How to choose an agricultural degree
A short guide to the decisions that matter most - subject, type of institution, degree level, language and practical experience - and where to find the details for each program.
1. Subject: what do you want to work on?
Agricultural science covers plants and soils, animals, food, technology, economics and whole farming systems. Many bachelor's programs are broad ("Agriculture", "Agricultural Science") and let you specialize later; others focus on one area from the start, such as animal science or horticulture. The subject pages describe what each area covers, what you typically learn and where graduates work.
2. Type of institution
Research universities teach with a strong scientific basis and lead on to master's and doctoral research. Universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen, hogescholen, technological universities) are more practice-oriented, often with longer internships. Agricultural colleges and polytechnics offer shorter diplomas and applied degrees close to farm practice. None of these is better in general - it depends on whether you aim for research, management, advisory work or running a farm. Every program on this site is marked with its institution type.
3. Degree level and length
College diplomas usually take two to three years, bachelor's degrees three to four years, master's degrees one to two years. Some countries combine them differently, for example five-year integrated degrees or French engineering diplomas at master's level. The country pages explain how this works in each country.
4. Language of instruction
Many bachelor's programs are taught in the national language, while more master's programs are taught in English. See the programs taught in English, and check the language requirements on the program page.
5. Practical experience
Look for compulsory internships, placement years, university farms and dual programs that combine study with work at a farm or company. These matter especially if you want to work in practice or advisory services.
6. Rankings
Subject rankings such as the QS ranking for Agriculture & Forestry or ShanghaiRanking's subject ranking mostly measure research and reputation, not teaching or how well a program fits you. agri.science deliberately shows no ranking of its own; the research output figures are a measure of research volume only.
7. Costs and funding
Tuition fees range from none to substantial and often differ for domestic, EU and international students. They are on the institutions' pages. For funding, see scholarships.