Program Overview

BSc Agriculture with Foundation

The BSc Agriculture with Foundation course is a four-year program that covers everything that impacts production in the supply chain while considering global goals relating to sustainability. It prepares students for senior technical and scientific roles in a wide range of agriculture-related enterprises.

Overview

Our BSc Agriculture with Foundation course covers everything that impacts production in the supply chain while considering global goals relating to sustainability. It prepares students for senior technical and scientific roles in a wide range of agriculture-related enterprises. The University of Reading is ranked 4th in the People and Planet University League, 2024/25, and is the highest placed UK university for Agriculture and Forestry at 20th in the world (QS World Rankings by Subject, Agriculture and Forestry, 2025).

Learning Structure

BSc Agriculture focuses on studying the science underpinning food production, and students will learn how to use biology and technology to maximize crop and animal production to meet targets and achieve environmental objectives, while gaining valuable practical skills. The agriculture program offers distinct opportunities to specialize in crop science, horticultural science, or livestock production through specialist optional modules, or students can tailor their course to their own interests by combining these areas.

Entry Requirements

• A Level: See entry requirements
• Year of entry: 2026/27
• Course duration: Full Time: 4 Years
• UCAS code: D402

Typical Offer

• BBB - for applicants without a science subject
• CCD - for applicants with a science subject
• Science subjects include: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Further Maths, Statistics, Psychology, Geography, Environmental Studies/Science, Applied Science, Geology.

International Baccalaureate

• 30 - for applicants without a science subject
• 24 - for applicants with a science subject

BTEC Extended Diploma

• DMM

GCSE

• Grade 4/C in Science if not studying sciences at A level.

Extended Project Qualification

In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) provides to students for University study, the University can now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS 6.5, with no component below 5.5

Structure

The course is divided into four years, including a foundation year, followed by three years of undergraduate study.

Foundation Year

• Compulsory modules:
  • Ecology and the Environment
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Mathematics Foundation
  • Foundation in Academic Skills
  • Foundation Programme: Biology

Year 1

• Compulsory modules:
  • Agricultural Production Systems
  • Agricultural Research Skills
  • Agriculture in Practice 1
  • Animal Anatomy, Physiology and Nutrition 1
  • Crop Physiology, Nutrition and Protection
  • Global Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects

Year 2

• Compulsory modules:
  • Agriculture in Practice 2
  • Crop Agronomy
  • Data Skills
  • Farm Business Management
  • Livestock Production, Nutrition and Welfare

Year 3

• Compulsory modules:
  • Agricultural Technology: Application, Adoption and Ethics
  • Independent Research Project
  • Plus at least one of:
    • Cereal Management and Marketing
    • Advanced Livestock Production and Product Quality

Optional Modules

• Animal Anatomy, Physiology and Nutrition 2
• Principles of Horticulture and Crop Production
• Veterinary Health and Disease
• Farmland and Woodland: Ecology and Management of Semi-Natural Habitats
• Advances in Bioveterinary Science
• Agricultural Systems in the Tropics
• Business Management and Entrepreneurship
• Climate Smart Agriculture
• Equine Science and Management
• Horticultural Crop Technology
• Principles of Integrated Pest Management

Fees

• New UK/Republic of Ireland students: ｣9,790 for 2026/27 Foundation year, then rising to the standard course fees for the duration of the bachelor's level study.
• New international students: ｣23,000 for 2026/27 Foundation year, then rising to the standard course fees for the duration of the bachelor's level study.

Careers

The University of Reading has an outstanding reputation with employers. Students who have completed the Agriculture course in the last five years have gone into a wide variety of graduate jobs, including agronomy, livestock nutrition, and farm management. Graduates work with companies including Syngenta, HGCA, NIAB TAG, and Volac. The Royal Farms have also taken a graduate from the University of Reading directly into a farm management role. The University of Reading ranks 1st for graduate salary for Agriculture, food and related studies after five years; the average salary calculated at ｣36,500 is over ｣8,500 more than the average graduate salary after five years for this subject across all universities.