M.Sc. in Agricultural and Food Economics

Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Università Cattolica’s 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 program, organized in the context of the SMEA Graduate School, 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 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 agribusiness companies

Career Opportunities

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