MSc Horticulture

Applicants will normally hold a BSc or equivalent in a related topic, but applications are equally welcome from individuals with extensive industrial experience. Applications from non-UK students are particularly welcome.

English language requirements
If you do not have English as a first language, you will normally be required to demonstrate an IELTS overall score (or equivalent) of:

• 5.5 with a minimum of 5.0 in all elements for a Further Education course
• 5.5 with a minimum of 5.0 in all elements for a Foundation degree, Higher Certificate or Higher Diploma
• 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all elements for a degree
• 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all elements for a postgraduate degree

If you have lower scores, you may be accepted onto a Pre-sessional English Language course, which can lead to entry to the appropriate programme of study.

SEMESTER 1

• Horticultural Production (Postgraduate) - This module will evaluate the factors which determine the level and location of horticultural production in relation to climatic and agro-economic factors, using a number of crop examples. The development and changing pattern of cropping systems and production techniques will be discussed in the light of changing market requirements, environmental pressures and the need for sustainability in production. The importance of global trade will be considered in terms of sustainability and environmental footprint; other environmental considerations such as energy consumption and use of non-renewable resources that are of increasing importance to the industry will be considered as part of the crop production process. Current research will be evaluated and the likely future developments considered.
• Postharvest Physiology and Pathology (Postgraduate) - The maintenance and modification of crop quality after harvest is an area of increasing importance to horticultural products which are notoriously perishable. This module reviews the key concepts involved in postharvest biology and technology. Postharvest deterioration is often caused by pest and disease organisms and the diagnosis of crop protection problems will be developed in this module. Increasing international trade and the restrictive legislation on the use of pesticides are challenging the conventional crop protection measures. The use of biological control and other novel control techniques will be discussed.
• Product Development and Supply Chain Management (Postgraduate) - This module will focus on the design and development of global supply chains for perishable horticultural produce. Students will study logistics, cool chain and supply chain management trends, concepts, tools and techniques, particularly in the context of supplying UK, European and multinational retailers. The application to and implications for emerging economies and developing countries will also be examined. Visits and case studies will be central to the learning and assessment for this module.
• Research Methods (Postgraduate) - This module begins with personal development planning (PDP) in which students will identify an appropriate research approach in the context of their individual aspirations and, where applicable, their professional role. The module introduces students to research and research methods from the perspectives of the researcher, research manager or managerial user. The module will discuss the research process of: identifying issues and problems; specifying research; collecting and processing primary and secondary data and information; analysing findings and producing conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for further investigation. Emphasis will be placed on methods that are objective, systematic, reliable, valid, ethical, effective and efficient. Guidance will also be given on the preparation of research papers and reports. This module will prepare students for dealing with research in all modules and in particular the Dissertation module. Taught postgraduates from all disciplines will initially share a generic overview that is appropriate for a postgraduate understanding of research and the methods that underpin it. Thereafter, the students will devolve to tutors in their discipline to deal with the curriculum content in greater, contextualised detail. The greater part of the assessment will be applied to learning from this second part of the module.

SEMESTER 2

Optional Modules:

