Everybody needs to eat, the world’s population is growing, and feeding the planet’s billions in a safe and sustainable way is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity.
That’s one of the reasons why IT Sligo is introducing two new BSc Degree programmes (Level 7 & Level 8) in Agri-Food Science, starting this September.
Ireland’s agri-food sector is a massive economic success story which continues to grow, giving graduates of agriculture and food science excellent long-term employment prospects.
“These courses represent an exciting new theme in IT Sligo’s course offerings addressing key employment needs in the North-West region,” says Dr Jeremy Bird, Head of the School of Science at IT Sligo.
“The export of agri-food and food products from Ireland has increased significantly in recent years in response to a growing demand by an increasing world population.”
The Irish Agri-Food sector exports to more than 170 countries worldwide, providing direct employment for 170,000 people, and is worth €10.5bn to the Irish economy. The new Agri-Food Science degree programmes at IT Sligo have been developed to meet the high demand for graduates with integrated skills in Science, Agriculture, Food Technology and Business for employment in the Agri-Food sector.
The course is science based with significant practical content and work placement. The course is multidisciplinary covering areas such as Primary Production (farming including Crop and Livestock Production), Food Processing, Quality Assurance, Food Legislation, Food Economics, Agri-Food Marketing and Business, Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, Product Design and Innovation, Sustainable Food Production Systems, Food Security and Traceability, Food Hygiene, Agri-Food Safety and Microbiology, Resource Management and Laboratory Analysis of Food Products and Animal Feeds.
For more information on IT Sligo’s BSc in Agri-Food Science, visit the course information page here.