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BSc Agriculture

BSc Agriculture (D400)
BSc Agriculture with Certificate in European Studies (D4R9)

 

 

Interested? Click on any of the links below to find out more:-  

   

 

What makes this course special?

• The flexibility of the course allows students to specialise in the A, B or C streams: A nimal Production, B usiness Management or C rop Production
• A wide choice of optional modules ranging from Grassland Management to Climate Change Science and Plant Disease Control to Rural Business Management
• Strong links with industry: senior staff from agricultural and food related businesses are directly involved with teaching
• The opportunity to become involved in the research activities of one the country's top agricultural research centres
• The University Farm surrounds the Sutton Bonington Campus
• Research Reputation

 

 

At Sutton Bonington we have a 450-hectare commercial farm on campus and a Dairy Centre
The 450 hectare University Farm is home to 200 dairy cows (robotically milked) plus 380 hectares of arable crops and land in environmental stewardship. The farm is commercially run, with facilities for research and teaching in crop and livestock management and business management. Environmentally, the farm has land in an organic rotation, uncropped field margins & corners and two 'beetle banks'. Recent developments include robotic milking facilities, additional storage capacity for silage and new housing for the dairy young-stock. One of the big issues at the farm from a Management perspective is the introduction of 'NVZ' regulations- storing and spreading of animal manures will be more tightly controlled in the future.

The farm has a role in both our teaching and research: for example, your research project might involve trial work on the farm and financial information is available for case study work. The Farm Manager also gets involved, providing a strong link between the commercial farm and the teaching. See below for some recent projects.

 

Career opportunities and profiles

Graduates in Agriculture from Nottingham have good prospects for finding rewarding and well-paid jobs. Our students are actively sought after by a wide range of employers who value the strong academic foundation and transferable skills that students gain during their degree.

Latest data available (for 2010) show that over 79% of School of Biosciences graduates are in full time paid employment six months after graduation or have gone on to further study. 

Some of the areas that our Agriculture graduates have been appointed to include:  

Many graduates choose to continue their studies to MSc, MPhil or PhD level at The University of Nottingham or elsewhere in the UK and abroad. 

A recent BBC video of second year Agriculture students at Nottingham, sharing their views on choosing agriculture related degrees can be found below:

 

 
Student Profiles

Alys Kindred At Nottingham, Alys used her research project to look at the impact of climate change on East Anglian farms. She went on to study for a joint campus Masters degree at the Universities of Aberdeen (UK) and Arkansas (USA), returning to manage a 400 hectare arable and pig unit in Suffolk.

Mike Bullen Mike's knowledge of the Common Agricultural Policy and language skills gained from his European Studies course were invaluable in helping him secure a position as a land market analyst with FPD Savills, followed by work for the European Commission in Brussels.

Elizabeth Lloyd graduated with a First Class honours degree in Agriculture and is currently studying to be a vet at The University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science.

Chris Tolley Chris specialised in the Business Management stream of the BSc Agriculture degree and the results of his project were published in the Journal of Farm Management. After graduation, Chris was made a partner in the family business in North Leicestershire; the farm has recently expanded to 320 hectares growing combinable crops and sugar beet.

James Fulton After graduation, James worked on a farm over the summer before joining Berrys Property and Business consultants. Since then, he has qualified as a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers and now manages approximately 10,000 acres of in-hand farmland for business clients as well as around 3000 acres of land with sitting tenants. 

Individual Insights

Charles Roe BSc (Hons) Agriculture
I now have a job with Sentry Farming, a company that farms land from Dorset to Edinburgh. I went in as a trainee manager on a 1,600 acre estate in Norfolk.

The manager of the farm needed an under-manager to take over a lot of the day-to-day running of the place so that he would be free to take care of an expansion project. I enjoy agriculture: that's why I went to Nottingham and that's what I want to do in life.

Student life at Sutton Bonington is awesome! I have been around with various clubs and societies to a few different universities and to see my mates - I still think that Sutton Bonington is the best place to be! I've been fairly involved with different clubs: skiing, hockey, shooting and the Agricultural Society.

I was also Vice JCR Chair where I was involved in organising the Summer Ball as well as putting things on at the bar every week. I've got on well with the academic staff; they are always there so you get to know them fairly well. 

It's a small enough campus, so any problems and you can just nip up and see them.

In my second year I took the opportunity to spend a semester at the University of Melbourne in Australia on the University's U21 scheme. I was able to carry on my required modules and then travel around Australia - one of the best times was working on a big sheep farm south of Sydney. This experience was much more than an academic exchange - it was a chance to develop socially and meet people from all walks of life.

Vicki Brooks BSc (Hons) Agriculture
Deciding which university to study at is not an easy job to do!! I went to the open days of all the universities which offered a course in BSc Agriculture. They all varied greatly in what they could offer you - some with a year out in industry, some without, and some with more of a science base than others. Of course you don't always just concentrate on the academic side - you also want to know about the social side of the uni as well!

When I looked at the prospectus for Nottingham I already knew that it was at the very top of the league tables for agriculture. Speaking to the course manager and the lecturers it was evident that all of the teaching staff were keen to teach the students everything they knew in order for them to succeed in their chosen career.

The course offered everything I wanted; module choices in crop science, animal science and business management and then gradually allowed me to specialise in my preferred subjects. 

Studying BSc Agriculture at Nottingham has provided me with a base to build my career on and when applying for jobs the interviewers were more than impressed with the knowledge that Sutton Bonington has provided me with! I am now working as a trainee agronomist for United Agri Products (UAP) and I am very happy with my chosen career.

