Biosystems & Food Engineering - Digital Agriculture

Graduate Taught (level 9 nfq, credits 90)
The world's population is expected to grow to approx. 10 billion by 2050. This growth will result in increased demand for resources, raw materials and food. In particular, demand for food is estimated to increase by over 50% by 2050 compared to 2013. Furthermore, the world faces intersecting challenges like climate change, exploitation of natural capital and an aging and declining rural population. To produce a "sustainable food future," the world must increase food production while cutting GHG emissions and maintaining (or reducing) the land used in agriculture. Digital agriculture could address these challenges by making the agri-food value chain more efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable - before, during, and after on-farm production.

The programme is aimed at students and industry professionals who wish to build their knowledge and skills-base to address the complexities of developing, deploying and managing digital technology in the agriculture sector. With a focus on design, numeracy, hardware and software technology, our students will be deeply engaged with agricultural production, and specifically technology to enhance efficiency, sustainability, resilience and reliability. The modules will be part of existing final year full-time bachelor's and master's degrees and are appropriate for professionals seeking to deepen existing skills or learn brand new skill sets.

The programme is delivered by a highly research-intensive and multi-disciplinary school – Ireland's premier agri-food related research entity with excellent networks into the agri-food industry and with a particular focus on working with industry to provide sustainable technical solutions. The school's academic staff have a major global research impact, with three professors who are among the top 1% of the most cited researchers in the world according to the latest Highly Cited Researchers list published by Clarivate.

Who should apply
Full Time option suitable for:
Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes

Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

Credit structure: 90 total credits, 60 credits of taught modules and 30 credits for a research project

All autumn and spring modules are optional and must be selected in consultation with the Programme Director.

The modules will be delivered either fully online, blended (i.e., online lectures and assignments supported by occasional face-to-face tutorials), and intensive (i.e., one or two week full-time) formats to facilitate easy participation by part-time learners. Students will be able to take themed clusters of modules (e.g. three modules of precision farming, three modules of sensing technology, three modules of computers and electronics, three modules of data science) to reflect specific technical interests or needs for upskilling.

The following entry routes are available:

MSc Digital Agriculture (Sept) FT (T374)
Duration 1 Years
Attend Full Time
Deadline Rolling*

MSc Digital Agriculture (Sept) PT (T375)
Duration 2 Years
Attend Part Time
Deadline Rolling*

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised

1 Year Full-time
2 Years Part Time

Graduates of the MSc Digital Agriculture may find employment opportunities in the following areas:

Agricultural machinery (e.g. Agco, CNH Industrial, Claas, John Deere)
Precision farming (e.g. Amazone, Lemken, Rauch, Dairymaster)
Decision support in agriculture (e.g. Corteva Digital Ag, Syngenta Global)
IoT, data and predictive analytics (e.g. BASF, Bosch, IBM, Microsoft)