Master's in Resilient Farming and Food Systems

The Master's in Resilient Farming and Food Systems is the new name of the Master's in Organic Agriculture (up until academic year 2022-2023).

The programme has a strong interdisciplinary character, studying sustainable food systems from both a natural and social science perspective. The courses are diverse in their topics as well as their teaching methods, which includes a.o. excursions, lectures, (field) practicals and group projects. More courses and detailed information can be found in the Study Handbook.

The first year starts of with core courses that focus on an integrated approach towards sustainable food systems and analytical skills: 

• Exploring the Future of Farming and Food (FSE21306) or Introduction to Organic Production Systems (FSE21806)
• Functional Agricultural Resource Management (PPS31806)
• The Politics of Food Systems Transformations (RSO34806)
• Advanced Statistics (MAT20306) or Interviews and Questionnaires: design and analysis (YRM31306) 

This is followed by a personalised selection of advanced courses to prepare for the Master Thesis and electives. Some of the popular courses among our students are: 

• Agroforestry (FEM32306)
• Analysing Sustainability of Farming Systems (PPS30806)
• Environmental Education and Learning for Sustainability (ELS31806)
• Future Livestock Systems (APS40306)
• Globalisation and Sustainability of Food Production and Consumption (ENP31806)
• The Sociology of Farming and Rural Life (RSO30806) 

Masterclass 

The Masterclass Resilient Farming and Food Systems (CSA33303) runs throughout the first year to create a community for MRF-students to critically reflect on farming and food systems and their own knowledge generation and learning process. 

Academic Master Cluster 

Students in the Master Plant Biotechnology can choose between Academic Consultancy training + Modular Skills Training or Research Master Cluster, depending on your preferred career path.  

Academic Consultancy Training (9ECTS) + Modular Skills Training (3ECTS) 

In the ACT course, teams of 5 to 8 students execute a transdisciplinary academic consultancy project for an external commissioner (for example governmental, private and civil society organisations). This might be the design of new technologies, policy papers, business strategies, regional development arrangements, communication plans or draft research plans for integrated research programmes. 

Furthermore, students select two MOS-modules to work on professional or academic skills of their preference, such as academic writing, negotiation skills or intercultural communication.  

Research Master Cluster (12ECTS) 

The course Research Master Cluster: Proposal Writing focuses on acquiring and improving students' professional skills in writing and defending a scientific PhD proposal. Students start the course with their own realistic scientific idea and develop it into an attractive grant proposal of high quality that will be defended before a jury of experts and peers. 

In their second year, students do a thesis project and an internship.

Thesis (36 ECTS)

In your thesis, you will perform a research project at one of the chair groups affiliated with the MRF programme. You will perform research (lab/field/literature), write a report and present your findings at the chair group.  

Internship (24 ECTS)

In your internship, you will work at an organisation outside the University. This way, you will gain work experience and get a taste of what kind of job you could do after graduating.  

After admission to the Master's in Resilient Farming and Food Systems, students choose a specialisation. This choice determines required courses, thesis topics, and the chair groups where research can be done. Study advisors can support this decision. More information on the specialisations can be found in the Study Handbook.  

Specialisations

• Agroecology
  This track responds to concerns about unsustainable farming, food safety, and environmental impacts. It emphasises ecological farming practices, especially important in low-income countries where farmers often lack access to external inputs. Students learn to design food systems that support biodiversity, climate resilience, and social justice.
• Thesis options: Animal Production Systems, Farming Systems Ecology, Crop Systems Analysis, Entomology, Plant Production Systems, Soil Biology.
• Sustainable Food Systems
  This track focuses on the social sciences of resilient food networks. It explores globalisation, sustainability of production and consumption, and the policies shaping organic production, processing, and marketing.
• Thesis options: Agricultural Economics & Rural Policy, Business Economics, Knowledge, Technology & Innovation, Education & Learning Sciences, Environmental Policy, Marketing & Consumer Behaviour, Rural Sociology, Business Management & Organisation. 

The master is experiential (learning by doing), authentic (departing from real-world issues and utilising real-life case studies), and interactive (involving multiple stakeholders and social learning). The courses are diverse in their topics as well as their teaching methods, including excursions, lectures, (field) practicals and group projects. In addition, students form a community of learners where they share their academic and professional expertise in an international classroom. 

At WUR, we believe that personal support drives success, and our study guidance is known for being highly accessible. We support students academically, professionally, and personally throughout their studies. Our study advisers help with monitoring study progress, choice of internship and thesis preparation. The study adviser is key contact for navigating your academic journey and aligning your studies with your career goals. All new students will be invited for an intake meeting with their study advisor before the start of the academic year to discuss your specialisation choice and course planning. 

