| Agriculture and Environmental Science (HF) | 20 |
| Skills for Agriculture (HF) | 20 |
| Year 2 | |
|---|---|
| Placement year | |
| Year 3 | |
|---|---|
| Final Year Research Project - FdSc (HF) | 20 |
| Farm Business Management with Marketing (C23) | 20 |
| Farm Resource Management (HF) | 20 |
| Applied Agricultural Science (HF) | 20 |
| Crop Production Systems (HF) | 20 |
| Livestock Production Systems (HF) | 20 |
Teaching and learning
What will I learn?
On successful completion of the FdSc Agriculture award, students will be able to:
- Explain the biological processes that underpin sustainable agricultural production systems.
- Evaluate the impact of agricultural production systems on the environment, the rural economy and wider society.
- Develop and manage sustainable agricultural production systems that can be adapted to address specific social, economic and environmental challenges.
- Identify relevant technologies and apply them within agricultural production systems.
- Identify relevant policy and legislation and apply it within agricultural production systems.
- Explain the relationship between the farming business and the agri-food supply chain.
- Evaluate the influence of global issues on agricultural production systems.
- Develop an evidence-based approach to communicate effectively and sensitively on agricultural issues with diverse groups.
Teaching and learning
- Key principles will be taught in lectures by subject specialists and visiting speakers.
- Small workshops and seminars, lab and farm-based practical sessions will be used to apply the principles from the classroom in a practical context.
- Student engagement and learning experience will be improved through using a variety of learning spaces.
- Directed study will be used to develop life-long learning skills.
Assessment methods
We will assess students' progress using a blend of different methods such as individual and group presentations, technical writing, data handling and analysis, personal development planning and time-constrained assessments. The diverse assessment journey will give students an equitable chance to succeed and develop skills for employment and life-long learning.