Agricultural Sciences for Sustainability (Classe LM-69)-Enrolled from 2022/23 Academic Year

Area Scienze Agrarie e Alimentari
Master programme
A.Y. 2022/2023
LM-69 - Scienze e tecnologie agrarie (EN)
Master programme
120
ECTS
Access
Open with entry requirements examination
2
Years
Milan
Italian
The MSc degree course in Agricultural Sciences for Sustainability (belonging to the class of graduate courses in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies-LM-69), aims to prepare master?s graduates responding to the profile of the modern agronomist: a professional figure with firm technical culture and a broad multidisciplinary vision of the agricultural system.
The learning program is primarily characterized by technical contents, based on the operational transfer of the most recent scientific acquisitions and on the applications of technological innovations in the area of agriculture.
The highly multidisciplinary learning program ensures the graduates gain a wide cultural and scientific vision and technical adaptability, along with a deep awareness of the function of modern agriculture ? which, in its most recent evolution, added to the original aim of producing food ? as well as the objectives of preserving the territory, guaranteeing the safety of products and protection of the environment.
Graduates acquire a multidisciplinary and integrated vision of problems that have to be faced in order to plan and manage the continuous adaptations of the agricultural production system to the new needs required by complex and advanced society.
Relying on firm multidisciplinary basis mostly related to the activities of the 1st year, students will acquire a well characterized specialistic profile through the 2nd year courses, and trough their thesis work that will be developed on a subject in the area of the specialization track chosen.
In order to graduate professionals ready to seize job opportunities offered by the most advanced scenarios of European agriculture, the master?s degree program offers three tracks of specialization:
- farm management track, focused on the planning and management of agricultural production processes, the relations with the markets, the services for the farm and the supply chain of technical means, the distribution and transformation of raw products, and the economic-regulatory framework of farm activities;
- animal systems track, focused on breeding, the processes and technologies of the livestock farm, the management of quality, safety and sustainability of animal production, and the relations with the food supply chains;
- precision agriculture track, focused on site-specific crop management methods aimed to optimize and maximize the efficiency of production processes, automation technologies and digital farming, modelling to optimize the use of inputs, and the planning of production processes.
The students can also compose their own personalized specialization track according to their professional interests. Proposals of personalized specialization tracks are subject to the approval of the Collegio didattico board according to their consistence with the goals of the master's degree course.
Graduates in Agricultural Sciences for Sustainability are trained to take management roles in coordinating and planning production processes in crop and livestock farming, in the agri-food market chains and in the industry, private services and public bodies operating with the agricultural production sector.
The skills acquired by graduates in Agricultural Sciences for Sustainability therefore allow them to carry out entrepreneurial roles, managerial responsibilities, planning, consultancy and operational management in the following areas/sectors:
- technical and economic management of production processes in crop and livestock farms and in the related supply-chains;
- field and animal breeding technical assistance;
- companies or industries of technical means (seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, feed, etc.) and of machinery, plants, structures, technologies and services for agriculture;
- agri-food chains for the distribution and processing of agricultural products, and produce marketing;
- administrative, regulatory, technical and economic consultancy professional services for agricultural business;
- digital and ICT technology companies for agriculture and precision farming;
- public bodies operating with agricultural activities and resources.
In particular, graduates in Agricultural Sciences for Sustainability may have the following career opportunities related to the chosen specialisation track:
- farm management track: management functions of direction and coordination in farms, agricultural enterprises and agri-food distribution and processing chain, in the agricultural sector of public bodies, professional consultancy, technical and commercial assistance services to companies and industries operating with agriculture;
- animal systems track: management functions of direction and coordination in livestock farms and animal product distribution and processing chain, technical and commercial assistance professional consultancy in livestock production and R&D in agriculture technologies companies;
- precision Agriculture track: technical or professional services to support agricultural production, ICT companies for agriculture (IT, modeling, remote sensing, etc.), innovation start-ups for the agri-food system, R&D in technology and agricultural machinery industry, and technical and commercial assistance services for farms.

