Cattolica’s Cremona campus (part of Piacenza-Cremona campus) boasts one of the world’s most renowned teams of Agriculture academics, scientists and researchers; a team at the forefront of food innovation and technology, whose expertise extends to developing tracking systems for any product transported across the European Union. If you would like to study for a graduate qualification in the world’s fastest growing industry, then a beautiful city in the heart of the Italian food valley will open your doors to the world.
Learning objectives
The Agricultural and Food Economics program will prepare students to analyze the Agri-food system and to operate in the various functional areas of businesses and organizations. The program will develop your professional knowledge and skills with regards to:
● Analyzing traditional problems relating to agricultural markets and food, evaluating the implications of Agri-food and commercial policies
● Managing the liberalization processes and rules of free competition also within an international context
● Analyzing the behavior of final consumers with respect to agricultural and food products
● Understanding the different sectors of the Agri-food system, the vertical relations and the coordination of the various phases of the system (e.g. agriculture, food processing, and food retailing)
● Managing emerging issues in agricultural and food production, including the safety of foodstuffs and the environmental impact of agricultural activities, the role of quality, information and traceability, the management of technical innovations, in particular biotechnology, and of the industrialization of agriculture
● Dealing with corporate and logistical problems that affect business functions according to the peculiarities of agri- business companies.
Career opportunities & professional recognition
Graduates from the Agricultural and Food Economics program have various professional openings in:
● Agri-food corporations (multinational food companies, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), retail chains)
● Professional associations of agricultural and food companies service and consultancy firms for agricultural and food companies
● Entrepreneurial activities
● Academic or applied research
● International organizations
Curriculum
First year credits
● Management basics (8 ECTS/CFU)
● Technology for food health and safety:
○ Principles of food protection (5 ECTS/CFU)
○ Principles of food hygiene (5 ECTS/CFU)
● Economic fundamentals of the Agri-food system:
○ Economics of the Agri-food system (6 ECTS/CFU)
○ Agricultural and food legislation (4 ECTS/CFU)
● Quantitative methods:
○ Applied statistics for the Agri-food system (6 ECTS/CFU)
○ Applied agricultural and food economics (6 ECTS/CFU)
● Industrial organization (8 ECTS/CFU)
● Financial accounting and business evaluation (6 ECTS/ CFU)
● Optional courses* (8 ECTS/CFU)
● Seminars (1 ECTS/CFU)
Second year credits
● Agricultural and food market institutions (6 ECTS/CFU)
● Agricultural and food marketing (6 ECTS/CFU)
● Economics of agricultural and food markets (8 ECTS/CFU)
● Business planning and control (6 ECTS/CFU)
● Strategy and leadership (6 ECTS/CFU)
● Final dissertation (25 ECTS/CFU)
*Suggested optional courses:
● Topics in Agricultural and Food Economics I (4 ECTS/CFU)
● Topics in Agricultural and Food Economics II (4 ECTS/CFU)
● Cultura e Lingua Italiana (Italian Culture and Language) (only for non-Italian students) (2 ECTS/CFU)
Selected students can attend one or two semesters in the following partner universities:
● Technische Universität München
● University of California, Davis
● University of Connecticut
● North Dakota State University
● Iowa State University
● Wageningen University
Location
Cremona is located in the Lombardy Region, which in itself has over 53,000 agricultural businesses and contributes €113 billion to the Agri-food industry revenue. It is also the most advanced region in Italy with regards to biotechnology, with 78 companies operating in the sector.
The school
The course is organized by SMEA Postgraduate School at Università Cattolica. The School has almost 30 years of experience in graduate education, advanced scientific research and extension, in the field of agricultural and food economics and business.
Job ready
Studying Agricultural and Food Econom- ics in Cremona will give you the precious opportunity to combine the high stan- dard education delivered by our faculty and the managerial approach developed during internships and seminars with distinguished agribusiness company managers.
Global perspective
Università Cattolica offers its students the opportunity to study abroad, both during regular terms and the summer. Our exchange and summer programs allow students to earn credits while studying abroad in one of Cattolica’s prestigious partner institutions.
Candidates need to satisfy the English language proficiency requirement in order to submit their application.
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