Agronomy and Environment

Introduction

Climate change and population growth pose a huge, multifaceted, worldwide challenge to agricultural production. Food production needs to be increased in scale and efficiency, while at the same time animal welfare, the environment and natural resources need to be protected. A degree in agrobiology will equip you to play a part in finding solutions to these problems.

Sustainable production of animals and plants

Students must choose one of four tracks...

• Animal Science
• Agronomy and Environment
• Crop Nutrition and Health
• Organic Agriculture and Animal Science/Crop Science

... and tailor their degree with elective courses on top of the mandatory courses of their track. Finally the master’s thesis can be completed either in a university research context or a company R&D environment. The MSc in Agrobiology builds on solid, biological knowledge of sustainable animal and plant production, set in the perspectives of health, welfare, product quality, and environmental impact. Graduates will be well equipped to work with both producers and end-users in agricultural production, and to communicate effectively about their field in the public arena.

An international degree

The international character of the challenges facing agricultural production and the science underpinning the MSc in Agrobiology make the international perspective an intrinsic part of this degree and its learning environment. The programme hosts international students from all over the world, and many students take advantage of the opportunity to study outside Denmark for a semester at one of our partner universities.

Career profile

Students on the programme have a strong basis within their track, combined with an individual profile through choice elective subjects. This creates very flexible career opportunities in the agricultural and food sector, both nationally and internationally. Typical job opportunities will be in consulting services for primary production, in agriculture and food-related industries, in teaching and research or in public administration and bodies such as the EU.

Agricultural Sciences at Aarhus University

The field of Agricultural Sciences at Aarhus University belongs to the elite among agricultural science institutions worldwide and carries out cutting edge research. The core areas of research are: Climate and natural resources, environment and bioenergy, organic farming, food quality, farm animal production and plant production.
Sustainability is a fundamental principle. The goal is to seek solutions that contribute to environmentally and economically sustainable development of the agricultural and food industries.

Agricultural Sciences in the rankings

Agricultural Sciences at Aarhus University ranks 9. in the 2021 US News Best Global Universities Ranking and 2. in the 2020 Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities, in which Food Science and Technology ranks 2. and Agriculture and Forestry at AU ranks 37. in the 2022 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Agronomy and Environment

If choosing Agronomy and Environment, you will have compulsory courses the first and some of the second semester. Hereafter you can specialise within topics such as sustainability, environment, and agriculture. The core of this specialisation is to work towards solutions that combine the increasing demand for food with sustainable management of nature, the climate, and the environment. You will acquire a holistic understanding of agro-ecosystem processes and the interaction between agricultural production, nature, and environmental management.

The specialisation aims at careers in which knowledge of agriculture, nature, the environment, and climate interactions plays a central role. There are job opportunities in regional environment agencies, municipal nature conservation offices, agricultural advisory services, firms of consulting engineers, educational institutions, NGOs concerned with nature and the environment, engineering firms, and EU institutions, ministries, and other public authorities. Research is also an obvious career path.