Employment statistics (Almalaurea)
Admission requirements

Graduates in class L-25 (Agricultural sciences and technologies), as well as in the corresponding class pursuant to Ministerial Decree 509/99, may access the programme if they have earned at least 30 credits in the following academic fields:
FIS/01 to FIS/07
MAT/01 to MAT/09
INF/01 - Computer science
SECS-S/01 - Statistics
CHIM/03 - General and inorganic chemistry
CHIM/06 - Organic chemistry
BIO/01 - General botany
BIO/02 - Systematic botany
BIO/03 - Environmental and applied botany
BIO/04 - Plant physiology
BIO/05 - Zoology
BIO/13 - Applied biology
Graduates from classes other than class L-25, who, in addition to 30 credits in the aforementioned academic fields, have earned at least 60 credits in the following academic fields, may also access the programme:
AGR/01 - Economy and rural appraisal
AGR/02 - Agronomy and herbaceous crops
AGR/03 - General arboriculture
AGR/04 - Horticulture and floriculture
AGR/07 - Agricultural genetics
AGR/08 - Agricultural hydraulics
AGR/09 - Agricultural mechanics
AGR/10 - Rural constructions and agro-forestry territory
AGR/11 - General and applied entomology
AGR/12 - Plant pathology
AGR/13 - Agricultural chemistry
AGR/15 - Food science and technology
AGR/16 - Agricultural microbiology
AGR/17 - General zootechnics and genetic improvement
AGR/18 - Animal nutrition and feeding
AGR/19 - Special zootechnics
AGR/20 - Zooculture
ICAR/06 - Topography and cartography
ICAR/15 - Landscape architecture
IUS/03 - Agricultural law
IUS/14 - European Union law
SECS-P/08 - Economics and business management
VET/01 - Anatomy of domestic animals
VET/02 - Veterinary physiology
Proficiency in English at a B1 level or higher, under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is required for admission.
The B1-level requirement will be ascertained by the University Language Centre (SLAM) upon admission as follows:
- Language certificate obtained no more than 3 years prior to submission, of B1 or higher (for the list of language certificates recognized by the University, see the website: https://www.unimi.it/en/node/39267/). The certificate must be uploaded when submitting the online application;
- English level achieved during a Bachelor's degree programme through SLAM courses and tests. The test must have been passed within the last four years. Our offices will perform an internal check, without the applicant having to attach any statements;
- Placement test, delivered by SLAM https://www.unimi.it/en/node/39267/
All those who fail to submit a valid certificate or do not meet the required proficiency level will be invited to take the test through the admission procedure.
Candidates who do not sit or pass the placement test will have until 31 December 2022 to obtain and submit a recognized certificate to SLAM.
Students who do not meet the requirement by 31 December will not be admitted to the Master's degree programme and may not sit further tests.

