Degree course in Agricultural and environmental sciences

Course Name

AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Course Code

L09A

Class (Ministerial code)

L-25

Website

http://dsa3.unipg.it/it/corsi-di-laurea-triennali

Field(s) of study

Area 08 – Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary

Qualification award

Bachelor Degree

Level of qualification according to the NQF and the EQF

EHEA First cycle; EQF Level 6

Length of programme / number of credits

3 years / 180 ECTS

Language of Teaching

Italian

Mode of study

In-class

Didactic centre

Via Borgo XX Giugno, 74 Perugia

Programme director

Prof. Roberto Buonaurio

Access to the course

Open access with assessment of personal competencies

Available places

75

Specific admission requirements

Certificate of completion of Italian upper secondary school or equivalent foreign qualification.

Evaluation of specific subject knowledge on entry

Verification of the knowledge required for the attendance of the course of study through a compulsory evaluation test of indicative and non-selective nature; if the test is not passed, the student will be given additional educational obligations and will be granted with: • alignment courses, • tutoring to support teaching for Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths, • online teaching material, • study of additional texts indicated by the course of study. Foreign students are required to take a test to verify their proficiency of the Italian language, except Erasmus Incoming students, Exchange Students and students in mobility as per the Cooperation Agreement

Profile of the programme

The course is composed of two curricula "Sustainable Agriculture" and "Biotechnology" and trains graduates with a solid multidisciplinary scientific preparation and with an adequate professional knowledge, which is necessary to carry out consultancy and technical and economic management activities in various productive agricultural subjects. Particular attention will be provided to the quantitative and qualitative aspects of agricultural production, to the connected environmental aspects and to the management of scientific, technological and biotechnological innovations.

Programme learning outcomes

Graduates will acquire basic preparatory knowledge on: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, plant biology and agroecology. Additionally, they will acquire knowledge and abilities on: the production of herbaceous and woody plants in the agricultural and forest environment; plant protection; agricultural economics and policy, rural appraisal and agricultural accounting; agricultural microbiology and microbial processes involved in plant production; hydraulics and hydrogeological processes; animal feed, ethnology, breeding techniques of the main breeds of zootechnical interest; the main processes of food processing and the chemical composition of food; traditional and molecular genetic improvement.

Qualification requirements and regulations

Admission to the final test for the achievement of the qualification will require that the student has acquired all the credits foreseen in the study plan for training activities other than the final test. The final test for the achievement of the qualification is public and consists of the presentation of a thesis work to a special commission. This work consists in the elaboration of a study on a topic of significant interest for Agricultural, food and environmental sciences.

Examination regulations and grading scale

In general the student assessment occurs through an oral exam, which sometimes is accompanied by a written exam or the delivery of a written report. Intermediate tests are requested for some courses. The exam grades are measured in thirtieths (0-30 scale), the minimum grade is 18/30 and the maximum grade is 30/30. The maximum grade can be enhanced with “cum laude” (30 cum laude), in case of excellence. Grades are given by an exam committee of at least two lecturers, whose President is the chair of the course. The main exam sessions are held in January/February, June/July and September. Students may retake exams, if not passed. The University provides an ECTS Grading Table, which shows the actual distribution of the examination and final grades among students for each degree programme. The final degree evaluation is expressed in one-hundred-and-tenths (0-110 scale). The minimum grade is 66/110 and the maximum grade is 110/110. The calculation of the final grade of each candidate takes into account the average of the grades obtained in the subject exams, as well as the quality of the work performed in research or in the final thesis, which is discussed in public before a degree committee. “Cum laude” (110 cum laude) may be added to the maximum grade if the exam commission unanimously agrees.

Obligatory or optional mobility windows

Students can participate in the European Erasmus+ program which allows them to carry out study or traineeship activities at foreign Universities. Erasmus+ for study allows to spend a period of continuous study in a foreign University, while Erasmus+ for training allows spending a period of internship in a company, institution, or non-governmental organization based in a foreign country.

Work-based learning

The internship represents an important moment in the professionalization path of the student and constitutes a specific orientation to the world of work. The internship takes place in Italian and foreign non-university structures (e.g. companies from various agricultural sectors, public entities, professional offices, associations, etc.).

Occupational profiles of graduates

Graduates are able to carry out: - manager for the definition and technical and economic management of farms; - support services for the agricultural sector in public and private structures; - expert in technical assistance in agriculture and for environmental protection; - professional agricultural entrepreneur; - responsible for agricultural research and professional training; - management and safeguard of the rural territory; - breeder at seed companies traditional breeding and assisted by molecular markers at seed companies; - expert in environmental protection through biotechnological approaches; - technical-economic manager of livestock production activities; - market analysis consultant; - consultant for integrated rural development projects. - The profile of the graduate falls within that foreseen for the profession of the junior Agronomist.

Free-choice training activities