Agriculture (with integrated year in industry)

Program Overview

This three-year foundation degree in Agriculture prepares students for management roles in the agricultural industry through a combination of classroom instruction and supervised work experience. With opportunities for study tours and industry connections, graduates gain practical skills, research knowledge, and a competitive edge in the job market. The program is designed for both those entering the field and for professionals seeking career advancement.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This three-year foundation degree with integrated year in industry is taught by leading experts and researchers in their field in a department renowned for agricultural innovation. With opportunities to gain work experience in the UK and overseas, the course is an excellent option for those who wish to train as managers of agricultural enterprises, or to retrain and pursue a career in agriculture. Students who successfully complete this course to the required standard can progress onto our BSc Agriculture degree. The taught component of the Agriculture Foundation degree with integrated year in industry (D403) is identical to its two-year sister course FdSc Agriculture course (D402). The year in industry is taken in your second year, is supervised and assessed, and will count towards your degree grade. During your year in industry, you will pay a discounted tuition fee. Aberystwyth is surrounded by a great diversity of farmland and agricultural terrain. The 800 hectare commercially managed university farms provide the setting for your practical learning. This is supplemented by field visits to farms and agricultural and food businesses that are industry leaders in innovation and technical expertise, which will reinforce your academic learning.

Outline:

Year 1

• Agricultural Technology and Farm Safety : RD18420, 20 credits
• Business, Economics and Land Use: RD11420, 20 credits
• Crop, grassland, soil and agricultural land management : RD18040, 40 credits
• Introduction to Livestock Science and Production Systems : RD17020, 20 credits
• Skills for the Agricultural Industry : RD18820, 20 credits

Year 3

• Agronomy and Crop Improvement : RD27620, 20 credits
• Business Budgeting and Appraisal: RD22520, 20 credits
• Food, Farming and the Environment: RD20420, 20 credits
• Livestock Production Systems: RD23420, 20 credits
• Research Methods : RD27520, 20 credits
• Science and Technology in Agriculture: RD20720, 20 credits

Assessment:

You will be assessed through a range of methods including essays, practical reports and exercises, oral presentations, exams, plans, worksheets, field notebooks and case studies.

Teaching:

You will be taught through a balanced programme of lectures, seminars and tutorials, workshops, practicals, study tours and demonstrations.

Careers:

Students graduating with a Foundation Degree in Agriculture enter a variety of technical and managerial roles at enterprise and farm level. You will be able to adopt best practices that incorporate the very best of current research, and husbandry practices that allow you to tackle the challenges of livestock and crop management in a changing and challenging physical and financial environment. Your industrial year will equip you with additional insight, knowledge and practical experience of working in the modern agricultural sector, which will give you a competitive edge in the jobs market. Completing a year in industry will allow you to: apply the learning from your course to the work environment make valuable industry contacts develop practical skills related to your area of study enrich your final year of studies with an enhanced appreciation of its applicability to your career greatly enhance your CV and increase your prospects of success in the job market. If you are unsuccessful, you will be able to convert your course to the two-year version of the Foundation Degree in Agriculture.

Other:

The majority of teaching staff in the Department of Life Sciences are qualified to PhD level and are research active. Vocational courses also have staff whose background lies within industry. The Department has a large number of research only staff with whom students may have contact.