Agricultural and Environmental Science Newcastle University

Our master's in agriculture and environmental science can help you develop a career in sustainable farming systems, environmental management and rural development.

This master's in agriculture and environmental science develops your understanding of the interaction between agriculture and the environment. There is an emphasis on sustainability and the ecological consequences of unsound management. It gives you the skills for a career related to:

• sustainability in farming systems
• environmental management
• rural development

The course consists of compulsory and optional modules. This gives you the opportunity to tailor your studies to your personal interests.

You'll be taught by industry-experienced and research-active lecturers. Our research in integrated agricultural production focuses on:

• soil science
• plant science
• ecology

What you'll learn

You'll develop knowledge and skills in core concepts such as:

• sustainable development and environmental change
• quantitative techniques
• experimental design
• data analysis
• assessment of land use capability
• habitat potential
• risks of water pollution
• soil quality
• ecosystem services
• analysis, interpretation and presentation of field data
• science, policy and action underlying climate change and land use

You can also study through the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme. The scheme is a framework that enables us to award postgraduate-level qualifications using credit-bearing stand-alone modules as 'building blocks' towards a qualification. This means that the credits from modules undertaken within a five-year period can be 'banked' towards the award of a qualification.

Our staff

Dr Hannah Davis is the Degree Programme Director and an experienced researcher in the area of ruminant nutrition and grazing management. Hannah's research aims to understand how dairy management practices affect milk quality, animal health and environmental impact with a view to optimising sustainable farming systems.

You can also view staff profiles related to research in Agricultural Production.

Our lecturers are industry experienced and research active. Our research in integrated agricultural production focuses on:

• soil science
• plant science
• ecology
• dairy and beef production

Our research spans a range of scales, from pot – plot – farm – landscape.

Strategic research embraces work on:

• soil quality
• rhizosphere function
• plant-soil feedback
• soil-carbon dynamics
• nutrient cycling
• sustainable livestock

Applied research addresses issues of:

• climate change mitigation (including biofuels)
• ecological (organic) farming systems
• low-input crop systems
• agriculture-environment interactions

Delivery

This course is taught in four-week teaching blocks.

You'll be taught through:

• lectures
• seminars
• practical and field classes
• tutorials
• case studies
• small group discussions

We expect you to undertake independent study outside of these structured sessions.

We offer flexible learning for those already working in industry through the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme. This framework enables us to award postgraduate-level qualifications using credit-bearing stand-alone modules as 'building blocks' towards a qualification. This means that the credits from modules undertaken within a five-year period can be 'banked' towards the award of a qualification.

Facilities

NU Farms

Our multi-purpose farms are viable farming businesses. We use them as demonstration facilities for teaching purposes. They also provide land-based research facilities.

Our facilities provide an open innovation platform enabling researchers to work with farmers, industry, and environmental and government stakeholders. Together, they develop innovative solutions for balancing sustainable global food production with a thriving rural economy and protection of the wider environment.

These research facilities help us to understand:

• the development and functioning of plant and animal hosts, pathogens and their interactions
• the complex biogeochemical functions of the soil
• crop and livestock health, welfare and productivity
• environmental impact
• interactions between the managed farm environment and the land-air-water interface

We use this fundamental knowledge to:

• integrate genomics, physiology and agronomy in molecular breeding approaches
• develop and optimise farming systems

We collect real data from a network of on-farm crop, soil, livestock and environmental sensors. We use this data to calibrate and validate the digital technologies and models that help us in our research and developments.

Entry requirements for this course

Contact Newcastle University to find course entry requirements.

View foundation and pathway programmes to help you meet academic and language entry requirements.