MSc in Agricultural Development
The MSc programme in Agricultural Development gives you the opportunity to work with sustainable development in developing countries by means of economic growth, food supplies and nature preservation.
You acquire the knowledge and tools to create better conditions for both nature and the general population in developing countries. You also learn about, for example, the possibilities for crop growth or the consequences of deforestation, and you gain an insight into the social problems that can exist in a developing country.
This means that you have a combined practical and scientific knowledge about the development in developing countries, both in terms of production, economy and the environment.
Read an interview with Bogdan Mihai Turcanu.
Content:
Admission requirements
Profile
Career oppportunities
Structure
Teaching
Student life
Application
Contact
Admission requirements
To get admitted to the MSc programme, you must have a degree from a relevant BSc programme.
The following BSc programmes give direct access to the MSc programme in Agricultural Development:
· Natural Resources
· Biology
· Biology-Biotechnology
· Geography
· Agricultural Economics
· Geology
· Chemistry
· Domestic Animal Science
· Landscape Architecture
· Food Science
· Forestry and Landscape Engineer (Professional Bachelor programme)
· Garden and Park Engineer (Professional Bachelor programme)
Other BSC degrees in natural science and social science may also give access. Read more about the specific admission requirements here.
The MSc programme in Agricultural Development is an English-language MSc programme where you work with the development of forestry and farming and foods in developing countries.
You gain an insight into, for example, the consequences of destroying a forest area because the bark on the trees can be used by the pharmaceutical industry. Or you learn how you can contribute to improving the living conditions of the local populations, and about the economic and social changes needed to develop an area.
You also work, for example, with ensuring health and food safety through food production. And you can learn how improved food processing can generate higher earnings for the local community.
As a graduate in Agricultural Development, you can contribute to making positive changes for the world’s poorest – in a sustainable way.
What competences will I acquire?
As a graduate in Agricultural Development and an expert on development, you are, among other things, able to:
- Provide a detailed account and critical evaluation of current research theories in connection with sustainable use and management of natural resources in developing countries.
- Distinguish critically between sustainable and livelihood-related issues in connection with the use of natural resources.
- Carry out research, advisory and policy-related activities within agricultural development.
- Identify and analyse research issues and communicate these to the general public.
The programme gives you career opportunities within development in developing countries. As an MSc in Agricultural Development, you can, among other things:
- Become a consultant in a Danish or international organisation specialising in development and/or food, e.g. Danida, the UN’s environment and agriculture organisations UNEP and FAO or the EU.
- Work within research in Denmark or at an international research institution, e.g. at universities and government research institutions.
- Find employment with one of the many organisations focusing on developing countries. Recent graduates from the programme are, for example, working with the Red Cross, CARE, DanChurchAid, the Child Fund Alliance, Denmark (Børnefonden) and Save the Children, Denmark.
Find employment with companies engaging in fair trade, ecology and global trade, e.g. certification, labelling, purchasing and sales.
Structure
The programme consists of three elements: Basic subjects, interdisciplinary courses and thesis.
At the start of the programme, you will meet students from other universities. In small interdisciplinary groups, you work to solve a specific problem from a developing country.
At a later point, you and your fellow students will participate in three weeks’ field work abroad. This might be, for example, the mountain areas of Thailand, where you collaborate with foreign students and educational institutions on how the local population reduces soil erosion through plantings in the area.
The programme will provide you with scientific and practical knowledge about agricultural development, including the production of plants, livestock and fibres, about food processing and about food quality, economy and the environment.
The structure of the programme is as follows:
| Year 1 |
Block 1 |
Qualitative Method in AD |
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| Block 2 |
|
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| Block 3 |
Thematic course: Interdisciplinary Land Use and Natural Resource Management |
| Block 4 |
Development Economics |
|
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Year 2 |
Block 1 |
|
|
| Block 2 |
Thesis (45 point) |
| Block 3 |
| Block 4 |
A block is 9 weeks long and equals 15 ECTS.
The structure of the programme may vary depending on the courses you choose. See the various courses offered in the curriculum.
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The dark fields are compulsory courses |
| |
The medium-coloured fields are core courses, which you must choose from a pool of specialised courses, as well as the thesis |
| |
The light fields are elective courses |
The programme consists of three compulsory courses:
- Thematic courses
- Course in research methods
- Development economics
Elective subjects
The elective subjects can be chosen from a pool of courses relating to conditions in developing countries. The theme project and the thesis are both based on field studies in a developing country.
Specialisation options
You have the chance to study a subject area in depth. You can either compose your own course profile or choose a profile within:
· Plant production, where you can work, for example, with a new rice cultivation system in Cambodia, reduce environmental impacts and increase productivity.
· Human nutrition, where you can, among other things, choose to study the significance of naturally occurring foods for the health of the local population, e.g. the protein and vitamin content in fish and insects in Kenya.
· Tropical forestry, where you can, for example, specialise in how to develop methods for organising public forests in order to make the most of available resources.
· Development economics, where you can, for instance, learn how farmers in South America can organise to improve production and quality so that their products can generate higher revenue through resale, e.g. by means of organic certification.
· Animal husbandry, where you can focus on, for example, East Africa and study the significance of feeds for the quality and shelf life of meats in relation to long transport times.
· Food science, where you can learn about the process from farm to fork in relation to growing a crop. This could concern how the growing, oil extraction and sale of nuts in West Africa can be optimised in order for small households to manage better.
· Environmental protection, where, among other things, you can work with environmental assessments of development programmes. Here, you assess the environmental impacts of a development project, e.g. an oil palm plantation: Impact on the rainforest, economy, biodiversity, water quality, noise etc.
The programme is completed with a thesis, which takes approx. nine months. Your title will be MSc in Agricultural Development.
The teaching method varies between lectures, exercises, field work and project work. The language of instruction is English. You will be working both independently and in project groups.
There is a well-established collaboration between the students and the business community that ensures excellent prospects for internships or project collaborations, providing you with a unique experience and a good network.
The MSc programme in Agricultural Development also offers you the chance to study abroad.
The thesis requires a three-month stay in a developing country where you will usually be attached to a local or international organisation.
You decide the subject for your thesis, which is usually based on a specific problem.
Student life at LIFE is absolutely unique – both with regard to the physical and the academic environment. The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular among both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Café Væksthuset located in an old greenhouse for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.
As a student, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre or a special academic subject, there is a club for you.
The faculty has a large number of international students who contribute to the dynamic and exciting student life. This is particularly true on the MSc programme in Agricultural Development, where your fellow students come from all over the world.
Would you like to hear from a student what it is like to study on the MSc programme in Agricultural Development at LIFE? Then you can read an interview with the student Bogdan Turcano.
Applicants with a BSc degree from Denmark must apply before 1 April to start the programme the following September.
Applicants from Scandinavia, the EU and Lichtenstein must apply before 1 April to start the programme the following September.
Applicants from countries outside Scandinavia and the EU must apply by 1 January to start the programme the following September.
Tuition Fees
Read more about application processes, tuition fees and scholarships.
Contact
You are always welcome to contact the faculty’s student counselling service, LIFE Student Services, if you have any questions about the programme, student life etc.
You can contact Student Services on tel. +45 3533 3533 or by email to .
Each spring, the faculty’s MSc programmes host open house events. At these events, you have the chance to meet directors of studies and students, who can tell you more about the programme.
Christina Juul Lassen, - last update:6 February 2012