UH 066 500 Master programme Organic Agricultural Systems and Agroecology (AgrEco-Organic) und Organic Agricultural Systems and Agroecology (EUR-Organic)

Farmers, consumers, processors, and traders are increasingly interested in high value products that fulfil ethical, social, ecological, and economic quality standards. For this reason, a growing amount of food is produced and processed according to the standards of Organic Farming. As Organic Farming is based on a holistic approach, the production, processing, and marketing of organically grown food requires special skills and knowledge. To meet this demand, the master programmes 1) Organic Agricultural Systems and Agroecology (AgrEco-Organic) and 2) Organic Agricultural Systems and Agroecology (EUR-Organic) were designed and offer an education related to all aspects of the organic sector and agroecology.

Special skills and knowledge comprise and link ecological, economic, political, cultural, geographical as well as production related characteristics of sustainable land-use systems (organic crop production, organic animal husbandry, organic food chains and networks, influence of European policy on the development of the organic sector, consumer demands, organic market development in different European countries etc.).

Learning and research is problem- and project-oriented using practical inter- and transdisciplinary methods. This approach enables critical reflection to design sound and sustainable land-use systems.

Structure of the Master study programme

Students choose either 1) the AgrEco-Organic or 2) the EUR-Organic master study programme.

AgrEco-Organic students additionally have the possibility to choose between two profiles: Organic Agriculture or Agroecology (see Figure).

EUR-Organic students must complete one study year at one of the partner host universities of this programme.

Career prospects

The international occurrence of organic farming requires graduates with a profound knowledge of the whole organic agro-food chain. Graduates would primarily expect to be employed nationally or internationally in the fields of:

• University and non-university research in the fields of agriculture and agroecology and related fields of work
• Consulting, research, policy, practice, and administration in development cooperation
• Public and private organizations in the areas of production, processing, marketing, and services in organic agriculture
• Organic associations, consultancy, agricultural schools and education, consumer information, environmental consultancy, environmental education, environmental policy, and nature conservation consultancy
• Upstream and downstream areas of organic farming such as trade, commerce, food industry, and agricultural technology
• Agricultural businesses, business cooperatives, and producer groups

EUR-Organic

The Master programmme „EUR-Organic” is an international double degree study programme. EUR-Organic courses are taught entirely in English. The EUR-Organic master programme is offered in cooperation with three leading European partner universities (www.eur-organic.eu, http://www.boku.ac.at/int-master-ells-euro.html):

• ISARA-Lyon - Institut supérieur d'agriculture et d'agroalimentaire Rhône-Alpes, Lyon, France
• UHOH - Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
• WULS-SGGW - University of Life Sciences Warsaw, Poland

The EUR-Organic Master programme consists of two semesters at BOKU (“Home”) and two semesters at the selected partner university (“Host”).

Dates and deadlines

See: https://short.boku.ac.at/5982r2