Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics

The population of our world is rising quickly. In order to provide food for ourselves and our children, we will need to understand and manage ever more complex and diverse agricultural and ecological systems. This will be particularly true for developing countries in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, where the population is increasing most rapidly and resources are most limited.

Students in this Masters programme will be qualified for the challenging tasks in the fields of agriculture and resource conservation. They acquire analytical skills and multidisciplinary competences. These qualifications are required to address current and future problems in agricultural ecosystems.

The cooperation and collaboration with universities and organizations in more than 90 countries facilitate the aims of study.

In 2008, the M.Sc. programme Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics and Subtropics was awarded the quality label "TOP 10 International Master's Degree Courses Made in Germany" by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The curriculum is especially designed to promote the following skills:

* assessing the quality and quantity of natural resources and their influence on agricultural production in tropical and subtropical countries
* considering agricultural production systems and methods with regard to nutrient cycles on different temporal and spatial scales
* integrating this knowledge into management recommendations and evaluating diverse strategies from the perspective of sustainability
* reducing or overcoming infrastructure constraints and limitations with regard to market access and trade restrictions
* elaborating concrete development and extension approaches for sustainable agricultural production on different levels (farm, project, institution, administration, policy), considering the socio-economic context

The two year Masters programme comprises four semesters during which 90 ECTS credits and the Masters thesis must be completed. It is based on an interdisciplinary approach and consists of a combination of compulsory and elective modules.

The compulsory modules deal with various topics having in common the focus on tropical and subtropical areas. Topics are include crop and livestock production, ecology and natural resource management, and methods of interdisciplinary collaboration .

Apart from the compulsory modules, students have a broad choice of elective modules. This allows students to develop their profiles according to their own career aspirations.

Module structure

Semester 1 und 2:

6 compulsory modules totalling 37,5 credits

* Crop Production Systems
* Ecology and Agroecosystems
* Farm and Project Evaluation
* Interdisciplinary Practical Science Training
* Livestock Production Systems and Development
* Natural Resource Use and Conservation in the Tropics and Subtropics

3 elective modules totalling 22,5 credits

Semester 3:

2 compulsory modules totalling 12 credits

* Methods in Interdisciplinary Collaboration
* Quantitative Methods in Biosciences

3 elective modules totalling 18 credits

Semester 4:
Master's thesis

Audience

Prospective students with higher education entrance qualification and an above average bachelor degree in agricultural sciences or a related discipline.

* Students require an above-average Bachelor of Science or an equivalent degree in agriculture, natural sciences or a related discipline, based on at least three years of university studies or German FH studies (generally 180 credits). * Proof of English language skills(e.g. 79 ibt TOEFL) English Language Requirements TOEFL iBT® test: 79

Accreditation

Yes