Organic Agriculture and Food Systems (Double Degree) Aarhus University

Overview

The MSc programme in Organic Agriculture and Food Systems (EUR-Organic) is a unique degree combining high-ranking research environments with state-of-the-art knowledge from industry leaders in organic food production. It prepares students to develop the solutions of tomorrow, focusing on goals such as high crop yields, high animal welfare, and low environmental impact. Students also learn how agriculture systems and current methods of food production work. At Aarhus University organic agriculture is an integrated part of all courses, and therefore the programme for students specialising in organic agriculture also includes courses focused on farming in an organic setting.

An international double degree

This programme is a collaboration between four leading European universities in the field of agriculture and life sciences (Aarhus University, the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, the University of Natural Resources and Life Science in Vienna, and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences).

Students spend one year at their chosen home university and one year at their chosen host university and receive a degree from both institutions. Each university takes a different thematic approach to organic food production, with Aarhus University’s specialisms including organic agriculture with a focus on animal or plant production, health, and welfare/nutrition.

For detailed information on each university’s specialisms, visit www.eur-organic.eu.

An ideal study environment

Denmark is a world leader in organic food production, which provides the ideal setting for specialising in this field. The Danish government was one of the first to prioritise organic production, and an increasingly high percentage of food produced in Denmark today is organic.

This programme gives students an international profile, network, and perspective. Students will be exposed to differing parameters in different countries and agriculture systems around the world, and they will learn from their peers’ different ways of approaching a problem – a perfect preparation for a future career in an increasingly globalised industry.

Career profile

Graduates can choose from a wide range of careers in supporting organic farming development. Recent graduates have worked in research and in primary production with national, regional and local authorities, and advisory services.

Admission requirements

Admission to the double degree programme in Agrobiology at Aarhus University requires a relevant bachelor’s degree within the field of life science such as plant, animal, or veterinary science. Detailed admissions requirements and more information about the programme are available at www.eur-organic.eu.

Selection criteria

As the Master’s programme admits only a limited number of students each year, meeting the admission requirements does not in itself guarantee admission to the programme. Student places are allocated on the basis of an overall assessment. In evaluating qualified applicants, the admissions committee assesses applicants according to the following criteria: academic background; overall grade level of bachelor’s degree; grades achieved on relevant courses; and relevant courses (measured in credit units) included in the bachelor’s degree.

Relevant courses include core courses within the subject areas of agrobiology, chemistry, biochemistry, cytology, zoology, botany, mathematics, statistics, and probability calculus.

A world research leader

Aarhus University’s research in agricultural sciences is cutting-edge and puts it in the front rank of agricultural science institutions worldwide. 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.

In the rankings

Agricultural sciences by subject at Aarhus University rank twenty-second in the world in the 2020 US News Best Global Universities ranking, and in the 2019 National Taiwan University ranking are nineteenth in Agricultural Sciences by subject. Agriculture and Forestry at AU is ranked thirty-fifth in the 2020 QS World University Rankings by subject.