AgriFood Sustainabilty & Technology

Welcome to the University of Galway's MSc programme in AgriFood Sustainability & Technology.

The agri-food sector is Ireland's largest indigenous industry, employing over 150,000 people, and generating an annual output of over €24 billion. Globally, the food and agriculture industry is responsible for feeding the planet and employing 40% of the global workforce. However, agri-food sector in Ireland and globally is facing numerous challenges around land and water use, climate change, sustainability, health, and wellbeing. Our programme aims to equip students with the advanced skills, knowledge, and expertise needed to tackle these challenges and succeed in technical and production management roles within Agri-food growing industry.

At University of Galway, we offer a variety of forward-thinking topics, including Food Systems, Diets, Nutrition & Technology, AgriBusiness & AgriFood Market Trends, One Health, AgriEngineering, Agritech & AgriInformatics, Geospatial Analysis and Remote Sensing and others. Our students also have the opportunity to undertake a research project in industry or academia.

During the programme, students visit agri-food industries to see the practical applications of their knowledge and hear from guest speakers. Our programme generates graduates with interdisciplinary skills to respond to challenges and opportunities in Ireland and other leading agrifood nations worldwide. Run in collaboration with Ireland's Agriculture and Food Authority (Teagasc) and other leading agrifood partners from Ireland and internationally, our programme provides a strong enabling platform for students to develop careers in the agrifood sector globally.

Course Outline
The interdisciplinary MSc Agrifood Sustainability & Technology program is a full-time learning course, and it runs over 12 months from beginning of September through to end of August. The MSC-AST taught modules (60ECTs) are delivered in a flexible learning format, accommodating students with special needs requirements. The MSC-AST program was designed in coordination with our strategic partner Teagasc to provide training to meet current and future skills gaps in the agrifood sector. MSC-AST provides a

The curriculum encourages students’ critical thinking and focuses on agriculture and agrifood sustainability combined with technological, institutional, business and social innovations. During academic year students are exposed to a variety of assessments’ formats such as blogs, reflective journals, business canvas, videos, presentations, discussions, graphic abstracts, GIS story maps, scripts, review and research articles, to engage and motivate students a wide range of tasks and helped keep things different.

The MSC-AST program generates job-ready graduates by providing the upskilling and reskilling education and training (including substantial data analysis on agrifood sustainability transition pathways; convergent & disruptive technologies; entrepreneurship and new business models in agrifood sector) to facilitate career conversion into high-quality employment in the rapidly growing agrifood sector in Ireland.

Semester 1 : Understanding Ireland’s Agriculture & AgriFood Sector, AgriFood Sustainability & Agri-Resilience Challenges, Understanding AgriBusiness & AgriFood Market Trends, PAB5114: AgriFood Career, Communication & Impact Pathway Skills, Food Systems, Diets, Nutrition & Technology; and Designing and Writing a Sustainability Research Fellowship Proposal. In Semester I students will also take the (h) PAB5121 module: Writing a Review Article on a Sustainable Development Topic, which will span into Semester 2.

Semester 2 : One Health, AgriEngineering, Agritech & AgriInformatics, Geospatial Analysis and Remote Sensing, Data Analysis for Sustainability Research.

To complete 60 ECTs of taught modules, students can select one of the two optional modules: Writing and Publishing a Peer-Reviewed Sustainability Research Article (Semester 2) or Green Lab Principles and Practice (Semester 1 &2).

During Semester 2 and until the end of the program each student will conduct a minor research project on “Agrifood Sustainability & Technology” which will be co-supervised by expert members of the MSc (AgriFood Sustainability & Technology) programme committee along with experts from partner research groups in the University of Galway Plant & AgriBiosciences Research Centre (PABC), Ryan Institute, or from external partner organisations and companies in Ireland (e.g., Teagasc) and globally. Students will be assessed by a combination of written exams and continuous assessment.

NQAI Level 8 honours degree or equivalent to a minimum standard of Second Class Honours, Grade 2 or equivalent in an appropriate discipline is required. Please see Your Country for country specific entry requirements. Work experience may also be considered..

Other requirements: proof of identity, academic transcripts, an academic recommendation, Personal Statement (max. 600 words), two-page CV.

All applicants, whose first language is not English, or who have not been educated through the medium of the English language during their two most recent years of study, must present an English language qualification taken within two years of the start of the course. Suggested English language qualifications include IELTS, Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), Cambridge C2 Advanced (CPE), TOEFL iBT/TOEFL iBT Home Edition, Pearson PTE and Duolingo.

For more detailed information on the test scores required please refer to this page - https://www.universityofgalway.ie/international-students/studyinireland/entryrequirements/

1 year full-time.

Next start date September 2024

Graduates of the MSc (AgriFood Sustainability & Technology) will fill a critical skills gap in the workplace for graduates who have the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills regarding agrifood sustainability and innovation to drive positive change in the agrifood sector in Ireland and globally. Graduates will be provided with significant career training throughout the program so that they will be highly competitive for positions in leading-edge agrifood companies and public sector organisations (e.g., government agencies, regulatory bodies, etc) in Ireland and globally. Graduates who are interested in establishing their own enterprises or companies will also be facilitated by the MSc (AgriFood Sustainability & Technology) programme.