- Degree
- Master of Science
- Course location
- Bonn
- In cooperation with
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences / SE
Université Catholique de Louvain / BE
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore / IT
Wageningen Universiteit / NL
- Teaching language
- • English
- Languages
- Courses are exclusively held in English. German is recommended, but it is not required.
- Programme duration
- 4 semesters
- Beginning
- Winter and summer semester
- Additional information on beginning, duration and mode of study
- This is an in-person study programme: students are required to be present in Bonn and attend the courses physically. Naturally, exceptions apply, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic; courses can then revert to online formats and/or hybrid formats.
- Application deadline
- We strongly recommend starting the AFECO programme in the winter semester (i.e. October), due to our programme structure.
For a start in the winter semester:
The application period opens on 1 December (of the previous year) and closes on 15 July (of the same year). Early evaluations will be carried out on 15 February. (This is the recommended deadline for international students requiring an entry visa for Germany.) Applications submitted between 16 February and 15 July will be evaluated after 15 July.
For a start in the summer semester (i.e. April):
The application period opens on 1 July (of the previous year) and closes on 15 January (of the same year). Early evaluations will be carried out on 15 September. (This is the recommended deadline for international students requiring an entry visa for Germany.) Applications submitted between 16 September and 15 January will be evaluated after 15 January.
- Tuition fees per semester in EUR
- None
- Combined Master's degree / PhD programme
- No
- Joint degree / double degree programme
- Yes
- Description/content
- With an internationally focused postgraduate study programme, students will gain the necessary knowledge and skills for awareness, analysis and development of market activities along the agricultural/food value chain, from production on farms, via processing and trading, up to the consumption of food. They will be prepared for executive positions in businesses, organisations and political institutions within the global food system and its associated sectors as well as for research at the highest level. Due to the complexity of the food system and the variation of professional needs, the study programme offers options for several major and minor specifications:
The "Agribusiness" major specification covers the whole range of management issues within the agricultural and food sector. Students will gain in-depth problem solving knowledge in a multitude of fields including financial accounting and business analysis, production planning and investment appraisal, financial and risk management as well as quality management and marketing.
"Agricultural and Development Policy" as a major specification provides the basis for the sound understanding of economic behaviour in the agri-food sector and rural economies of developed and developing countries, and of the interaction within a globalised food system. Students will gain in-depth knowledge about the functions and impacts of agri-food and development policies and how changes herein affect the various actors along the food chain.
Courses in the "Market and Consumer Research" major specification apply the principles of economics and management to provide students with the skills for analysing food markets and consumer behaviour. Students gain insights with respect to food policy and trade issues, the management of risk in and the structure of food markets. In addition, students acquire comprehensive knowledge regarding theories and models of consumer behaviour as well as qualitative and quantitative market research tools and techniques.
The courses in the "Resource and Environmental Economics" specification address topics such as renewable and non-renewable resource use, valuation of environmental changes, direct and indirect influences of food demand on the environment, and national and international environmental policies in theory and practice.