MSc Agricultural Professional Practice

This postgraduate course is studied over the course of three years. It is aimed at anyone with an interest in leadership and management, policy making, planning and project management in the land-based industries. The course is offered on a part-time distance learning basis to make it accessible to those in employment or with family commitments to be able to participate.

Location: Aberdeen
Study mode: Distance learning (3 years)
Subject area: Agriculture, Business
Start date: September 2023
Agency code: Z803

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Course overview

This course has been developed to meet an identified need for highly qualified people in the agricultural sector who have an understanding of both the business and technical aspects of the industry.

Aimed at people interested in a career in the land-based industries in a professional capacity, it aims to provide the technical and management skills required in modern agricultural professional practice, along with a knowledge and understanding of how policy decisions impact the land-based sector. You'll also gain the ability to appraise research information and apply it to sustainable agricultural practice.

The course is offered on a part-time distance learning basis to make it accessible to those in employment or with family commitments. Applicants have come from a wide range of backgrounds, including farmers, growers, vets and other agricultural and food sector workers.

The MSc Agricultural Professional Practice degree is validated by the University of Glasgow.

Watch our Agricultural Professional Practice video to find out more.

Please note: This course may require you to attend two study weekends at our Aberdeen campus (depending on current Covid-19 guidelines).

Virtual Experience

Take a look around the SRUC Virtual Experience for lots of great student videos and examples of what it’s like to study our courses, along with campus and facility tours.

SRUC holds open days regularly. Visit our listings page for details of our up-coming events.

Got a question? Get in touch

Email: app@sruc.ac.uk

Entry requirements

A degree in a science or technology relevant to the sector and/or assessment of candidate’s ability to benefit from the course. No absolute academic prerequisites - work experience is considered.

What you'll learn

In order to develop your own area of expertise, there are a number of elective modules in business, crop or livestock production.

Many positions in the land-based industries require professional qualifications, so there is also potential within the course to study FACTS, BASIS or AMTRA (additional fee and assessment required).

The Institute of Agricultural Management (IAgrM) considers this course as suitable evidence of CPD if you're pursuing ‘Professional Agriculturalist’ status.

The programme combines eight modules covering technical production, management, and skills development.

The five core modules are:

Professional Leadership and Management
Food and Agricultural Policy
Business Planning and Decision Making
Project Management for Agricultural Professionals
Topical Issues in Modern Agriculture

You'll also choose three elective modules from a range including:

Integrated Agricultural Management
Sustainable Nutrient Management
Animal Health and Veterinary Medicine
Arable Crop Protection
Grassland and Fodder Crop Protection
Animal Feed Technology

Student experience

Mellanie grew up on a hill sheep farm in a little place called Altnaharra in Sutherland. She has always been passionate about agriculture especially livestock farming.

The course was very varied and offered lots of different interesting modules, giving me confidence in IT, how to go about supervising people, project management, problem solving and how to stand up and speak to a room full of strangers, allowing me to confidently pass on my practical experience to the students.

For a start, it had been a very long time since I had studied and I can remember feeling very overwhelmed and unsure if I would manage to complete the course, but the programme leader and lecturing staff on my APP course were very understanding, encouraging and so helpful and gave me the confidence to carry on.

After receiving my results for the first modules my confidence slowly grew, and I was able to use the knowledge from some of the modules to help me manage my time more efficiently.

Career Progression

Networking

Broad-ranging

“My aim after graduation is to carry on instructing students, and eventually apply for a full-time lecturing position at SRUC when one becomes available.”

Mellanie Robson

Meet the lecturer

Dr Robin Walker

PhD, Imperial College, University of London

Robin is the leader of the Agricultural Professional Practice (APP) postgraduate distance learning programme with over 20 years of research and lecturing experience, mostly within the Agriculture and Countryside Management programmes based at Craibstone, and has supervised numerous student projects from undergraduate through to PhD. Robin has played a key part in delivering PgDip / MSc distance learning programmes since 2005.

Robin’s work is primarily linked to the development of low input system approaches to improve the yield and quality (e.g. protein content) of crops as well as soil health. These strategies include optimising diversity through improved rotations and the use of crop mixtures, often utilising a forage or grain legume component. Alternative nutrient sources and improving nutrient cycling within a system are also of interest. A number of these research and KT projects have included elements of participatory collaboration and co-design with farmers.

For more information about the course please contact Robin at: robin.walker@sruc.ac.uk

View Robin's Pure Profile

Dr Alex Hilton

Alex has been at SRUC for over 17 years and worked as both a researcher and teacher.

When teaching, his main interest is crop-related subjects. However, Alex also makes use of his research background by teaching research skills and supervising a number of honours and MSc projects.

One of Alex’s favourite roles is coordinating the BSc Honours projects at Aberdeen. The students look at so many different things and he enjoys seeing them develop their interest in a specific topic, as well as finding answers to problems facing the industry.

MSc Agricultural Professional Practice

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