Programme Overview
Degree title and level
The programme leads to the award of an Integrated Master’s Degree (Master Integrated in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Science), corresponding to Level 7 of the National and European Qualifications Frameworks (NQF / EQF).
Duration and structure
The programme is a five-year (5) full-time course of study, structured into ten (10) academic semesters. Each academic year comprises two semesters — winter and spring — each consisting of 13 weeks of teaching followed by an examination period. The language of instruction is English.
ECTS credit units
Successful completion of the programme requires the accumulation of 300 ECTS credits in total. In accordance with the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, 1 ECTS = 28 hours of total student workload. The average workload per academic year amounts to 60 ECTS.
The 300 ECTS are distributed as follows:
- 270 ECTS from courses during the first nine (9) semesters (45 courses × 6 ECTS)
- 30 ECTS from the Diploma Thesis in the 10th semester
Courses and enrolment model
The programme offers a total of 55 available courses. Each student is required to successfully complete 45 of these (≈80% of the total), enrolling in 5 courses per semester. Each course carries 6 ECTS.
The programme follows a flexible curriculum model with no formally designated compulsory courses — all courses are elective within a structured and balanced framework. The structure itself serves as an implicit core, ensuring the progressive development of knowledge from foundational to advanced level. Students may also select courses from previous semesters of the same academic period (winter or spring), allowing for individualised study planning.
Diploma Thesis and grading
During the 10th semester, students prepare and defend a Diploma Thesis worth 30 ECTS on a topic related to Sustainable Agriculture, Food Science, or related interdisciplinary fields. The final degree grade is calculated as 90% from the average grade of the 45 courses and 10% from the Diploma Thesis grade.
Course Catalogue
Year 1
1st Semester (Winter)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 101 | Calculus for Agriculture and Food Science | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 102 | General Chemistry | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 103 | Informatics | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 104 | Bioethics, Governance and Animal Welfare in Agri-Food Systems | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 105 | The Sociology of Food: Cultural and Social Dimensions of Mediterranean Gastronomy | 3 | 6 |
| SAFS 106 | Mediterranean Biodiversity, Climate Change and Circular Economy | 4 | 6 |
2nd Semester (Spring)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 201 | Physics Applied in Agrifood Sector | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 202 | Statistics and Biometry | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 203 | Sustainable Field Crop Production | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 204 | Living Systems and Molecular Biology | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 205 | Food Chemistry (Prerequisite: SAFS 102) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 206 | Agricultural Economics | 3 | 6 |
Year 2
3rd Semester (Winter)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 301 | Agrometeorology | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 302 | Computer Programming and Optimization Methods | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 303 | Principles of Genetics | 4 | 6 |
| SAFS 304 | Introduction to Animal Husbandry and Farm Management | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 305 | Food Processing and Preservation Technologies (Prerequisite: SAFS 205) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 306 | Agricultural Governance: Policy Instruments and Sustainable Cooperative Models | 5 | 6 |
4th Semester (Spring)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 401 | Food Analysis (Prerequisite: SAFS 205) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 402 | Soil Science | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 403 | General and Food Microbiology | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 404 | Plant Physiology (Prerequisite: SAFS 204) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 405 | Biochemistry (Prerequisite: SAFS 204) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 406 | Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation in the Agrifood Sector | 5 | 6 |
Year 3
5th Semester (Winter)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 501 | Digital Systems in Agriculture | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 502 | Food Biotechnology (Prerequisites: SAFS 205, 403) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 503 | Plant Pathology | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 504 | Intelligent Animal Nutrition | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 505 | Principles of Pesticides | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 506 | Agrifood Marketing, Consumer and Sustainability | 5 | 6 |
6th Semester (Spring)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 601 | Viticulture | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 602 | Principles of Modern Fruit Science | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 603 | New Trends in Floriculture | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 604 | Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 605 | Entomology Applied in Agriculture | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 606 | Controlled Environment Systems (Livestock and Plants) | 5 | 6 |
Year 4
7th Semester (Winter)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 701 | Ecology | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 702 | Sustainable Oenology and Wine Production (Prerequisites: SAFS 205, 403) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 703 | Food Engineering (Prerequisite: SAFS 305) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 704 | Breeding & Plant Propagation (Prerequisite: SAFS 303) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 705 | Physiology of Reproduction of Farm Animals | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 706 | Nutrition and Metabolism with Mediterranean Diet Insights (Prerequisite: SAFS 205) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 707 | Landscape Architecture | 5 | 6 |
8th Semester (Spring)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 801 | Vegetable Crop Production | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 802 | Apiculture and Bee Products | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 803 | Farm Management | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 804 | Earth Observation and Geoinformatics for Agrifood Systems | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 805 | Organic Agriculture (Prerequisite: SAFS 203) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 806 | Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 807 | Industrial Agro-Food Process Design and Economics | 5 | 6 |
Year 5
9th Semester (Winter)
| Code | Course title | Hours/week | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAFS 901 | Precision Agriculture and Livestock Farming (Prerequisites: SAFS 501, 804) | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 902 | Farm Accounting | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 903 | Digital and Predictive Food Microbiology & Quality Assurance Systems | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 904 | Renewable Energy Resources in Agriculture | 5 | 6 |
| SAFS 905 | Mediterranean and Functional Foods (Prerequisites: SAFS 205, 305) | 5 | 6 |
10th Semester (Spring)
| Code | Title | ECTS |
|---|---|---|
| SAFS 1000 | Diploma Thesis | 30 |