Admission assessment

A selection board will assess applications for curricular requirements and the candidate's background through admission interviews, which will be held on the dates set out below:
for graduates: 2.30 pm on 22 September 2022 online (candidates will receive details at least 10 days in advance);
for students who graduate by 31 December 2022: 2.30 pm on 11 January 2023 (candidates will receive details at least 10 days in advance).
Interviewees must have filled beforehand any educational gaps through special interviews with faculty members teaching those subjects, who will be appointed by the chair of board.
Graduates of the University of Milan (UNIMI) in "Agricultural Sciences and Technologies", "Agricultural Technology for the Environment" and "Improvement and Protection of Mountain Environment" are admitted by right to the Master's degree programme in Agricultural Sciences and are therefore waived from the admission interview requirement.
UNIMI graduates in "Management of Cultivated Plants and Landscaping" must prove adequate knowledge of zootechnics to be admitted, while UNIMI graduates in "Viticulture and Enology" must prove adequate knowledge of livestock and herbaceous crops.
All other candidates, both from this and other universities, will be required to self-certify their previous academic record to the chair of the board ([email protected] and [email protected]), when submitting their application. The board will thus be able to identify any gaps and the required interviews with specific faculty members.
Those who fail to meet admission requirements by sitting interviews, as required by the chair of the board, will not be admitted to the programme.
Candidates who meet entry requirements will be admitted to the programme without having to sit any interviews on 22 September 2022 or 11 January 2023.
The Course of study in Agricultural Sciences gives many opportunities for stages abroad mainly through the Erasmus+ programme. About 30 foreign Universities of the EU are involved in this students exchange. The areas of study which can be followed by the students abroad are almost all those included in this course of study. In general, students who make a stage abroad attend local courses or participate in research for the preparation of their thesis. The learning agreement is outlined in collaboration with the person in charge for the Erasmus of the degree program, as regards both the choice of courses and the organization of the internship at the partner university. Students must obtain the formal approval of the examinations that they intend to carry out at the host university from professors who hold equivalent or similar teachings at the University of Milan before completing the learning agreement. As regards experimental activities abroad, which can constitute part or the entire program of the internship, a letter of agreement from a professor of the partner university is required, along with the formal approval on the objectives, on the program and on the term of the internship by a professor of the degree program, who will also act as supervisor. Other possibilities exist in terms of cultural exchange with non EU universities (in China, Japan, Latin America) not involved in the Erasmus programme.
Strongly recommended.

Courses list

year
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Compulsory
Agricultural Policy and Rural Appraisal 12 112 Italian AGR/01
- Agricultural policy6
- Rural appraisal6
Sustainable Cropping Systems 12 120 Italian AGR/02
- Cropping systems and supply chains6
- Modelling for soil and crop management6
First semester
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Compulsory
Data Analysis for Agriculture 6 68 Italian AGR/17
Sustainable Livestock Systems 8 76 Italian AGR/18 AGR/19
Second semester
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Compulsory
Farm Irrigation 8 80 Italian AGR/08
Mechanization and Technologies for Agriculture 8 64 Italian AGR/09
Open sessions
There are no specific sessions for these activities (e.g. open online courses).
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Compulsory
English Proficiency B2 (3 ECTS) 3 0 Italian
be activated by the A.Y. 2023/2024
First semester
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Optional
Agri-Food Marketing 6 48 Italian AGR/01
Animal Genetics and Biotechnology 6 48 Italian AGR/17
Economics of Agricultural Markets 6 48 Italian AGR/01
Economics of Innovation 6 48 Italian AGR/01
Laboratory of Precision Agronomy 6 48 Italian AGR/02
Laboratory of Precision Irrigation 6 48 Italian AGR/08
Landscape Planning 6 48 Italian AGR/10
Livestock Structures and Sustainable Waste Managementf 6 48 Italian AGR/10
Management of Crop Disease and Pest 6 48 Italian AGR/11 AGR/12
Management of Spatial Variability and Gis for Precision Agriculture 6 48 Italian AGR/02 AGR/08
Mechanization of Livestock Production 6 48 Italian AGR/09
Precision Livestock Feeding 6 48 Italian AGR/18
Remote Sensing for Agriculture 6 48 Italian ICAR/06
Smart Technologies for Precision Livestock 6 48 Italian AGR/10
Sustainable Feed Production 6 48 Italian AGR/18
Second semester
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Optional
Energy for Agriculture 6 48 Italian AGR/09
Precision Agriculture Equipment and Field Application 6 48 Italian AGR/09
Precision Crop Protection 6 48 Italian AGR/12
Precision Livestock Farming 6 48 Italian AGR/19
Quality of Animal Products 6 48 Italian AGR/19
Technical Standards and Best Practice in Agriculture 6 48 Italian AGR/08 AGR/09 AGR/10
Conclusive activities
There are no specific sessions for these activities (e.g. open online courses).
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language SSD
Compulsory
Final Exam 24 0 Italian
Study plan rules
- INSEGNAMENTI DI PERCORSO

