Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security MSc
Our course provides specialist skills and knowledge about the most important issues related to the sustainability of agricultural production and food security.
You are currently viewing course information for entry year:
Start date(s):
- September 2023
Overview
This master's in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security is suitable if you have an interest in sustainable agriculture and food security and want to develop a broad knowledge of the subject.
Sustainable agriculture and food security focuses on the availability of food now and in the future. This is a major concern of scientific and commercial communities world-wide.
The prominence of this subject is driven by:
- an increasing global population
- pressure on non-renewable or scarce resources
- a need to increase food production whilst minimising the impact on the environment
The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security master's covers all aspects of food security as outlined by Global Food Security. The Global Food Security is a multi-agency programme involving the main UK public sector funders of research and training related to food.
Industry experienced and research-active lecturers teach on this course.
Important information
We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.
View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2022-23.
See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.
What you'll learn
This master's in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security is comprised of compulsory and optional modules. The compulsory modules provide a detailed overview of the most important issues related to the sustainability of agricultural production and food security.
Optional modules allow specialisation in one or more of the following five topic areas:
- socio-economics, marketing and policy development
- environmental and water management
- soil and crop management
- animal production, health and welfare management
- food quality, safety and nutrition
Approximately half of your credits will be gained through taught modules, which offer an opportunity to learn about a wide range of problems in food security. This is ideal if you have an interest in the subject and do not want to specialise in one topic, or if you want to gain a wide range of knowledge in this area for your career.
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.
Module information is intended to provide an example of what you will study.
Our teaching is informed by research. Course content changes periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.
Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.
Optional modules availability
Some courses have optional modules. Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.
To find out more please see our terms and conditions.
| Optional Modules | Credits |
|---|---|
| Dynamics of Coupled Human-Natural Systems | 20 |
| Critical Thinking and Analysis for Evidence-Based Environmental Science | 20 |
How you'll learn
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.
Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:
- Case study
- Computer assessment
- Dissertation
- Essay
- Oral examination
- Oral presentation
- Report
- Written examination
- Written exercise
You'll be supported through training in designing and delivering a project based on a laboratory or field-based investigation. After choosing your topic you will collect, analyse and interpret data to produce a thesis reporting your investigation and results in a critical manner.
Your teaching and learning is also supported by Canvas. Canvas is a Virtual Learning Environment. You'll use Canvas to submit your assignments and access your:
- module handbooks
- course materials
- groups
- course announcements and notifications
- written feedback
Throughout your studies, you’ll have access to support from:
- peers
- academics
- personal tutors
- our University Student Services Team
- student representatives
You'll also be assigned an academic member of staff. They will be your personal tutor throughout your time with us. They can help with academic and personal issues.
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
Your future
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.
Quality and ranking
All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body
From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK
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.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees for 2023 entry (per year)
If your studies last longer than one year, your tuition fee may increase in line with inflation.
Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.
EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.
If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.
Scholarships
We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information.
What you're paying for
Tuition fees include the costs of:
- matriculation
- registration
- tuition (or supervision)
- library access
- examination
- re-examination
- graduation
Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.
Find out more about:
- additional costs
- living costs
- tuition fees, including how to pay them and available discounts
If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.
You can check this in the How to apply section.
If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.
For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.
Search for funding
Find funding available for your course
Entry requirements
The entrance requirements below apply to 2023 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.
Download our admissions policy (PDF: 201KB)
Other policies related to admissions
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
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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.
Apply Online
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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
Email: snes.education@ncl.ac.uksnes.education@ncl.ac.uk
Online
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