Course overview

You study wide-ranging agriculture topics in your first two years, exploring plant biology, soil science, nutrition, management, accounting and law. In your third year, you specialise in farm business management. You will explore management techniques used for decision-making in agricultural businesses. Core modules develop your skills in:

• farm planning and organisation
• budgeting and accounting
• land law

Beyond Stage 1, you can boost your employability and professional skills with an optional placement year in industry or the commercial sector. 

You'll also enjoy practical workshops and demonstrations of the major software used in farm business planning and control, and apply your knowledge to real farm case studies.

Download information about this course as a PDF

COVID-19
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to COVID-19.

See our terms and conditions for more information

View our Frequently Asked Questions

Your course during COVID-19

Whilst things will not be the same when you join us in September, this course page is intended to give you insight into what to expect from your course and your learning experience for the duration of your degree.

We have updated all course information where there are specific changes in the first semester.

Facilities

Most of our student services are now available online. As COVID-19 restrictions lift, we'll be opening up our on-campus facilities as soon as it is safe to do so, so that you can get the best out of your studies.

Your learning experience

Your teaching will be a mixture of online and in-person on-campus teaching. In semester one, as a result of physical distancing requirements, all lecture materials will be delivered online along with many tutorials, workshops and labs.

Our aim, if Government guidance allows us, is to deliver up to three hours of labs, seminars and tutorial teaching in-person on campus where this is possible and safe to do so. We'll review this regularly and plan to return to full in-person, on-campus teaching in semester two if restrictions allow.

Assessment

In semester one, we will not be running face-to-face, on-campus examinations. We will instead use different approaches to assessment. These will test and support your learning.

Field trips

We will be running some but not all of our planned field trips. Some of those that do run, will be run virtually. For those that do not run, we will be offering alternative learning activities. These learning activities will give you the opportunity to achieve the same learning.

Terms and conditions and student complaints

The University has terms and conditions which create a positive environment for learning and academic achievement.

Further information

Our COVID-19 Study page gives more information about your Newcastle University 2020 study experience.

Given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitments outlined are subject to the guidelines that may be in place at the time.

Quality and ranking

• 3rd in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2021 (Agriculture and Forestry category)
• 8th in the UK – The Guardian University Guide 2020 (Agriculture, Forestry and Food category)
• 5th in the UK – The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 (Agriculture and Forestry category)
• top 150 – Life Sciences category – Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2020
• top 150 – Agriculture and Forestry category – QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020

Teaching excellence

TEF Gold

A ringing endorsement of Newcastle University’s long tradition of excellence in teaching.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

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.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

You study topics including plant biology, animal science and agri-business economics. We also introduce you to laboratory work and IT applications for applying statistical techniques to agricultural data.

Visits to the University farms provide first-hand insight into the practical aspects of agriculture.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Introductory Business Economics	10
Environment and Land Resources	10
Crop Pests	10
Introduction to Business Management	10
Academic and Professional Skills	20
Agri-Food Supply Chains	20
Plants, Environment, Agriculture	10
Introduction to Agricultural Mechanisation	10
Principles of animal physiology and health	20

You apply your knowledge to animal and crop husbandry and farm management, covering topics such as animal breeding, arable crop production and agricultural marketing.

Visits to farms continue, reinforcing your learning with practical experience. You have the opportunity to take a crop pests field course, focusing on pests that affect crops.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Agricultural Economics and Policy	10
Current Trends in Agricultural Markets	10
Arable Crops	10
Farm Business Management	10
Principles of Agronomy and Crop Improvement	10
Animal Feed Science and Technology	10
Managing Soils in the Agri-Environment	10
Domestic Animal Reproduction and Genetic Improvement	10
Dissertation and Research Preparation	10
Sustainable animal production systems	20
Sustainable Solutions	10

You explore management techniques used for decision making in agricultural businesses. Core modules develop your skills in farm planning, budgeting and accounting and land law.

You also write a dissertation on a farm business management topic of your choice. Projects and case studies form a major component of management modules. There are workshops and demonstrations of software used in planning and control.

Modules

Compulsory Modules	Credits
Farm Business Planning and Control	20
Applied Farm Business Management	20
Agriculture Dissertation	30
Law and Land Use	10

Optional Modules	Credits
Combinable Crops	20
Applied Crop Protection	10
Animal Product Quality and Marketing	10
Forage Utilization	10
Reproduction in Farm and Companion Animals	10
Precision technologies and global challenges in managed animal behaviour and welfare	20
Precision Agriculture incorporating Non-Combinable Crops	20

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

Lectures and laboratory practicals will teach you the scientific principles that underpin agriculture.

