Transformation Management for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems (Transformation) University of Hohenheim

Shape the transformation for a sustainable future

Do you want to assist with the implementation of innovative solutions for a sustainable future? The agri-food sector faces challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and digitalisation. At the same time, sustainability goals such as the 2°C target and the Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved. This requires professionals who understand this transformation, can think strategically and with an eye to the future, and can mediate between different social actors and conflicting goals. The Transformation Management for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems major in the Master’s programme in Agricultural Sciences trains students for exactly this.

Objectives

This major of the Master's programme in Agricultural Sciences provides students with the skills to shape and accompany these societal transformation processes at various levels. Graduates will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish the following:

• Understand sustainability challenges from a systems perspective
• Become familiar with the latest theories for understanding social and institutional change processes
• Manage and organise transformation processes
• Recognise different perspectives and values and mediate between them

Occupational fields

Graduates will be able to work with a variety of partners from different backgrounds and support complex transformation processes at different levels.

Typical employers are private companies, public institutions, non-governmental organisations, and projects that want to further develop existing structures, working methods, products, markets, and the like at home or abroad, especially in the field of food production. They do this through intensive measures taken towards sustainability.

The following career paths will be open to you:

• Sustainability management in companies and organisations
• Activities in non-governmental organisations, associations, and/or international organisations that are active in the environmental sector
• Ministries, environmental, and agricultural authorities
• Specialist journalism and public relations work
• Scientific work in public research institutions in the agricultural and environmental sector

The Master’s programme also qualifies students for a doctorate.

The four-semester programme includes three compulsory modules on transformation, sustainability, and communication, with a total of 18 ECTS credits.

In addition, you will choose two compulsory elective modules with a total of 12 ECTS credits from the areas of agricultural, environmental, or social sciences.

You can then choose elective modules totalling 60 ECTS credits from the entire broad range of Master's modules offered by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. For your guidance, suggested profile lines are provided, encompassing combinations of elective modules that effectively prepare you for specific professional fields:

• Agroecology and Environment
• Diversified Farming Systems
• Tropics and Subtropics
• Rural Development
• Consumers and Food Value Chains

You can also integrate an internship of 15 or 30 ECTS credit points to prepare you for a career. If desired, the third semester can be utilised for a semester abroad. It is simple to have the modules you take recognised.

The Master's thesis is also completed in the second year of studies, tailored to each student's chosen specialisation.

Curriculum

As an elective module, the one-semester or half-semester internship module "Transformation Internship" can also be taken either in the summer semester or in the winter semester. In addition to the six-month or three-month internship period (six months can be divided into two positions of three months each), the student is required to write a seminar paper, which is presented in three online seminar sessions (start-mid-end). The module is graded, and counts towards the Master's final grade with 18 credit points. The module is offered in the summer and winter semesters and is open only to students in this major. Students are ultimately responsible for finding internship placements, thus the module has no limit on participants. The CareerCenter Hohenheim runs a database for internship offers and assists in finding suitable placements.

Formal requirements

• An above-average Bachelor's degree in agricultural sciences, environmental sciences or geography, or related subjects (including agricultural biology and bio-based products and bioenergy) with at least three years of regular study (total 180 ECTS)
• If the final grade or average grade of this degree is not above average, the applicant must also prove their special aptitude for the degree programme
• Students who have not previously completed an agricultural degree programme must take at least two of three agricultural modules from the elective module catalogue.
• Proof of proficiency in English

Additional requirements

The major is particularly suited to students with good communication and negotiation skills, enthusiasm for designing change processes, and a keen interest in the practical implementation of sustainability concepts.

Universities in Baden-Württemberg require their students to pay a semester contribution towards the administration costs, for student services and for the Student Parliament. Student services provide many benefits, such as discounted tickets for public transportation. The semester contribution amounts to approx. 175 EUR per semester.

Baden-Württemberg has the highest standard of living in Germany. The downside is that living costs are slightly above the German average. However, the cost of living can vary enormously depending on your personal lifestyle and where you live. It is generally more expensive to live in a bigger city like Stuttgart, where the University of Hohenheim is located. As a rule of thumb, 950 EUR to 1,000 EUR per month should be enough. The largest monthly expense is usually for rent, accounting for a third of the total cost of living for most students. These costs can be cut substantially by sharing a flat or living in a dorm. A typical example of monthly expenses could look like this:

• Rent: 350 EUR to 500 EUR
• Health insurance: approx. 110 EUR
• Public transport: approx. 60 EUR
• Study materials: 100 EUR
• Food and drink: 150 EUR to 250 EUR
• Leisure and hobbies: approx. 100 EUR

The University of Hohenheim provides students with the opportunity to take on assistant jobs within the campus premises. Students are entrusted with the responsibility of scheduling their working hours in a manner that does not interfere with their academic commitments. Additionally, students have the option to seek employment off campus as permitted by the Aliens Act. It is important to note that finding jobs off campus may be challenging without a strong command of the German language.

More information can be found here.

Numerous funding opportunities exist for Master's thesis projects abroad, offered by various foundations. Detailed information is available here.

BRICKS. The Qualification Programme for Entering the German Job Market

The BRICKS project at the University of Hohenheim helps international students prepare for their careers in Germany. The programme provides personalised career training, language development, practical experience, and networking opportunities with top companies, empowering students to shape their professional future in Germany.

CareerCenter Hohenheim

CareerCenter Hohenheim offers guidance and support to students and graduates in areas such as professional orientation, building a professional profile, and the application process. The centre actively fosters connections with business and industrial partners, ensuring early engagement with the professional world through information events, seminars on essential skills, internships, and more.

Student residences on campus

At the University of Hohenheim, several student residence halls are located on campus. They are managed by Student Services Tübingen-Hohenheim. There is a high demand for these rooms, which is why usually only a small number of applications will be successful.

International (non-EU) students have a much more difficult time than Germans in finding private accommodation at the start of their studies when they are searching from their home countries. Therefore, the university provides a quota of rooms for international students. This enables a larger number of new international students to have a room in a residence hall. To be able to offer this special assistance at the start of studies, the rental duration for these rooms is limited to two years for Master's students.

Additionally, the house-hunting assistance offers support in finding a room on the private market.