The Master’s in Resilient Farming and Food Systems at Wageningen University focuses on rethinking farming and innovating food systems for sustainability and social impact. You combine the knowledge of (agro-)ecology, crop physiology and livestock systems with the newest developments in rural sociology and globalisation and sustainability of food production and consumption.  The Master's in Resilient Farming and Food Systems combines research with the application of new knowledge and is perfectly suited for students with a bachelor degree in Biology, or an agricultural bachelor from a university of applied sciences. 

Compare the programme in Wageningen 

• The Master's in Plant Sciences focuses on all aspects of the plant production chain. In order to study the refinement of new plant breeds and for the protection of plants against diseases and plagues, molecular biology and biotechnology is often applied in this study as well as in the master's Plant Biotechnology. The master's Plant Sciences is not limited to the molecular perspective, however, as research can also be conducted at a plant-, crop- or ecosystem level.
• The Master's Biobased Sciences aims at the development of biobased compounds and the transition towards a circular economy. It also combines natural sciences and social sciences in an interdisciplinary perspective. While Biobased Sciences involves using molecular tools to change gene expression or protein production in plants, the Master’s in Resilient Farming and Food Systems focuses on the ecosystem perspective to make agriculture and food systems more resilient, and to support societal transitions.   

Would you like to compare MSc in Resilient Farming a Food Systems to similar programmes at different universities? You can check out the numbers here.  

The programme prepares students for a wide range of positions in consultancy, policy, (social) entrepreneurship, or research & development that are related to land use, agroecology, and sustainable food systems on a global scale. Some job opportunities after graduation consist of: 

• Researchers;
• Consultants;
• Quality Assurance Officers;
• Extension Officers;
• Policy advisers, and more. 

This page specifically describes the previous knowledge and skills required for admission to the Resilient Farming and Food Systems programme. For the additional general admission requirements of Wageningen University & Research, application deadlines and the application procedure, visit How to apply for a master's programme?

Required knowledge and skills

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The master’s programme Resilient Farming and Food Systems combines natural sciences and social sciences for an interdisciplinary approach towards sustainable food systems. The admission requirements for the master's programme Resilient Farming and Food Systems are defined in such a way that students with either a natural science or social science bachelor should be able to successfully complete the programme nominally in two years. To comply, students should have sufficient knowledge on concepts and methodologies related to Sustainable agriculture (crop and animal) and sustainable food systems. For experimental design and analysis of experimental data, a solid basis in research methodology and statistics is necessary.

The criterion used for admission is:

a WUR BSc degree in Plant Sciences, Animal Sciences, or equivalent.

The norm for this equivalence is:

an assessment of the student’s experience with the following topics:

• Agricultural sciences (agronomy, agroecology, crop and animal production)
• Biology (physiology, organismal biology, ecology)
• Social sciences (for example management studies, rural development, human geography, sociology, economics)

And all the following topics:

• Statistics (formulate hypotheses for population means, t-tests, confidence intervals, binomial and normal distributions)
• Mathematics (calculus)
• Research methodology

Not all topics mentioned need to be mastered at the same level; they will be weighed by the Admission Board per individual application.

Method of assessment whether this norm is met

• Transcript of records displaying the content of previous course subjects and project work;
• Curriculum vitae displaying relevant work, internship and/or project experience on an academic level in a relevant field if applicable.

Scores attributed by the Admission Board

Admitted / not admitted / admitted under condition obtaining the BSc or MSc degree / not admitted with offer of pre-master,

You can apply for this Master's here.

Compensation of knowledge gaps

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

• a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
• a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the application & admission page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement.

Contact us through the contact button above to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.

Find out more about pre-master's programmes.

Admissible study programmes

Graduates from study programmes that may meet the knowledge requirements for Resilient Farming and Food Systems are for example: Crop Sciences, Animal Sciences, Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences.

Study programmes with knowledge gaps

Study programmes whose students may have to follow additional courses during the previous study programme or a pre-master to fulfil the knowledge requirements are for example: Forest and Nature Conservation, International land and Water Management, Management and Economics, and Nutrition and Health.

All information about the costs of this programme can be found on this page. 

Your student life is about more than just studying. Wageningen is a small, international student city surrounded by nature, where it’s easy to feel at home. With students from all over the world, there’s a strong sense of community both on and off the campus. Whether you enjoy cycling through nature, joining study or sports associations, or relaxing at cafés and events in the city centre, there’s something for everyone. The atmosphere is friendly and informal, making it easy to connect with others and balance your studies with social life.  

All information about student life in Wageningen can be found on this page.