The Master’s Degree Course in Agricultural Engineering, taught in English at the Cremona Campus, aims to train engineers working in the agro-industrial sector with a systems-oriented vision, i.e. an approach to the study and implementation of application solutions based on an overall vision of the technological aspects of the supply chain elements, on the ability to model and manage the interactions between the various components, supported by basic knowledge of the sector.

The Master’s Degree in Agricultural Engineering trains specialist engineers to deal with the complexity of agro-industrial supply chain systems and the interdependence of critical elements related to the safety of the agri-food system such as: planning and management of production and supply chain systems, emerging production support technologies, interaction with the environment and the territory. In order to do so, the graduate uses cross-sectoral engineering skills on the system as a whole, which allow them to guide strategic choices with the support of more specialised figures, whom they do not replace.

These educational objectives are achieved over 4 semesters, which are also organised in relation to the student’s basic degree training.

During the first semester, students undertake a course of study that is differentiated according to the Bachelor’s degree course from which they come, in order to acquire the knowledge necessary for the specialist training of agricultural engineers. Students from an engineering curriculum acquire basic knowledge related to animal and plant primary production, biochemistry and microbiology. Non-engineering students acquire basic engineering knowledge related to the fundamentals of automation and computer science, advanced mathematical analysis and applied physics. The differentiation of the first semester is essential to form a common knowledge base for all students. For learners with an engineering background, basic agricultural knowledge is essential to understand aspects of primary production principles and their impact on safety, for learners with an agricultural background, engineering knowledge and skills are essential to engineering studies for understanding “Smart Agriculture” technologies.

The second semester of the first year is dedicated to learning ICT area skills, relating in particular to automation and robotics techniques and to the methods and applications of Big Data Analytics, artificial intelligence and traceability technologies, which are essential for ensuring food safety. The second semester’s learning objectives also include knowledge in the area of industrial engineering applied to agriculture 4.0, with a focus on the types of vehicles and machinery used in agriculture and on issues related to the electrification of traction and autonomous driving.

The third and fourth semesters (second year) are dedicated to the achievement of the educational objectives in the industrial, environmental and management areas.

During the course of the project, students explore various themes, grouped into macro-areas, both from a conceptual and methodological point of view and from an implementation and application point of view. The areas of competence that characterise the Agricultural Engineering graduate are related to:

• Agricultural sciences
• Technologies for Smart Agriculture
• Agriculture 4.0
• Big Data analysis
• Sciences and Environmental Technologies and Chemistry
• Food science
• Techniques for sustainability