MSc Agriculture

With the advancements made in the field of Science and Technology, the Agriculture sector has observed tremendous growth. With its roots spread across various industries, scores of universities across the world now offer diverse and comprehensive Agriculture courses right from bachelors to doctorate levels. Though the undergraduate programs build a strong conceptual knowledge, in order to advance in the field, pursuing a masters course is a must. And one such course is MSc Agriculture. So, in this blog, we have collated all the quintessential information related to this course, its scope, and the academic institutions which you can consider. 

Highlights

Course Level	Postgraduate
Full-form	Master of Science in Agriculture
Duration	1.5- 2 years
Eligibility Criteria	Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture or related fields like Horticulture or Forestry from a recognized institution along with required entrance exam for India and Abroad
Job Positions	Research Scientist, Corporate Sales Manager, Breeder, Agronomist, Farm Manager, Lecturer/Professor and Field Officer
Top Recruiters	Monsanto India, Bayer Crop Science, Coromandel Fertilizers, Buhler India, etc
Average Salary	INR 2,00,000- 3,00,000 PA

What is MSc Agriculture?

Running for a period of 1-2 years, MSc Agriculture is a post-graduate programme that keeps a learner abreast of agricultural development and the related scientific innovations. Apart from imparting scientific knowledge related to the field of agriculture and farming, the course also lays emphasis on agricultural machinery, plant biology, plant management as well as biochemistry. Furthermore, to provide hands-on experience, the course curriculum also involves industry training/dissertation projects.

Popular Specialisations

From Animal Husbandry to Plant Pathology, Agriculture is a vast domain. Not only can you explore courses that can help you establish a career in Research but you can also specialize in modules dealing with management and marketing. Tabulated below are some of the popular specialisations MSc Agriculture offers: 

Agricultural Botany	Agricultural Microbiology	Agricultural Chemistry
AgriEconomics	Entomology	Extension Education
Natural Resources	Plant Breeding & Genetics	Food Innovation
Soil Science	Forestry	Food Science & Technology
Farming System Management	Horticulture Mycology	Tea Husbandry
Ecological Economics	Poultry Science	Wildlife Forensics
Global Food Security and Nutrition	Animal Welfare and Conservation	Equine Science
Organic Agriculture	Agriculture and Development	Rural Development
Forestry	Dairy Science	Fisheries Science

MSc Agriculture Syllabus

Stated below is the year-wise syllabus of MSc Agriculture-

Year 1	Year 2
Extension Education	Entomology
Plant Breeding & Genetics	Horticulture
Biotechnology	Agronomy
Plant Physiology	Agricultural Economics & Farm Management
Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry	Plant Pathology
Food Science & Technology	Forestry

Other Popular Subjects 

Being a vast field of study, there are scores of subjects that are taught throughout the journey of the course. While some subjects are compulsory, the others are offered in the form of electives. Tabulated below are some of the major subjects included in the MSc Agriculture course curriculum. 

Agronomy	Agricultural Botany	Agricultural Economics
Extension Education	Animal Husbandry	Dairy Science
Crop Production	Agricultural Meteorology	Harvest Technology
Agricultural Entomology	Horticulture	Plant Pathology
Soil Science	Agriculture Chemistry	Food Sustainability
Gene Modification and Technology	Seed Technology	Marketing Management

MSc Agriculture Eligibility Criteria

Though the eligibility criteria will vary from one university to another, here are some of the general qualifications you need to have in order to pursue an MSc Agriculture course:

• Bachelor’s degree like BSc Agriculture or its variant from a recognised college/university with minimum marks as stipulated by the concerned university.
• Valid English proficiency test scores like that of IELTS/TOEFL
• While some universities mandatorily require GRE scores, the others don’t.
• Work experience may also be an entry requisite for pursuing MSc Agriculture, however, not mandatory.
• Apart from this, SOP, LORs, transcripts, and updated CV/resume are also required.
• If you wish to pursue this degree in India, you may need the same requirements related to UG degree along with a good score in entrance exams.

MSc Agriculture Entrance Exams 2021

Here is a list of entrance exams that you may need to qualify for pursuing MSc Agriculture in India-

• ICAR AIEEA
• GRICET 2021
• CUCET
• PAU MET
• MCAER PG CET

MSc Agriculture in Universities Abroad

Now that you are familiar with the basic details pertaining to the course, let’s take a quick glance at some of the popular universities offering MSc Agriculture or its related specialisations.

• University of Hull
• University of British Columbia 
• The University of Queensland
• University of Glasgow 
• University of Nottingham
• The University of Western Australia
• Lincoln University
• University of Canterbury 
• The University of Adelaide 
• Macquarie University
• Swinburne University of Technology
• Curtin University
• The University of Otago 
• The Australian National University

MSc Agriculture Colleges in India

• University of Calcutta
• Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana
• Anand Agriculture University
• Cochin University of Science and Technology
• Junagadh Agriculture University
• Chandigarh University
• Acharya NG Ranga Agriculture University, Guntur
• Shivaji University
• Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University
• University of Madras
• Christ University
• Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
• Manipal Academy of Higher Education

MSc Agriculture Private Colleges in India

• Shoolini University
• Chandigarh University
• College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University
• Calcutta University
• Lovely Professional University
• Apex University
• Maharishi Markandeshwar UniversityAcharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University
• Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University

MSc Agriculture Career Scope  

Being a vast field of study, there are innumerable career opportunities for you to explore after completing the MSc Agriculture course. Enlisted are some of the major work areas and profiles you can work in: 

Employement Areas

• Fruit Orchards
• Agricultural Production Centres
• Cotton, Jute, Tobacco Companies
• Educational Institutes
• Coffee and Rubber Plantations
• Fertilizer Companies
• National Seed Companies
• FMCG Companies
• Agriculture & Rural Development National Banks
• Pesticide Control Centres
• Research and Development Centres
• Tea Gardens

Job Profiles

• Corporate Sales Manager
• Research Scientist
• Field Officer
• Breeder
• Agronomist
• Farm Manager
• Senior Research Associate
• Agriculturist
• Business Development Executive
• Agriculture Scientist
• Marketing Executive
• Rice Breeder
• Senior Agriculture Specialist
• Agriculture Technician
• Seed Technologist

MSc Agriculture Salary

The average salary that you can expect to earn after completing MSc Agriculture is around INR 2,00,000- 3,00,000 PA. On the other hand, those who wish to set up a business of their own may earn varied amounts.

MSc Agriculture Colleges in Delhi

• Amity University
• Lovely Professional University
•  Maharshi Dayanand University
• Chaudhary Charan Singh University
• National Dairy Research Institute
• SGT University
• School of Agricultural Sciences 
• National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute
• Central Board of Irrigation and Power – CBIP
• Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute
• Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University – GGSIPU
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research – ICAR

MSc Agriculture Colleges in UP

• UP College Varanasi – Udai Pratap Autonomous College
• Naini Agricultural Institute, Allahabad
• Shri Murli Manohar Town Post Graduate College, Ballia
• Raja Balwant Singh College, Agra
• Kulbhaskar Ashram Degree College, Allahabad
• Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya, Nawabganj
• Ram Lalit Singh Mahavidyalaya, Mirzapur
• Rashtriya Kisan Post Graduate College, Shamli
• Ranjit Singh Memorial PG College, Dhampur
• National Post Graduate College, Barahalganj

Looking forward to pursuing MSc Agriculture from universities abroad? Not sure about the admission requirements? Then what are you waiting for? Get in touch with our experts at Leverage Edu through an E-meeting and get assistance in completing application formalities, writing a personal essay, visa application, and much more!