Agrosystem Sciences

In contrast to a major in agricultural science, in Agrosystem Sciences you learn the interrelations at farm level (e.g. nutrient cycles) and interactions at agricultural landscape level (e.g. landscape water balance, erosion processes, biodiversity and regulation), as well as the individual subsystems and components, such as plant production and animal husbandry systems. In this degree program you will acquire a deeper understanding of the processes taking place in agricultural systems, their influencing factors and the interactions between the system elements of soil, plants, animals and humans.

Discover the interdisciplinary nature of agricultural sciences in the Master's program Agrosystem Sciences. Your studies can be both solution-oriented and research-related. This Master's program will thus meet your needs as well as societal objectives and high scientific standards.

The career opportunities for graduates of Agrosystem Sciences are diverse. The degree program qualifies you for a career in all areas of the agricultural and food industry: from the upstream sector (such as breeding, agricultural engineering, agrochemistry) to agricultural enterprises (plant and animal production) and the downstream sector (food processing, trade and much more). Potential employers can be found in science, industry, government institutions and international organizations.

You can choose from a variety of fields of work, such as:

• Research activities (at universities, in departmental research as well as in companies)
• Management positions in agribusiness enterprises, government departments, agricultural administration
• Consulting activities, e.g. in associations, national and international organizations
• Environmental and sustainability management (e.g. development and implementation of environmental and sustainability strategies in agribusiness enterprises).

The degree program combines scientific depth with an interdisciplinary approach and teaches you the systemic nature of agricultural sciences. It offers you great freedom of choice. The study program consists of required and elective modules (45 credits each) and a Master's thesis (30 credits).

In the degree program you will take seven required modules, including five based on lectures and tutorials:

• Innovations for agricultural systems
• Applied statistics: Biometrics and econometrics
• Geoinformation systems and modelling
• Production and resource economics
• Nutrient cycles in agroecosystems

You will also take the interdisciplinary required module "Agricultural Systems Project" (10 credits) and the research-oriented required module "Research Project" (10 credits). In this way, your studies bring together different disciplines, research approaches and agricultural system components for the analysis, evaluation and optimization of agricultural systems.

You can develop your individual interests and strengths in the elective modules. You choose from the categories plant production systems, animal production systems, agroecosystems, agricultural economics and a variety of cross-system elective modules. In this way, you can achieve both an area-specific depth and a cross-system profile development individual to you. In the elective modules, you can also earn up to 30 credits from the entire range of courses offered by our university or credits you have earned during a semester abroad at one of TUM's 170 partner universities. A Master's thesis completes the study.

Interest aroused? Just take a look at an exemplary curriculum!

As a graduate of the Master's program in Agrosystem Sciences, you will have sound knowledge of the biological, scientific-technical and socio-economic foundations of agricultural production and the sustainable use of natural production factors in the production of food and biogenic raw materials. You will have sound knowledge of the components of agricultural production systems and their interaction with the environment and society. The high freedom of choice enables you to acquire individual and interdisciplinary expertise and to work in a solution-focused manner.

You will be able to:

• identify conflicts of use and develop solutions and strategies to overcome these conflicts.
• recognize the changing social demands on primary plant and animal production, evaluate them and take them into account when designing agricultural systems.
• analyze and manage agroecosystems in terms of material cycles, resource efficiency and environmental protection.
• design and work on research projects independently.
• apply appropriate methods for statistical analysis and critical evaluation of complex data sets.
• analyze concrete situations in the primary production of biogenic raw materials in an overall biological, scientific-technical and socio-economic context and evaluate them ecologically and economically
• recognize and evaluate the potential of agricultural science innovations for sustainable primary production of plant- and animal-based food
• use the potential of agricultural innovations to further develop or redesign agricultural production systems

This enables you to evaluate and control agricultural systems and to develop them further in the context of societal demands.

All students have to pay a semester fee for the student union (Studierendenwerk).

++ NEW ++ International students from third countries, i.e. countries that do not belong to the European Economic Area, will be charged tuition fees as of winter semester 2024/25.
All information on fee levels, waivers and scholarship programs can be found on the website on tuition fees for international students.

During the application period you can easily apply for a place in the winter semester via the application portal TUMonline. Simply upload your documents for admission to the Agrosystem Sciences program directly in the portal.

The prerequisite for application is a qualified bachelor's degree of at least six semesters or an at least equivalent degree in the fields of agricultural sciences, horticultural sciences, natural sciences, environmental sciences and economics or a comparable degree program at a German or foreign university.

In a subsequent aptitude assessment we will check whether you have the necessary prerequisites and motivation for the program.

The admissions process is described in the appendix to the Academic and Examination Regulations of the program.

If you are subsequently admitted, you will have to submit a few certified paper copies for enrolment.

• Curriculum:
  The degree chart gives you an overview and recommendation, which modules you should take in which semester according to academic and examination regulations (FPSO).
  • Curriculum 20221
  • Curriculum 20181
• Compulsory module research project
  Here you can find information about the compulsory module research project (WZ0031)
   
• Timetable (TUM ID required for login):
  This timetable is intended to give you an overview of the planned compulsory and elective modules of a semester. It is for orientation purposes only and will not be updated during the semester! 
  
  Via TUMonline you can have a timetable created for each semester according to FSPO.
  
  You can also create your own individual timetable, which can contain not only the dates of the selected courses, but also your personal appointments.
  
  First steps with TUMonline

• General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
• Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)
  • Academic and Examination Regulations 2018

• Examination dates & registration via TUMonline
  In TUMonline you can register for the module examinations that accompany your studies. 

  Important: You can only take most of the exams if you have actively registered yourself via TUMonline within the registration period. The registration and deregistration period will be displayed at the exam date.

• Further examination matters
  • Academic progress check
  • Examinations
  • Recognitions
  • Theses
• Board of Examination
  The board of examination is a committee consisting of university professors and lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the board of examination of your degree program is Prof. Dr. agr. habil. Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen. Applications to the board of examination are received by the secretary and submitted to the board of examination for decision. You can reach the secretary by sending an email to examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.

A pre-study internship before the start of the course is not required for admission.

More information about

• Internships
• Excursions