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Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security MSc

Tackle the most important agricultural challenges with our Master’s in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.

You are currently viewing course information for entry year:


Start date(s):

  • September 2025
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Overview

Are you passionate about sustainable agriculture and food security? Do you want to broaden your knowledge and skills for a career in this field? We’ve designed our MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security for you.

The need to increase food production, while protecting our environment, has become critical. This has been fuelled by urgent global challenges, including:

  • rapid population growth
  • increasing pressure on limited and non-renewable resources

This Master’s degree focuses on the global availability of food, both now and in the future. It covers all aspects of food security. These are outlined in the Global Food Security programme.

Our experienced lecturers, active in both industry and research, will guide your learning. They’ll help develop your skills to advance your career in sustainable agriculture and food security.

Important information

We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.

Qualifications explained

Find out about the different qualification options for this course.

What you'll learn

Through your modules, you’ll get a detailed overview of the most important issues in the field. Including the sustainability of agricultural production and food security. These will account for approximately half of your credits.

With your optional modules, you can tailor your programme to your interests in these areas:

  • socioeconomics, marketing, and policy development
  • environmental and water management
  • soil and crop management
  • animal production, health, and welfare management
  • food securitysustainable development and environmental change
  • quantitative techniques
  • experimental design
  • assessment of land use capability
  • soil quality
  • research skills
  • analysis, interpretation,  and presentation of field data
  • science, policy and action underlying climate change and land use

Modules

You will study modules on this course. A module is a unit of a course with its own approved aims and outcomes and assessment methods.

How you'll learn

Your future

Further study

This course provides a route into PhD level study. Each year, about half of our students choose to continue studying for their PhD.

Careers

The course will prepare you for a wide range of careers in:

  • sustainability
  • governmental or non-governmental organisations
  • land or water or soil management
  • agricultural or environmental management
  • policy development
  • academia
  • education

Our Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Quality and ranking

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body

Facilities

Our location makes us the perfect place to study postgraduate Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security.

On campus, you'll have access to state-of-the-art labs and modern teaching facilities. With the UK countryside on our doorstep, and access to the University’s two commercially run farms, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get out of the classroom and put research into practice.

NU Farms

You’ll have access to Newcastle University (NU) Farms during your studies.

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

You’ll also have access to greenhouses and vertical farming facilities.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

What you're paying for

Tuition fees include the costs of:

  • matriculation
  • registration
  • tuition (or supervision)
  • library access
  • examination
  • re-examination
  • graduation

Find out more about:

Search for funding

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Entry requirements

The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

Qualifications from outside the UK

English Language requirements

Admissions policy

This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at Newcastle University. It is intended to provide information about our admissions policies and procedures to applicants and potential applicants, to their advisors and family members, and to staff of the University.

University Admissions Policy and related policies and procedures

Credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can allow you to convert existing relevant university-level knowledge, skills and experience into credits towards a qualification. Find out more about the RPL policy which may apply to this course

How to apply


Using the application portal

The application portal has instructions to guide you through your application. It will tell you what documents you need and how to upload them.

You can choose to start your application, save your details and come back to complete it later.

If you’re ready, you can select Apply Online and you’ll be taken directly to the application portal.

Alternatively you can find out more about applying on our applications and offers pages.


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Get in touch

Questions about this course?

If you have specific questions about this course you can contact:

Dr Hannah Davis
Degree Programme Director

Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6900
Email: snes.education@ncl.ac.uk
School of Natural and Environmental Science
ncl.ac.uk/nes

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