Visits to the University farms and other local farming businesses will help you to understand the practical application of the theory you learn.

You'll also complete project work and reports, working as an individual and in groups.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

• 

  Assessments

• 

  Assignments – written or fieldwork

• 

  Dissertation or research project

• 

  Essays

• 

  Examinations – practical or online

• 

  Group work

• 

  Practical sessions

• 

  Projects

Skills and experience

Practical skills

As a leader in agricultural education since 1891, we have well-founded links with the local farming community, allowing our students access to a range of farming practices.

In your second year, you'll also gain hands-on experience managing your own crops and opportunities to take on lambing or harvest jobs.

Research skills

To address the problems facing agriculture globally, we conduct research on themes such as:

• ethical and nutritious food
• resource-efficient and resilient production systems
• sustainable landscapes and production systems
• vibrant rural communities and enterprises

You'll also have the opportunity to explore an area of interest in your final year dissertation.

Opportunities

Study abroad

Experience life in another country by choosing to study abroad as part of your degree. You’ll be encouraged to embrace fun and challenging experiences, make connections with new communities and graduate as a globally aware professional, ready for your future.

You can choose to spend up to a year studying at a partner institution overseas.

If you choose to study abroad, it will extend your degree by a year. 

Find out more about study abroad

Work placement

Get career ready with a work placement and leave as a confident professional in your field. You can apply to spend 9 to 12 months working in any organisation in the world, and receive University support from our dedicated team to secure your dream placement. Work placements take place between stages 2 and 3.

You'll gain first-hand experience of working in the sector, putting your learning into practice and developing your professional expertise.

If you choose to take a work placement, it will extend your degree by a year. Placements are subject to availability.

Find out more about work placements

Facilities and environment

Facilities

Agriculture is based in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at our city-centre campus. During your studies, you'll have access to two commercial farms near Newcastle.

Our University farms, Cockle Park Farm and Nafferton Farm, will give you an insight into how real-world farms operate, so you're prepared for your future. Our farms are used for research, teaching and demonstration.

You'll have the opportunity to access modern laboratories equipped with industry-standard equipment. You'll also use NU-Food, our food and consumer research facility.

You'll be able to use our computing facilities, including computers running industry-standard software used in agriculture businesses, to help ensure you're career-ready.

Support

As a new student, you'll receive a tablet so you can download online learning resources, helping to make our campus more sustainable.

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

There's also a staff-student committee, to give you an opportunity to have a say in how your degree works.

Your future

As a Newcastle University agriculture graduate, you will be held in high regard in the industry and have many career options open to you.

You'll be fully prepared for the future with our career-focused approach to agriculture education. 95% of our graduates were in work or study six months after graduating (2016/17)*.

Graduates from this course were earning an average salary of £24,500 within six months after graduating, and have gone into farm management roles, service and supply industries as well as research, advisory and consultancy work in the public and private sector.

*Destinations of (undergraduate, UK and EU) Leavers from Higher Education Survey 2016/17

Join our network of confident and successful graduates who have found employment with leading companies including:

• Agrovista
• Sentry Farming
• Strutt and Parker
• Velcourt

Employability at Newcastle

96% of Newcastle University graduates progressed to employment or further study within six months of graduating, with 85.5% in graduate-level employment or further study.

Take a look at the most recent data available for our graduates. See what they have gone on to achieve and be inspired to follow in their footsteps.

Statistics are based on what graduates were doing on a specific date, approximately six months after graduation (Destinations of (undergraduate and postgraduate UK domiciled) Leavers from Higher Education Survey 2016/17).

Enterprising students

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Careers support

Our Enterprise Challenge gives students the opportunity to work with industry on a project that tackles real-world issues. Watch the above video to find out more.

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

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2020 entry (per year)

Home Fee Students

£9250

International Fee Students

£22800

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

You will be charged tuition fees for each year of your degree programme (unless you are on a shorter exchange programme).

The tuition fee amount you will pay may increase slightly year on year as a result of inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

• different tuition fees
• additional costs

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• scholarships for students applying to study at our London campus
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

• the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
• the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
• the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages