Agricultural Food and Environmental Policy Analysis (AFEPA) – (M.Sc.)

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The European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis is a two-year programme of 120 ECTS credits. The academic programme consists of a number of compulsory courses for 30 ECTS credits, a number of optional courses for 40 ECTS credits within at least three different subject areas, a number of supplementary courses for 15 ECTS credits, two short summer schools for 5 ECTS credits and a thesis for 30 ECTS credits. Table 1 lists the components of the programme.

Students are associated with at least two of the five universities participating in the AFEPA consortium. In general students spend the first academic year on one of the three universities (SLU, UBonn, UCL) which offer the core courses in microeconomics and quantitative methods. The second academic year is in general spent in one of the four other universities. However, when indicated, students may be allowed to spend only one semester in a second university, or spend the second year in two different universities.

Both at the end of first and second years all master students are gathered at one of the participating universities for a summer school consisting of a two-week programme of workshops, lectures and field trips. At the end of the first year of study students present a research proposal, and at the end of the second year their Master thesis for discussion by fellow students and participating faculty.

The structure of the European Master in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Policy Analysis

1. Compulsary Courses(30 ECTS):

• 1.1. Microeconomic Theory (12-18 ECTS)
• 1.2. Quantitative Methods (12-18 ECTS)

2. Optional Courses within three of the following six subject areas (40 ECTS):

• 2.1. Agricultural and Trade Policy (12-15 ECTS)
• 2.2. Environmental and Natural Resource Policy (12-15 ECTS)
• 2.3. Agribusiness Management and Market Analysis (12-15 ECTS)
• 2.4. Agricultural and Food Sciences (12-15 ECTS)
• 2.5. Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (12-15 ECTS)
• 2.6. Rural Development Policy (12-15 ECTS)

3. Supplementary Courses (15 ECTS):a

• 3.1. Language Courses (maximum 5 ECTS)
• 3.2. Other Courses (maximum 15 ECTS)

4. Summer Schools at the end of the first and second years (5 ECTS)

5. Master Thesis (30 ECTS)

(a):Selected from the academic programme of the institutions, subject to approval of the AFEPA Management Board

The core courses provide the students with a shared background in microeconomics (including consumer theory, producer theory, general equilibrium theory and welfare economics) and quantitative methods (including statistics and econometrics).

The optional courses broaden and deepen the students´ empirical and theoretical knowledge directly relevant for the economic analysis of agricultural, food and environmental policy issues. The courses require in some cases a good command over the subject covered in the core courses and should therefore be taken during the second year.

Supplementary courses may be in any other discipline recognised by the AFEPA Management Board to deepen or broaden the academic curriculum. Examples of such courses are Ethics, Environmental Law, Trade Law, Finance, Public Policy, Sociology, Statistics and Geographic Information System. Languages courses should not exceed a maximum recongnition of 5 ECTS credits.

The thesis shall draw on and deepen subjects covered in the courses of the programme. It shall be 40-60 pages long. It has to be submitted and presented orally by the student at the end of the second year of studies. Students may adopt a theoretical or empirical approach, but are encouraged to address a concrete policy issue.

At the start of the Master programme each student is associated with a faculty member who with the student establishes a study programme according to the interest of the student, but also to establish appropriate depth, scope and consistency with respect to the courses to be followed.

To pass from the first to the second year of the Master programme students need in general to have completed the core courses and acquired at least 20 ECTS credits in optional and supplementary courses.