FdSc Agriculture and Farm Management

Real-world experience is paramount to a firm understanding of the agricultural industry, which is why the first year will see your energies focused towards practical studies. You’ll advance even further with a period of compulsory work experience during the summer vacation between the first and second year, which you will be recorded in your portfolio.

The first two terms of the second year are used for further teaching and experiential learning. The Integrated Project is undertaken during the final term, ensuring that you are fully conversant with both financial and physical management techniques in the field. This time also adequately prepares you for progression to other higher education courses.

On this foundation course you’ll have the opportunity to gain relevant practical experience and qualifications through rural skills training within the areas of crops and pesticides, estate maintenance, forestry, machinery, vehicles, and health and safety, at our campus-based Rural Innovation Centre at Harnhill Manor Farm. You can enrol for courses leading to the award of Certificates of Competence.

You will be assessed throughout on your research projects, examinations, case studies, business plans, portfolio, presentations, and practical skills.

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week. Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and societies activities.

Modules

Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Each credit equates to 10 hours of total study time. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity.

Full-time students normally take modules worth 60 credits per 15 week semester but this can vary depending on your elective choice. Part-time students taking proportionally fewer credits per semester. All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 240 credits for the foundation degree as a whole. The overall grade for your foundation degree is based on marks obtained for modules taken at level 4 and level 5 (weighted 30:70) accordingly.

Typical modules covered in this course are: 

Year one

• 1116 Accounts & Economics
• 1117 Animal & Crop Science
• 1118 Crop Production
• 1119 Estate Management
• 1120 Farm Business Management
• 1121 General Agriculture
• 1122 Livestock Husbandry
• 1123 Mechanisation & Buildings
• 1124 Personal Development/Employability

Year two

• 2125 Agricultural Policy and Legislation
• 2126 Animal Production
• 2127 Commodities Marketing
• 2128 Environmental and Woodland Management
• 2129 Crop Management
• 2130 Machinery Management
• 2131 Work-based learning
• 2132 Farm Business Planning
• 2133 Data Handling and Technical Writing

All the module sheets can be found here.

Tuition fees cover the cost of a student’s academic studies. This usually includes teaching costs, registration and examination fees (not repeat or trailing modules, re-sit fees or coursework resubmission).  Any costs associated with work placements will be the student's responsibility

• Re-sit examination fees or coursework re-submissions are £5 per credit (for a typical 15 credit module, this will total £75).   

2019-20 Applicants

For the academic year 2019-20 the tuition fees for this course are: 

For part-time study, please contact admissions@rau.ac.uk for further information.

Please also refer to the funding your time at university page.

Tuition fees may be subject to an inflationary increase each year as set out in our Access and Participation Plan 2019/20.

Scholarships

The University offers a wide range of generous fee waivers and bursaries. To find out more about the these, please visit the bursaries, awards and scholarships page.