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Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Academic Year: 
2018/2019
Degree Level: 
Master's Degree
Teaching Facility: 
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment
Access Requirements: 
Locally scheduled
Italian Classification: 
LM-69 Scienze e tecnologie agrarie
Teaching Languages: 
Italian

Course Overview

The master degree course in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies lasts two years and foresees the students acquisition of 120 University Credits (ECTS), of which 85 by passing the 11 given courses, 12 by passing independently chosen ones among all those given at University of Catania, as long as coherent with the master degree course and not overlapping with contents already present; 1 ECTS will be acquired with other training activities and the remaining 22 with the final thesis defense.

Teaching activities are organized on a six-month basis; they are given with frontal lessons and exercises as well as seminars and technical visits. The student, upon authorization by the degree program board, can perform part of his/her studies at foreign Universities or equivalent institutions with which the University has stipulated recognized student mobility programs.

The master degree course is developed into 4 curricula to provide a qualifying offer to which the student can apply to enrich specific skills.

In the first year the common lessons have the aim of completing the preparation of the first level course, providing further information in the economic-management and agricultural engineering, plant and animal production and defense. The second year foresees specific activities of each curriculum and the second semester is almost entirely dedicated to the experimental thesis preparation.

The high specialization of the master course program is ensured both by the availability and qualification of the professors involved and by the equipments available to the students (laboratories, experimental and demonstration fields, libraries).

Educational Goals

The master degree course aims at the formation of a high level professional figures, specialized in the planning and management of agricultural production processes oriented to the achievement of the best possible results in terms of agricultural activities, economics and environmental sustainability. In the framework of this general objective, the qualification of the degree course will concern:

  • the analysis of environmental and socio-economic factors that influence the production processes;
  • the knowledge on the biological components of the agro-ecosystem;
  • the design and rational application of systems, methods and means of production including biological ones;
  • the development of territorial projects on agricultural matter;
  • the planning of cropping systems and the evaluation of the achieved results;
  • the design of plans and structures necessary for the cultivation of plants in open air and in greenhouse environments and for the breeding of animals in livestock production;
  • the planning and managing of pest defense strategies for crops and the related products;
  • the development of projects for protection of agricultural and forest agro-ecosystems, biodiversity and environment, as well as for the promotion of sustainable development of multifunctional agriculture.

Job Opportunities

  • Farms managing director
  • Agronomists
  • Manager in the Public Administration
  • Specialists in the marketing of agricultural products and services
  • R&D in plant cultivation and animal production
COURSE PLAN