Every living being – from microscopic organisms to giant creatures like humans requires food. Food is the most essential component for sustaining life. This essential component of life is cultivated by the process of agriculture. Agriculture is an ancient occupation that survives to date and serves as a prime occupational sector that directly relates to humans by cultivating raw food materials.
From being an ancient practice today agriculture has developed into an individual sector with highly-developed educational courses for students to pursue. Agricultural courses are gaining scope due to the advancements in science that support farming. Many revolutionary discoveries and inventions have been introduced by research and development in science.
Current developments in agricultural practices, upgrades in agricultural equipment, scientific methodologies to increase yield and much more have instilled confidence among students to pursue agricultural courses. Since agriculture started moving forward with advancements, students have stepped forward to consider agricultural courses for their future. Understanding students’ requirements, many educational institutions such as Mansarovar Global University, the best private university in Bhopal have come ahead to offer agricultural courses to students.
With the motive to guide students who wish to support and take up agriculture as their profession, this article is being written to provide the necessary information regarding agricultural courses.
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What is Agriculture and Agricultural Education?
The art of sowing, cultivating, and harvesting food crops, cash crops, commercial crops, etc by practicing scientific methodologies is known as agriculture.
Agricultural education is the educational entity that teaches about farming and related concepts such as natural resources, land management, and so on. Agricultural education concentrates on teaching and training students who aspire to become professional farmers with efficient knowledge of different farming techniques. In addition to agricultural techniques and methodologies, students will be taught about animal husbandry, sustainable use of resources, and much more which are very important to perform effective agricultural practices.
Agricultural education includes a wide range of educational courses. Universities like Mansarovar Global University, the best university in MP offer exclusively designed agricultural courses.
Agriculture courses:
Colleges and universities including government and private institutions, provide a variety of agriculture programs for students, and an outlay of those courses is detailed below:
Certificate agriculture courses:
Certificate agriculture courses are not degree courses but optional courses that can be pursued by interested students for a shorter duration. It can be pursued both in online and offline modes. There are no particular eligibility criteria for these courses.
Some of the popular certificate courses in Agriculture are as follows:
- Certificate in Agriculture
- Certificate in Agriculture, Economics and Nature by Coursera
- Certificate in Agriculture for Administrators by MANAGE
- Certificate in Food Production
- Certificate in Food Beverage Services
Duration: Course duration is usually from 3 to 6 months.
Diploma in Agriculture:
A diploma in Agriculture is a polytechnic course and it is provided in two different levels as mentioned below:
- UG Diploma: UG Diploma in Agriculture can be pursued after high school i.e, 10th grade. Students with a keen interest in farming and related occupations such as horticulture, animal husbandry, and much more can pursue this course. This course teaches agricultural concepts to students from the primary level thus installing a strong foundation for a career in agriculture.
- PG Diploma: PG Diploma in Agriculture can be pursued after any relevant undergraduate degree in agriculture. This course provides specialized knowledge in particular facets of agriculture.
Some of the PG Diploma courses are as follows:
- PGD in Agricultural Extension Management
- PGD in Management: Agribusiness and Plantation Management
- PGD in Technology Management in Agriculture
Eligibility criteria:
- The minimum eligibility criteria for UG Diploma in Agriculture in any Diploma agriculture college is a class 10th pass from any recognized board.
- For a PG Diploma, the minimum eligibility criteria is an undergraduate degree in any relevant field.
Duration:
UG Diploma- 2 years
PG Diploma- 2 years
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture:
B.Sc Agriculture is an undergraduate course that can be pursued after the 12th or Diploma. This course concentrates on cultivating and motivating the interest in agriculture among students. The course curriculum is designed with agricultural concepts, techniques, and methods along with hands-on practice. In-field experience will help students enjoy agriculture while learning simultaneously.
Eligibility criteria:
- The minimum eligibility criteria for B.Sc in Agriculture is class 12th pass with 50% aggregate including physics, chemistry, and mathematics/biology/agriculture from any recognized board.
- Students can make lateral entries if they complete a Diploma in Agriculture.
Duration:
3-4 years
Master of Science in Agriculture:
M.Sc Agriculture is a postgraduate degree that students pursue after an undergraduate degree in any relevant field. This course inculcates advanced agricultural knowledge in students along with cross-disciplinary subjects such as horticulture, apiculture, etc. The course module involves progressive practical training in farming fields with agricultural experts.
Eligibility criteria:
- The minimum eligibility criteria for M.Sc in Agriculture in most MSc agriculture colleges in Bhopal is B.Tech/BE/B.sc in any relevant field with 50% aggregate.
Duration:
2 years
Admission procedure:
The admission procedure varies from college to college. Let’s look at the admission procedure in most private agriculture colleges in Bhopal, like Mansarovar Global University.
- For Diploma courses, the admission criteria are just 10th pass and don’t require any entrance exams.
- For the B.Sc course, admission is mostly on a merit basis that considers either 12th marks or entrance exam scores.
- For the M.Sc course, the admission is mostly on a merit basis that considers either B.Sc marks or entrance exam scores.
Job roles after pursuing Agriculture courses:
In today’s world, there are a lot of job opportunities after completing agriculture courses. Here is the list of a few job positions after pursuing agriculture courses:
- Agricultural scientist
- Agricultural engineer
- Crop specialist
- Agronomist
- Food researcher
- Soil engineer
- Soil surveyor
- Horticulturist
- Food microbiologist
Conclusion:
As the population of the world keeps increasing exponentially, demand for food crops, cash crops, and much more increases drastically. To meet the requirements of the global population, farmers are the most important professionals. There will be a day when agriculture will be the top job with high incomes. So pursuing an agriculture course is an investment for a bright future.
Pursuing the right course at the right college is a boon for one’s career. Renowned institutions such as Mansarovar Global University, a private agriculture college in Bhopal offer extraordinary agriculture courses with outstanding field training and exposure.
Welcome to the agricultural arena students! Step your feet in the sand, there will be a day when farming will be at its peak and farmers will be praised.
FAQs:
- Do we have BTech courses for agriculture?
Yes, B.Tech in Agricultural Engineering is provided in a few colleges.
- Can students get placed in the food industry after pursuing a B.Sc in agriculture?
Yes, students can get placed in the food industry after pursuing a B.Sc in agriculture.
- Is B.Sc Agriculture semester or yearly mode in MGU?
B.Sc Agriculture at MGU is a semester mode four-year course.
- Can we pursue M.Sc Horticulture after B.Sc Agriculture?
Yes, students can pursue M.Sc Horticulture after B.Sc Agriculture.
- Does MGU provide well-equipped lab practices for students?
Yes, MGU provides exclusive lab practices for students with the most advanced and modernized equipment in the market.