Presentation

Educational aims

Specific objectives: The Degree Course in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (STA) provides knowledge in the agricultural field with particular reference to the technologies and management of agricultural (vegetable and animal) production in their quantitative-qualitative and hygienic-sanitary aspects, to the transformation and marketing of agricultural products, to the technical-economic management of the agricultural enterprise, to the application of policies for rural development, to the evaluation of land assets. Graduates in STA acquire basic knowledge in the fields of the preparatory subjects (mathematics, chemistry, plant and animal biology and agricultural genetics) and of the professional ones. This knowledge allows the achievement of a professional training including the principles of agronomy, agri-ecology and the defence of cultivated species, as well as those relating to livestock farming. During their training, undergraduates acquire knowledge of the techniques for detecting biological (animal and vegetal) and environmental parameters useful for subsequent qualitative and quantitative processing, to understand the production processes, the transformation of agricultural products and the conservation of the rural environment. Likewise, they acquire the principles of hydraulics, agricultural mechanics and agricultural economics, knowledge of rural development and market policies, tools for the evaluation of land assets, for the design and evaluation of cultivation systems and for the technical-economic management of conventional and organic agricultural companies and processing companies, which are also essential for carrying out the professional activity. The profile requires the dialectical ability necessary to disseminate and argue the technical choices with sector specialists, entrepreneurs and consumers, and a sufficient command of the English language (or another EU language) necessary for reading and interpreting technical-scientific texts, for professional exchanges and basic dissemination. The acquired knowledge and skills enable graduates to address and resolve, within the scope of the skills required for the Junior Agronomist, issues relating to: - cultivation techniques for plant species (trees, herbaceous, horticultural and floricultural) and management of conventional and organic livestock systems. - agricultural mechanics and mechanization of crops and livestock farms. - hydraulic-agricultural system interventions and design of irrigation and drainage systems. - transformation and conservation of plant and livestock products. - protection of the environment and crops from abiotic and biotic adversities. - sustainable management, protection and enhancement of agricultural and environmental heritage. - economics of the agricultural company, agro-environmental policy and the evaluation of land assets. Furthermore, the first level training guarantees a platform of knowledge adequate for understanding the topics proposed in the next level. The teaching activity is carried out through lectures, field exercises and laboratory. The educational programme consists of 19 mandatory exams and elective courses, in addition to the English language test, laboratories (including one of technical English for agriculture), the practical-applicative internship at affiliated facilities and the final oral exam with the aim of ascertaining the level achieved by the student in basic and specific knowledge and in the ability to integrate them. The elective credits can be acquired, in accordance with art.10, paragraph 5, letter a) of the Ministerial Decree 270/04, also by choosing teachings in other Degree Courses of the University of Palermo and other Italian and foreign universities. At the end of the degree course, students obtain the title of Doctor of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies and, after passing the national exam for professional qualification, can be registered in section B (Junior Agronomist) of the professional register of the Board of Agronomists and Forestry Doctors.

work perspectives

Profile: PLANT PRODUCTION TECHNICIAN Functions: The plant production technician is a first-level expert in the design and management of herbaceous, fodder-livestock and horticultural-floral-fruit farming systems. Skills: Ability to plan and manage agricultural production systems. Aptitude to intervene with targeted technical choices within production chains. Sustainable management and enhancement of agricultural and environmental heritage. Management of technological production plants. Career opportunities: Graduates, in addition to the natural continuation of studies, may find employment in all activities related to the exercise of agriculture in public and private companies and can practice the profession as Junior Agronomists, enrolled in the professional register of the Board of Agronomists and Forestry Doctors (Section B). Other career opportunities include public bodies, international institutions and public and private research. Profile: TECHNICIAN FOR THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF BIOTIC ADVERSITIES Functions: Technicians for the integrated management of plant adversities are first-level experts able to plan conventional, integrated and biological defence interventions from biotic and abiotic adversities in Mediterranean cropping systems. Skills: Planning of biotic adversity management strategies based on the biology and behaviour of phytophagous arthropods and phytopathogenic agents. Analysis of biological, biotechnical and alternative methods, suitable and adaptable to the defence of plants from parasites. Evaluation of the use of plant protection products and of the side effects in ecological and toxicological terms. Career opportunities: Graduates, in addition to the natural continuation of studies, may find employment in all activities related to the exercise of agriculture in public and private companies and can practice the profession as Junior Agronomists, enrolled in the professional register of the Board of Doctors of Agronomy and Doctors of Forestry (Section B). Other career opportunities include public bodies, international institutions and public and private research. Profile: COMPANY ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT TECHNICIAN Functions: The company economic management technician are first-level experts capable of dealing with the technical-economic management of agricultural companies. Skills: Economic management of plant and livestock resources. Ability to apply the main sector regulations and the principles of agricultural economics and rural appraisal. Planning of cultivation operations and territorial programming, formulation of company balance sheets and judgments of economic convenience, evaluation of land assets and agricultural products. Career opportunities: Graduates, in addition to the natural continuation of studies, may find employment in all activities related to the exercise of agriculture in public and private companies and can practice the profession as Junior Agronomists, enrolled in the professional register of the BOard of Doctors of Agronomy and Doctors of Forestry (Section B). Other career opportunities include public bodies, international institutions and public and private research. Profile: ORGANIC PRODUCTION TECHNICIAN Functions: The organic production technicians are first-level experts able to provide consultancy, technical assistance and dissemination to agricultural and agro-industrial companies that operate under organic conditions. Skills: Ability to manage production processes in the agricultural and agro-ecological fields, with basic skills in the management of companies and production systems (vegetable and livestock) under organic conditions, and in the application of specific regulations and policies for the sector. Ability to operate in the sectors of certification and marketing of organic agricultural and agri-food products in the various types of supply chain, including the short one. Career opportunities: Graduates, in addition to the natural continuation of studies, may find employment in all activities related to the exercise of agriculture in public and private companies and can practice the profession as Junior Agronomists, enrolled in the professional register of the BOard of Doctors of Agronomy and Doctors of Forestry (Section B). Other career opportunities include public bodies, international institutions and public and private research.

Characteristics of the final exam

The final exam aims to ascertain the level achieved by the student in the basic and characterizing knowledge of the degree course and in the integration among them. The final exam consists of an interview, according to the methods defined in the "Regulations of the final exam of the degree Course in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies", consistent with the educational objectives of the Course of Study. The topic of discussion of the interview is chosen by the student from a list of topics prepared by the PTA Board with its own resolution and published at the beginning of the academic year on the course website. The choice of the topic will be contextual to the submission of the degree application through online procedures.