Agriculture (Top-up)

What makes UCS special? Delivering agricultural programmes since its creation over 100 years ago, our agricultural facilities include a 126-hectare working farm on campus including dairy, sheep, pigs and arable enterprises, as well as a further 134 hectares at a nearby site, giving students access to an excellent range of learning opportunities.

With University Centre Sparsholt’s strong and well-established industry links, there is a great demand for higher level education to enable the next generation of specialists to make an impact in farming and agri-tech businesses.

The subject content in our agriculture courses aim to give a solid foundation in the green sector, producing the food and managing the land in a sustainable way. Importantly the theoretical subject knowledge is combined with skills and topical knowledge demanded by the needs of the industry.

What will I learn? Developed with industry leaders, this programme will ensure you have a strong foundation in Agriculture, as well as specialist knowledge in your chosen pathway – crops, livestock or general agriculture.

The specialist course content is outward looking to investigate the opportunities, constraints and influences on the agricultural industry more globally, as well as giving an understanding of marketing methods and diversification opportunities to create a robust business. Essential science, industry experience and academic skills will also boost your employability.

This one year "top-up degree contained an assessed three-week work placement as well as a residential field trip to gain even more industry insight.

How will I be assessed? Final and in-session assessments feature in this programme, allowing you to develop research and study skills as well as technical and expert knowledge. Assessments include completion of a research dissertation, written assignments, presentations, project reports, practical based and online portfolios and examinations.

Where can I go from here? You can progress onto postgraduate study, gain employment with agricultural organisations or use your skills to run your own business.