Lo studente può scegliere uno dei tre percorsi di specializzazione progettati dal corso di studio e pre-approvati. Eventuali scostamenti del Piano di Studio dai percorsi proposti saranno valutati dal Collegio didattico.

percorso TECNICO-GESTIONALE
5 insegnamenti scelti tra i seguenti:
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language Lesson period SSD
Agri-Food Marketing 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/01
Economics of Agricultural Markets 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/01
Economics of Innovation 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/01
Landscape Planning 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/10
Management of Crop Disease and Pest 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/11 AGR/12
Energy for Agriculture 6 48 Italian Second semester AGR/09
Technical Standards and Best Practice in Agriculture 6 48 Italian Second semester AGR/08 AGR/09 AGR/10
- percorso SISTEMI ZOOTECNICI
5 insegnamenti scelti tra i seguenti:
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language Lesson period SSD
Animal Genetics and Biotechnology 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/17
Livestock Structures and Sustainable Waste Managementf 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/10
Mechanization of Livestock Production 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/09
Precision Livestock Feeding 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/18
Sustainable Feed Production 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/18
Precision Livestock Farming 6 48 Italian Second semester AGR/19
Quality of Animal Products 6 48 Italian Second semester AGR/19
- percorso AGRICOLTURA DI PRECISIONE
5 insegnamenti scelti tra i seguenti:
Courses or activities Max ECTS Total hours Language Lesson period SSD
Laboratory of Precision Agronomy 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/02
Laboratory of Precision Irrigation 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/08
Management of Spatial Variability and Gis for Precision Agriculture 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/02 AGR/08
Remote Sensing for Agriculture 6 48 Italian First semester ICAR/06
Smart Technologies for Precision Livestock 6 48 Italian First semester AGR/10
Precision Agriculture Equipment and Field Application 6 48 Italian Second semester AGR/09
Precision Crop Protection 6 48 Italian Second semester AGR/12
- Il Piano didattico comprende 9 CFU a libera scelta dello studente, da destinare a un insegnamento a libera scelta selezionato nell'ambito dei corsi attivati per il corso di laurea magistrale, compresi quelli di percorso scelto, o per gli altri corsi di laurea della Facoltà e dell'Ateneo, e ad altre attività formative valutabili in crediti. Gli studenti sono invitati a consultare il sito Web della facoltà di Scienze agrarie e alimentari per conoscere l'offerta didattica e verificare l'effettiva attivazione degli insegnamenti.
Tra le attività formative spendibili nelle attività formative a libera scelta valutabili in crediti, di norma fino ad un massimo di 5 CFU, vi sono la partecipazione a seminari, convegni, corsi di aggiornamento, o ad altre attività organizzate dall'Ateneo o da un altro Ente, purché congruenti con il percorso formativo. Il riconoscimento di crediti per queste attività deve essere preventivamente concordato col proprio docente tutore.
Rientrano poi tra queste attività i laboratori REE (Research-Enriched Education) (3 CFU) che il Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali attiva di anno in anno. Con tali laboratori si intende sviluppare un approccio culturale alla didattica in cui i docenti prendano parte al processo di innovazione delle metodologie didattiche focalizzato sullo studente e sull'utilizzo di nuove tecnologie, avviando progetti di sperimentazione di insegnamenti che adottino una didattica innovativa finalizzata all'integrazione didattica/ricerca. Tali laboratori prevedono mediamente 6 giornate di esercitazioni e lavoro applicato in laboratorio o in campo (es. aziende agricole didattico sperimentali di UNIMI) sotto la supervisione di personale docente e non docente, con brevi introduzioni metodologiche alle attività in programma. Le basi conoscitive alle quali i laboratori REE fanno riferimento sono parte dei programmi dei corsi che gli studenti hanno già svolto o che svolgeranno successivamente.
Course location
Milan
Presidente del Collegio Didattico
Prof. Roberto Oberti
Contacts