 

Entry information

The School welcomes applications from prospective students of all ages and from all countries. Candidates should have at least two science subjects at A level (which can include economics, business studies and geography) and an additional A level or equivalent (Access courses, BTEC, HND, International or European Baccalaureates or Scottish Highers/Scottish Qualifications Certificate). 

International & EU students: English Language requirements: IELTS score of 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in each element, or equivalent.

For the European studies degree, a minimum of a second modern language to grade B at GCSE or equivalent in the language of the host institution, is normally required.

Foundation Degrees: Students successfully completing the FdSc Biological Sciences course at Nottingham Trent University are eligible to apply for entry into Year 2 of this course. Applicants can make a 'single application' through UCAS. Further details at www.ucas.com  

Course structure

• Nottingham offers a modular structure in all undergraduate courses
• Teaching is based on two 15 week semesters per year; modules are taught as self-contained units assessed through course work and by examination at the end of each semester. The modular structure offers flexibility and is part of the innovative teaching approach of the University. Click here for further details about flexible study options
• Core and optional modules commonly taken by students over the duration of this course are shown below and in the University Module Catalogue - just choose 'Biosciences' in the 'Select an administering School' search box to see a full list;click on the module code for details.

 

Years 2 and 3

 

For students interested in the relationship between agriculture and the environment, optional modules also include Soil and Water Science, Resource Capture by Plants and Climate Change Science. 

The research project

This is an important of your degree, providing an opportunity to participate in the work of one of the country's top agricultural research centres. Facilities include the University Farm, which has arable and livestock enterprises and a new robotic milking parlour.

Research at Nottingham is funded by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Home-Grown Cereals Authority, the Milk Development Council, the Tyndall Centre for Climatic Change Research, government research councils and industry. This funding enables us to teach the most modern and exciting aspects of Agriculture. If you are interested in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from dairy herds, managing farms under the new agricultural policy environment (what would you do with the University Farm's set-aside land?); if you want to be involved in research into the influence of diet on reproductive performance in pigs or milk production in dairy cattle; if you want to know how seed rate and fertiliser application influences winter wheat production, Nottingham is the place to be.

Recent Research Projects have included:- 

• A comparison of antibiotics and homeopathy in the treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows
• Can spring measurements of crop characteristics provide a good indication of lodging risk in wheat?
• Climate change impacts on East Anglian farms
• Energy and protein retention in growing and finishing pigs
• Do Supermarkets influence farmgate prices?
• Non-food production and its potential in UK agriculture
• Effects of field margins on the biological control of aphids
• Variation in milk fatty acid composition with diet
• Rhabdomyolysis syndrome in horses: an epidemiological study
• Measuring trade-offs between profit and environmental impact on arable farms
• A life cycle assessment of milk production at the University of Nottingham farm

Read BURN our Biosciences Undergraduate Research web site to learn more about the research projects.

 

Industry Placement  

You have the option of taking a year out in industry as a paid employee, and our Placement Officer will help you to set up this placement. Read students' experiences

 

International Study Options

Combining this course with the one year Certificate in European Studies offers the additional advantages of providing science graduates with language skills (including appropriate scientific terminology) and experience of European culture. Students undertake intensive language study and a special European placement module in their second year, prior to spending their third year abroad. Applicants must have a minimum grade B at GCSE or equivalent in the language of their host institution.

You can also take the opportunity to study abroad for one semester in your second year via the Universitas 21 worldwide exchange scheme, a global consortium of research intensive universities. Our current U21 partners include universities in: Austria, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Singapore, China & Sweden. 

Further details 

 

Financial Information  

See this link for up-to-date financial advice and information

Sponsorships and Bursaries

•  KWS seed specialists offer Nottingham student a £20,000 sponsorship 

KWS UK, leading seed specialists in Europe are offering a sponsorship worth £20,000 over 3 years to one successful student starting their degree in 2012 in the School of Biosciences. This includes a year’s paid placement at KWS Headquarters near Cambridge between Year 2 and Year 3. You will be able to apply in Year 2 of this course. More details

• NIAB TAG £3,000 bursary  

NIAB TAG’s Agricultural Science Student Education Training (ASSET) programme is a joint initiative with four leading crop science universities; Nottingham, Reading, Harper Adams and Newcastle, aimed at encouraging more students into the plant science sector. The programme supports crop science students in their studies by providing valuable agronomic information and leads, as well as important networking links with the applied research and agronomy industry through NIAB TAG.

Nottingham’s Jack Norris won a £3,000 bursary in 2010 to assist him in his final year on the BSc (Hons) Agriculture course. Jack’s home is in Derbyshire and, although not from a farming family, he has always had a keen interest in agriculture and already has his own small flock of sheep. He also helps train adults with learning difficulties in areas such as woodland management. www.niab.com/news_and_events/article/164

• Bursary from Anglo Beef Processors (ABP) - The ABP offers a competitive bursary for applicants interested in livestock production. Further details and application form. 

 

Contact us

The School welcomes applications from prospective students of all ages and from all countries.

If you would like further information about any aspects of this course, or have a specific enquiry, please contact the admissions tutor directly:-

Dr Stephen Ramsden
Tel: +44 (0) 115 951 6078
Fax: +44 (0) 115 951 6060
E-mail: stephen.ramsden@nottingham.ac.uk

 

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