• Experiential Learning - This module has been developed to allow students to investigate the application of knowledge and techniques at the forefront of their discipline area and/or area of professional practice. They will operate outside of an academic environment and with a high level of autonomy work upon an industry related problem. Students will therefore be required to critically evaluate current research and/or advanced scholarship and utilise their findings to investigate novel and creative solutions to problems that come from their industry. They will then plan and test these solutions and communicate the results of their work to academic and non-academic audiences. Students will have the opportunity to work within either private or public sectors of industry. Writtle College also has the Centre for the Environment and Rural Affairs (CERA) and the Centre for the Arts and Design in the Environment (CADE) both of whom are likely to have access to suitable projects. In addition, the College has an active section whose work involves Knowledge Transfer for Higher Education into industry that will be source of activity. There may also be opportunities to base this module at an HEI abroad, subject to quality assurance issues being resolved. However, those already in industry will be able to approach their workplace for suitable projects and problems.
• Postharvest Storage and Management - The module will cover the storage, drying, cleaning, grading, handling, cooling and packaging of agricultural crops. The module will assist the students to be able to analyse the long and short term storage options for the relevant crops. The potential for value added benefits through cleaning, grading and packaging agricultural crops will be evaluated. The advantages and disadvantages of cooling of agricultural crops and the methods used will be covered. Handling systems and damage avoidance methods will also be considered.
• Environmental Policy and Leadership Skills - International conventions and legislative agreements currently shape environmental policy and practice in many of the World’s countries. Specific to Europe, a sophisticated environmental policy structure that includes the Birds and Habitats Directives, Water Framework Directive and EIA Directive is designed to provide measures and tools for implementing internationally-binding agreements across the region. The European structure and process has gained world-wide recognition and is adopted by many other countries as a suitable model for embedding international initiatives into their own national policy for the environment. The rapid increase in globalization coupled with diminishing resources and decline in biodiversity has forced change in the way global societies view the environment, and in some countries, political and societal behaviour. For instance, strategies that include stakeholder engagement, partnerships, coalition building and community – based initiatives are promoted as mainstream practices to meeting international objectives to halting biodiversity decline and loss of ecosystem services. In this module students are encouraged to critically analyse schools of thought in environmental philosophy, and to appreciate how some of the founding theories have come to shape modern policy. A focus on the main European Union political drivers and environmental directives will provide the baseline for understanding global initiatives. At a more practical level, students will have the opportunity to examine in detail the structure and mechanisms of implementing wider environmental objectives at national and local levels through working with sector-based case studies. Much of local environmental policy is implemented through community action, which often includes the engagement of stakeholders and wider society. The kinds of skills and understanding needed in leadership and negotiation is often lacking in the sector and can be one of the main reasons for failure in driving home environmental policy.
• Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture - Climate change and continuing population growth are the two most important drivers of ecosystem degradation that threatens human wellbeing. The planet’s capacity to provide food and fresh water to sustain human population growth and development is reaching a tipping point. Without radical solutions to the way we exploit Earth’s ecosystems for food and water nature’s capacity to support mankind will collapse leading to dramatic declines in human wellbeing. Sustainable land management and food security requires innovative, risk-robust strategies to meet growing demands in the future and to ensure ecosystems remain fully functional and resilient to uncertain changes. This module presents current scientific theory in sustainable farm land management and competitive food production with a specific reference to agricultural ecology and ecosystem resilience. Students will be able to analyse and critically evaluate current policy and strategies practiced in the UK and the wider global sphere through a review of case studies. Applications of new scientific thinking and technology will be observed in the field. The aim of the module is to provide students with the latest applied scientific theory in sustainable farming practices, agricultural ecology and food production
• Strategic Management and Global Trade (Postgraduate) - This module will enable students to understand the economic and political environment in which an arable or horticultural business operates and to develop a flexible, pragmatic approach to management based on strategic concepts and theories. Key approaches to strategy through analysis, choice, implementation and enterprise assessment will be evaluated. Options will be assessed using current case studies and materials enabling the preparation of relevant and applied business plans. These will be based on an understanding of the processes of management that are essential to both agricultural and horticultural businesses. The module will also focus on the international context within which farm and horticultural businesses operate including; trade theory, globalisation, the Common Agricultural Policy and the World Trade Organisation.
• Environmental Crop Physiology and Nutrition - This module is designed to develop the understanding by students of the key physiological processes and nutritional requirements of crop plants that determine and limit crop productivity. Building on the student’s previous knowledge of the basic principles of plant physiology, the module will explore, in particular, the impact of environmental factors on the physiological and nutritional components of yield. Thus at the end of the module the student should be able to assess and discuss the likely effect of environmental stress (e.g. water stress, nutritional stress etc.) and future climate change on the potential yield of named crops. While there will be an emphasis on temperate crops, various aspects of stress physiology in world crops will also be considered.
• Developing Crops for the 21st Century - Through this module students will develop an understanding of the cropping requirements for the future, with an emphasis on the agronomic developments needed to increase food production at a time of climate change, global market instability, increasing populations and environmental concerns. The module will concentrate on issues relating to plant breeding principles and developments, potentially suitable ‘alternative’ crops, the value of organic crop production and genetic modification. Emphasis will be on temperate crops and concerns within the UK and EU, but measures considered elsewhere in the world will also be included.
• Crop Production Technology (Postharvest) - This module provides a deeper understanding of the factors which determine modern approaches to crop production. Initially the trends in production and consumption will be reviewed followed by assessing the likely reasons for these developments. The importance of the producer understanding the crop’s physiology will be highlighted. The many potential advantages to the producer and consumer of progress in plant improvement will be considered. Many aspects of crop production have become increasingly mechanized; these will be detailed and the constraints identified for future mechanization and use of robotics in crop production. In addition the need for continuity of supply will be demonstrated and scheduled programmes of production developed. The issues facing current crop production practices in terms of resource management and the need for sustainability will be discussed in the context of modern practices.
• Postharvest Technology (Postgraduate) - The maintenance and modification of crop quality after harvest is an area of increasing importance to horticultural products which are notoriously perishable. This module describes a range of grading, handling, cooling, storage and inspection systems for horticultural products postharvest. The need to investigate postharvest problems will be demonstrated and the student will be encouraged to develop their own analytical approach to solving a simulated problem. A range of different storage environments will be described and under which circumstances which is used will be discussed.
• Energy Management (Postgraduate) - This module will critically examine the specialist areas of crop production where high levels of energy usage in various forms (heat, light, refrigeration) are accepted practice, particularly intensive protected cultivation and long term cold and controlled atmosphere crop storage. Examples of what can be achieved in terms of increased production, longer term availability and reduced wastage will be illustrated by reference to crop examples. The practicalities of energy use and management and the justification for the approaches used will be discussed.