The Bachelor's degree in Agri-food Engineering studies the branch of engineering dedicated to producing foods. There are two majors: farm exploitation (agriculture and stockbreeding) and agricultural and food industries (food processing industries).
The agri-food sector is the leading industry sector in Catalonia and plays a key role in the Catalan economy and in the future of industry here. Having healthy, quality foods is vital for society. The agri-food engineer is the person who acts on the design, management and production of these foodstuffs.
Graduates of the bachelor’s degree in Agri-food Engineering are engineers, fully capable of designing and planning: they are the only professionals in the sector with a comprehensive knowledge of food production in every aspect involved in the production process: processes, infrastructures, facilities, raw materials, economy, energy, environment, quality, etc.
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These studies offer two specialities: farm exploitation (specialisation in the primary sector) and agricultural and food industries (specialisation in the secondary sector).
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There is a high demand for such graduates: the food industry is extremely strong in our region (in fact, it is the strongest sector in Catalonia), whereas the agriculture sector is strategic, given that it is the supplier of food raw materials.
The course maintains strong link with the business world: we are continuously in touch with companies, we organize visits and establish work placements in companies of the sector with the stays in the work environment.
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And not only this: apart from foods there is other areas of work we also perform: design of sport fields, gardens and landscape gardening, environmental management, energy efficiency, biotechnology...
Finally, these studies have professional attributes recognised by the Spanish State (Act 12/1986); this means that there is work that an engineer will be able to do but which other types of professionals in the same field will not. It is an important advantage in the world of work. Obviously, graduates will also be able to perform all activities related to the sector that do not require regulated attributes.
Studies for the Bachelor's degree in Agri-food Engineering, in its farm exploitation pathway, enable students to obtain the degree that qualifies them to work as an advisor in Integrated Pest Management (GIP) according to Spanish Royal Decree 1311/2012. This Royal Decree establishes the obligation to complete 12 credits in subject areas covering plant protection for the purposes of obtaining this degree, a condition that can be achieved depending on the optional subjects chosen by the student. The Observations section in each subject outline specifies the credits valid to this end.
These very studies provide skills for exercising technical responsibility for treatments with biocide products in accordance with the Royal Decree 830/2010, of 25 June, and the “guidance document for the recognition of university degrees for exercising the technical responsibility of biocide services” from the Ministry of Health.
You will be an engineer.An engineer is dedicated to applying scientific knowledge to find solutions for real technical problems. In our case, we are the engineers of processes involving living beings. Our qualification uses engineering knowledge (such as the construction or design of facilities) applied to food production (plants, animals and their derivatives; in short, biological materials) in a way that respects the environment (sustainability) and with an objective of profitability (economy).
You will be able to:
- Plan from scratch a food business (moving earth, foundations, structure, facilities and production lines), an agricultural installation (such as an irrigation system or a farm) or a garden or sports field, directing works, conducting technical reports, etc.
- Being a food-industry manager or technician in several areas, such as a quality-control manager, production manager, logistics lead, environmental manager, R+D and so on.
- Be a manager or technician of agricultural cooperatives or auxiliary companies (fertilisers, seeds, additives, phytosanitary, machinery, etc.).
- Be a technical advisor of agricultural and farming exploitations, plant defence groups, communities of irrigators, associations and agricultural unions, etc.
- Be an expert in agricultural appraisals and valuations.
- Accessing the technical body of the public authorities (in agricultural, food or environment bodies, among other things).
- Accessing the technical body of the public authorities (in agricultural, food or environment bodies, among other things).
- Be a researcher in public or private centres and bodies (normally after having completed academic training through a master's degree or doctoral degree).
- Be a business owner (creating your own company).
These studies offer you a great future: in 2012, Forbes magazine, one of the American publications best known for topics relating to economics and finance, included agricultural engineering in the list of the 10 university qualifications with the best 10-year future. The next years are expected to see a reduction in the global area available for crops, as well as an increase in food prices. At the same time, rich countries will ask for healthier and better products. According to Forbes magazine, all this will ensure jobs for professionals with the know-how for responding to such global needs.
Through the following links you can access the calendars and timetables that correspond to this bachelor's degree.
The academic calendar marks the beginning and end of classes, non-teaching days, holidays, exam periods, and so on. The administrative calendar marks the periods to make the different formalities administrative.
It puts special emphasis on practical classes. All the subjects have assigned practicals, of various types depending on their respective specific training requirements. The different types of practicals include:
- The Polytechnic School’s laboratory and technology-plant practicals.
- Field practicals (in the PS's experimental land plot or Girona's Agrifood Campus).
- Practicals in the computer room.
- Visits to companies.
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Photographs of lab practicals (@Roger Lleixà)
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Photographs of technical visits to the San Miguel brewery and RCD Espanyol stadium
Even though these types of practicals are very common in the PS’s various degrees, the field ones and technology-plant ones are exclusive to the agrifood degree. Apart from that, the Bachelor's Degree in Agrifood Engineering (BAE) involves more visits to companies, given its aim to foster direct contact between students and the reality of our environment's productive sector.
It is with this very philosophy that the BAE encourages students to carry out placements in real companies (known as “work placements”) with the aim of applying and complementing the acquired training, giving students access to the professional reality they are working and developing their skills in, to increase their chances of entering the job market.
One of the main features of current university education is the importance placed on the international aspect. This is possible thanks to the institutional relations established and regulated under agreements and to the mobility and exchange programmes, as well as the grant programmes and specific existing grants supporting such activity (including grants for people with special needs).
At the University of Girona, all these elements are managed from the Office of External Relations (ORE). The ORE is the University's administrative service responsible for programmes such as ERASMUS and SICUE that cover an extensive range of options and countries. By extension, it is also the administrative unit responsible for receiving participants in these programmes from other universities. The head of the ORE is also in charge of accommodation at the UdG which is an external service, despite being part of the student-reception programme.