Master's in Sustainable Intensification of Agricultural Production Systems Bingen University of Applied Sciences

With its wide range of modules, the Sustainable Intensification of Agricultural Production Systems degree programme covers the areas of productivity, economic efficiency, environmental impacts, and the social and ethical dimensions of sustainability in agriculture. This enables students to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to tackle these challenges in a conceptual and application-oriented manner as well as to carry out and evaluate systematic approaches to analysing conflicting goals and synergies.

The international, practice-oriented Master’s degree programme focuses on an economically viable and socially acceptable intensification of agriculture, which simultaneously aims to reduce its ecological footprint. Students learn about a range of agricultural techniques and solutions and are enabled to evaluate them holistically in terms of their individual and combined economic and environmental impacts in different contexts. The application of technologies and solutions includes modern techniques such as biotechnology and smart breeding, precision farming as well as improved utilisation of agro-biodiversity, agroecology, climate-smart farming, and organic farming.

The integrated internship semester enables students to apply the knowledge they have acquired in internationally operating companies, organisations, or institutes in a professional context. Alternatively, there is the option of completing the practical semester at a partner university abroad. The overarching aim of the degree programme is to enable students to use scientific knowledge to implement practical concepts in an interdisciplinary and flexible manner across different economic and sociocultural contexts.

The standard period of study is four semesters, corresponding to 120 ECTS. The four-semester curriculum comprises two semesters of taught courses (60 ECTS), an internship semester (six months, 30 ECTS), which should primarily take place in internationally active institutes, organisations, or companies—or alternatively at a university abroad—and a final semester dedicated to the Master’s thesis (30 ECTS).

The Master’s degree programme is structured into a two-semester lecture phase, a practical semester, and a final thesis semester. During the lecture phase, students must complete 33 ECTS as compulsory modules and 27 ECTS from a catalogue of elective modules.

The Research Methods module (12 ECTS) is a compulsory module in which students are taught and apply scientific methodology. This module, delivered over two semesters, requires students to plan, carry out, and present a research-based project that proposes practical solutions for challenges in the agricultural sector. Students learn to identify a relevant and researchable problem, develop a working hypothesis, plan and analyse data collection, and write and present either a concise project report or a comprehensive proposal for further funding of complex, large-scale projects. This module is professionally and methodologically supported by the compulsory module Advanced Statistical Methods and Analysis.

Other compulsory modules include:

• International Agricultural Economics and Policy
• Resource Economics
• Climate Change and Environmental Impacts

Elective modules students may choose from include the following examples:

• Sustainable Livestock Production
• Sustainable Animal Nutrition and Technology
• Research Module
• Harvest and Post-Harvest Technologies
• Seed Systems and Crop Improvement
• Integrated Crop Production and Protection
• Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change
• Improvement of Soil Fertility and Plant–Microorganism Interactions
• Digital Farm Management
• Ecological Intensification of Agricultural Systems
• Land, Soil and Water Management
• Crop and Pesticide Resistance and Resistance Management

We follow the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). There are currently no numerus clausus restrictions in admissions. The general university entrance qualification ("Allgemeine Hochschulzugangsberechtigung") for the Master's programme is a Bachelor's grade of at least 2.5 or better.

The applicant should have an affinity for agriculture and sustainability. The MSc addresses Bachelor's graduates who have completed a degree in agriculture. In addition, students should be willing to acquire extra fundamentals on their own and get involved in topics not related to their field of study.

• a BSc degree with at least 180 ECTS (equivalent to a German three-year BSc according to the anabin database (https://anabin.kmk.org/) and at least three months of relevant practical experience
• knowledge in the following four subjects (minimum of 6 ECTS, respectively)
  • Agricultural engineering
  • Animal husbandry
  • Plant production
  • Agricultural economics
• an overall grade (Bachelor's) better than 2.5 (German grading system)
• English B2 or better
• a VPD ("Vorprüfungsdokumentation") issued by uni-assist (https://www.uni-assist.de/) for the TH Bingen, not older than one year

Semester fee: approximately 240 EUR (including student ID card and student transit pass)

For information, please check here as well as here.

Job vacancies for students are available on the intranet of Bingen UAS for enrolled students. Bingen UAS also offers regular on-site job fairs, e.g. an annual "Industry Day".

• Scholarship for special commitment / outstanding achievement
• Graduation grants
• Grants for financial emergencies
• Other

• Application training
• Intercultural training
• Buddy programme

Kindly find detailed information on our website and here.