The 2nd cycle Degree in "Agricultural Sciences and Technologies" provides 1st cycle graduates of class L25 more thorough training in the agricultural sector. The course aims at improving technical and scientific expertise for the design, management and control of agricultural production systems, with connotations of sustainability and multifunctionality, at consolidating professional and scientific skills in the field of agricultural entrepreneurship and in the management and enhancement of quality products and processes, at widening the competences the design and management of parks and gardens and technical sporting and recreation green areas, in urban and suburban environments.
Graduates of this course acquire a specific professional training in the following fields:
- propagation, production and protection of plants, shrubs, tree crops, vegetables and flowers, design, management and development of the productive systems of fruit tree crops, herbaceous crops and vegetables and flowers;
- dairy products and meat from various livestock species, with reference to the entire chain: cultivation and storage of forages, animal breeding, farm and facilities management to ensure animal health and welfare, microbiological control, hygiene and product quality;
- landscape analysis, planning, creation and management of parks, gardens and public parks and private green at large, in urban and suburban areas;
- creation of business and industry initiatives related to the enhancement of production with specific, local, organic, historical, etc.. quality traits, and to food security and the ability to relate to the socio-economic system through forms of integration and coordination of production and organization.
The educational programme should enable graduates to:
- acquire a cultural background appropriate to carry out basic and applied research and experimentation, and to develop and promote scientific and technological innovations;
- mature skills to plan, design, maintain and enhance agricultural production systems and environmental and natural resources also for recreational use and sport;
- master the scientific research methods in the fields of plant and animal productions, enabling them to solve problems on specific systems and processes, through direct field measurements, laboratory determinations, data processing and interpretation;
- have extensive expertise to design, manage and certify agricultural and livestock systems, to create and manage parks, gardens, sports and recreational areas, in relation to technical products, machinery and equipment;
- pursue the improvement of quality and quantity of crops and animals through selective breeding, nursery management, design of cropping systems, defense against biotic and abiotic factors, adoption of rational and innovative techniques and technologies;
- be able to support technical-scientific arguments in inter-professional relations with specialists of the same or other fields and to communicate their convictions to non- specialists farm operators to;
acquire competence in the international agricultural policy, market and marketing, as well as in technical and economic aspects of product development through the adoption of quality and safety systems, including the relation with the sociological roots of producer and consumer behaviour.
Educational activities include frontal teachings, laboratory and field practice and mid-term tests.
The course duration is 2 academic years. To achieve the Degree, students must have acquired 120 credits (ECTS), including those relating to the advanced knowledge of one European Union language, besides Italian, subject to special rules for the protection of linguistic minorities. The Degree Course includes 11 compulsory examinations, an elective examination, a language test, a practical training within external facilities, and the final examination on specific course issues.
9 elective credits may be acquired, in accordance with article 10 paragraph 5, a) of Ministerial Decree 270/04, choosing among the teachings provided by the Faculty of Agriculture, as well as by other Faculties of this University or of other Italian and Foreign Universities.
At the end of the course, students will acquire the 2nd cycle Degree in "Agricultural Sciences and Technologies", and after the relevant national qualification, they may enrol in section A (Senior agronomist) of the professional register of the Order of Doctors of Agronomy and Forestry.