Programme syllabus

Entry Requirements

Admission to the Master’s programme Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis requires a first-cycle qualification comprising 180 credits and including specialised studies comprising 90 credits within Economics.

Applicants with the equivalent qualifications obtained by means of a degree from another country, or with the equivalent knowledge obtained in some other way, may also be regarded as fulfilling the specific entry requirements.

This programme is taught in English. The applicant must further have a level of English equivalent to upper secondary school English, called English 6. An applicant with a first-cycle qualification from SLU comprising 180 credits automatically fulfils this requirement. Special rules apply for applicants with qualifications from one of the Nordic countries and some English-speaking countries.

Specific requirements apply for admission to the individual courses included in the programme.

To be admitted to the Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis – Master’s programme, the student has to apply through the AFEPA Consortium. For more information on how to apply, please see the AFEPA website, www.afepa.eu.

Specific requirements apply for admission to the individual courses included in the programme.

Content

Programme description

The Master’s programme in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis (AFEPA) aims at providing high quality education in designing and assessing public policies targeted at the agricultural and food sector as well as the rural environment to excellent students from all over the world. This Master’s programme responds to the increasing need to better understand and anticipate the various and often complex socio-economic and environmental effects of these policies either in a functioning market economy as in the European Union, or in economies in a development or transition phase world-wide.

The AFEPA programme offers a two-year academic curriculum with integrated and advanced theoretical, methodological and empirical courses in economics and quantitative methods as well as in the five subject areas proposed below. To connect theory and methodology to practice, a problem-solving project is developed and presented as a Master’s thesis at the end of the two-year curriculum.

The AFEPA programme is jointly organised by four European main partner universities: the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) in Milano, Italy, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Sweden, the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn (UBonn) in Germany, and the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) in Belgium. The partnership also includes three associated partners: the Pontifica Universidad Catolica (PUC) in Chile, the University of Alberta (UAlberta) in Canada and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Spain. These seven partner universities are recognised worldwide for the quality of their degree programmes and scientific achievements.

The 120 ECTS credits required to obtain the Master’s degree of the AFEPA programme are structured into three blocks: a minimum of two semesters of studies (60 ECTS credits) at a first main partner university, as well as two semesters of studies (54 ECTS credits) at a second main partner university, and two joint summer schools (6 ECTS) at partner universities. Some of the ECTS credits can also be earned from an associated partner university during the second academic year of the programme. Besides the mandatory courses of 30 ECTS credits in theory and methods, optional courses can be selected to form a major of 30 ECTS credits or a minor of 15 ECTS credits in the following thematic fields: 1) agri-food and trade policy, 2) environmental and natural resource policy, 3) agribusiness and market analysis, 4) market and consumer research, and 5) development policy.

The language of instruction and examination is English for all the courses at SLU, UAlberta, UBonn and UCSC, and for most of the courses at UCL and UPC, but in Spanish for most of the courses at PUC. Examination can be organised in English at all partner universities. At UCL a sufficient number of courses are taught in English so that knowledge of French is not necessary. At UPC and especially at PUC, most courses are taught in Spanish and a sufficient knowledge of that language is therefore necessary. Students speaking French or Spanish respectively, at the three universities not only have a wider selection of courses to choose from, but knowing the language also facilitates ever-day life. In any case, because professors at these two latter institutions are fluent in English, examinations can be organised in English at the specific request of the international students.

Courses in the programme

Main fields of study FÖ=Business administration, NA=Economics, LB=Agricultural science, MX=Environmental science, ÖÄ=Other subject

Year 1
Microeconomic theory, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Analytical methods, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Production economics, 15 credits, NA/FÖ, A1N
Agricultural policy and international trade, 7,5 credits, NA, G1F
Econometric theory, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Applied econometrics, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Environmental policy, 7,5 credits, NA/MX, A1N
Value chains and networks in the bio-economy, 15 credits, FÖ, A1N
20th century agricultural economy and politics, 7,5 credits, LB, A1N
Policy evaluation, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Topics in econometrics, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Analysis of productivity and efficiency of food system firms, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Summer school, 3 credits, NA

Year 2
Cost benefit analysis of agricultural and environmental projects, 7,5 credits, NA/MX, A1N
Topics in agricultural economics for sustainable development, 7,5 credits, NA, A1F
Quantitative finance, 15 credits, FÖ/NA, A1N
Management of biological resources, 7,5 credits, NA/MX, A1N
Economic growth and sustainable development, 7,5 credits, NA, A1F
Experimental methods for economics and business studies, 7,5 credits, FÖ/NA, A1N
Macroeconomic theory, 7,5 credits, NA, A1N
Independent project in economics, 30 credits, NA, A2E
Summer school, 3 credits, NA

Additional courses
AFEPA internship, 7,5 credits, ÖÄ, AXX

The courses offered may change during the course of the programme. Decisions on the courses offered are taken well in advance of the next academic year.

For each course, there is a course syllabus providing more detailed course information. Information on when courses are offered is available on the SLU student web.

Objectives

General objectives

The general objectives for first- and second-cycle courses and programmes are specified in the Swedish Higher Education Act (Chapter 1, Sections 8–9).

Objectives for a Degree

In accordance with the annex to the Ordinance for the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, for a degree of Master (120 credits) the student shall:

Knowledge and understanding

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the main field of study, including both broad knowledge of the field and a considerable degree of specialised knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
• demonstrate specialised methodological knowledge in the main field of study.

Competence and skills

• demonstrate the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
• demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues critically, autonomously and creatively as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and so contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work
• demonstrate the ability in speech and writing both nationally and internationally to clearly report and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
• demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or autonomous employment in some other qualified capacity.

Judgement and approach

• demonstrate the ability to make assessments in the main field of study informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
• demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
• demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.

Qualification Requirements

Degree awarded on completion of the programme

Upon completion of the programme, the degree of Master of Science is awarded. Other general qualifications may be awarded, provided that the requirements for them are fulfilled. More information can be found in SLU´s degree regulations.

Students who fulfil the qualification requirements for a degree will be issued a degree certificate upon request. The degree certificate will specify the qualification as Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics (120 credits) with a Major in Economics.

In addition to a degree from SLU, the student has the possibility to apply for a degree (double degree) from one of the other participating universities: Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, Germany, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy.

Degree requirements

A degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics (120 credits) with a major in economics is awarded to students who fulfil the course requirements (courses with a Pass grade) of 120 credits, of which at least 90 credits at second-cycle level, according to the following:

• at least 30 credits of courses with specialised study in the main field economics (A1N; A1F),
• at least 30 credits from an independent project (degree project) in the main field economics (A2E).

In addition, the student must hold a degree of Bachelor or professional qualification of at least 180 credits or an equivalent qualification.

OtherInformation

General regulations for first- and second-cycle courses and programmes

For more information on semester dates, examination and credit transfer, see the Regulations for education at Bachelor´s and Master´s level available on the SLU student web.

Possibilities for further studies

Students who complete the programme and are awarded a degree of Master have the option to continue their studies at doctoral level.