MSc in Agricultural Economics

By 2050 we are about nine billion people on Earth, and we all need food. The developing countries in particular are highly dependent on food production – also economically.

With an MSc degree in Agricultural Economics, you contribute to affecting the global development, enabling us to ensure survival and progress.

You are an expert on tackling huge challenges within international economics and food policy, and you can create positive changes both nationally and internationally.

The language of the study programme is English.

Read an interview with Juliet Biira.

Content

Admission requirements

Profile
Career opportunities
Structure
Teaching
Student life
Application
Contact

Admission requirements 

To get admitted to the MSc programme, you must have a degree from a relevant BSc programme.

The following BSc programmes give direct access to the MSc programme in Agricultural Economics:
• Agricultural Economics
• Economics
• Other BSc programmes in natural science and social science within similar fields, e.g. natural resources with the core module course in environmental economics (with specific subjects having been passed)

Other BSC degrees in natural science may also give access. Read more about the admission requirements here.

Profile

The MSc programme in Agricultural Economics is a social science programme with focus on economic methodologies and tools which equip you for solving problems.

With an MSc degree in Agricultural Economics, you can assess food economics, international economics and development economics issues and decision-making processes. You can work with legislation and relevant institutions, and you are able to analyse interdisciplinary economic issues. At the same time, you are able to communicate academic issues and solutions to peers and the public.

You acquire in-depth knowledge about the economic and political landscape. In addition, you are provided with the necessary tools to analyse and advise on international economics and development and/or industrial economics from a food policy perspective. During your studies, you will come across both national and global issues.

What competences will I acquire?

There is a well-established collaboration between the students and the business community that ensures excellent prospects for internships or project collaborations, providing you with a unique experience and a good network.

As a graduate in Agricultural Economics, you are, among other things, also able to:

• Utilise economic theories and principles to solve current problems and issues
• Explain how changes in the EU and world trade affect the everyday lives of, for example, poor farmers
• Utilise you insight into how economic incentives can regulate food consumption and production
• Handle work and development situations that are complex, unpredictable and require new solution models in the private and public sectors – both nationally and internationally

Career opportunities

With an MSc degree in Agricultural Economics, you may find employment with various institutions and companies in both Denmark and abroad. You may, for example, be hired by:

• Research institutions, banks and financial institutions or international organisations such as the EU and OECD
• Ministries (e.g. the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries) and government agencies (e.g. the Danish Environmental Protection Agency), where you can contribute to establishing the basis for the policy in the food and environmental area
• Central agricultural organisations and companies

Or what about becoming an economic consultant or analyst in a national or international context, or a lecturer in economics and social conditions?

Structure

The MSc programme in Agricultural Economics offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the subjects in which you are particularly interested. You can choose between three specialisations, including a pool of elective courses:

• International Economics and Development, in which you study, for example, trade policy, food policy, economic growth and development economics. These subject areas enable you to, for instance, analyse the problems of the developing countries and their relations with the EU, the USA and the WTO.
  
  
• Agribusiness and Food Economics, in which you study, for example, industrial organisation and production, food policy, innovation and technology assessment. These subject areas enable you to, for instance, analyse society’s requirements for food quality and food safety.
  
  
• Agribusiness and Innovation - a new specialisation in collaboration with Copenhagen Business School, CBS.
  
  Innovation is as a cornerstone of competitive advantage in firms. While competitive advantage can come from various sources including size, possession of assets, etc., the pattern is increasingly coming to favour those firms that can mobilise knowledge, technological skills and experience to create new products or services and the ways in which they deliver those offerings.
  
  Innovation is a particular concern in the agriculture and food industry. New products and services are required to respond to specific market demands for example in the area of high-quality and environmentally friendly food. Moreover, the agriculture and food industry is, to an increasing extent, confronted with requests to meet the big societal challenges, including amongst others climate change, an increasing world population, and sustainability.
  
  Agribusiness and Innovation is designed to specifically address these issues while at the same time providing a comprehensive and solid education in innovation management and economics.
 

In your first year of study, you can choose between elective courses at gradually higher academic levels. In your second year, you can also choose to study at a foreign university. Or you can follow courses at the Department of Economics at the University of Copenhagen, at Copenhagen Business School or other universities.

Moreover, you have the option, for example, of working on a theme project in collaboration with a company – previous projects have, among other things, concerned improved conflict resolution in the WTO and tariff barriers for manufacturers in the EU and developing countries.

International Economics and Development

Agribusiness and Food Economics

Agribusiness and Innovation 

MSc programme consists of:

• Compulsory and elective subjects
• Thematic course (block 1, 9 weeks with one project)
• Thesis

See more in the curriculum for MSc in Agricultural Economics for information on which courses, thematic courses and elective subjects you can choose between.

Thesis
You finish your MSc programme by writing a thesis, which is a large scientific project corresponding to six months of teaching. You can write your thesis on your own or in a group.

The thesis is often based on a specific problem, e.g. a task on which a research institution or company is working.

Examples of theme projects and theses:

• Changes in purchasing patterns in connection with low VAT on selected foods
• Can the conflict resolution system in the WTO be improved?
• The economic impact of the tariff barriers on sugar beet producers in the EU and the developing countries
• Non-tariff barriers to trade in the Southern African Customs Union

You gain the title Master of Science (MSc) in Agricultural Economics (in Danish: cand.oecon.agro.).

Teaching on the MSc programme in Agricultural Economics

Instruction is in the form of lectures, seminars, practical and theoretical exercises, and there will be a good deal of project work. You will be working both independently and in project groups. 

Student life

Student life at LIFE is absolutely unique – both with regard to the physical and the academic environment. The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular among both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Café Væksthuset located in an old greenhouse for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.

As a student, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre or a special academic subject, there is a club for you.

The faculty has a large number of international students who contribute to the dynamic and exciting student life. You will also have plenty of opportunity to travel abroad in connection with your studies.

Would you like to hear from a student what it is like to study on the MSc programme in Agricultural Economics at LIFE? Then you can read an interview with the student Juliet Biira.

When and how can I apply?

Applicants with a BSc degree from Denmark must apply before 1 April to start the programme the following September.

Applicants from Scandinavia, the EU and Lichtenstein must apply before 1 April to start the programme the following September.

Applicants from countries outside Scandinavia and the EU must apply by 1 January to start the programme the following September.

Tuition Fees

Read more about application processes, tuition fees and scholarships.

Contact

You are always welcome to contact the faculty’s student counselling service, LIFE Student Services, if you have any questions about the programme, student life etc.

You can contact Student Services on tel. +45 3533 3533 or by email to .

Each spring, the faculty’s MSc programmes host open house events. At these events, you have the chance to meet directors of studies and students, who can tell you more about the programme.