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Master's degree (2 years)
Full time
Urban Agriculture

How do we get greener and more sustainable cities? Which social, technological and economical aspects are connected with urban food production? How may urban farming become more than plants grown in the city?

Apply here

Application deadline:

April 15th
International applicants:
December 1st

Start of Studies:

Autumn

Number of students:

20

Requirements:

Admission requirements is a Bachelor's degree (180 ECTS)

  • Requirements in detail

    Admission requirements is a Bachelor's degree (180 ECTS). To get proper, interdisciplinary student groups, students with backgrounds from different fields of study will be combined in a class. Many fields of study might be interesting, some examples may be Plant Sciences, Nature Sciences, Area Planning, Technology, Economy, Social Sciences (etc.). A background from all study programs at Bachelor's level at NMBU, or equivalent, is relevant.

    A motivation letter is mandatory for the admission process and must follow your application.

    All relevant candidates will go through a minor interview before admission.

    A weighted, average grade of minimum C (from the Bachelor's degree) is required at NMBU to be qualified for applying to Master's degrees.

    English language ability in accordance with the NMBU regulations

Ivrige urbane gartnere dyrker mat på et tak i storby
Urban agriculture with plants growing in a rooftop garden in a Chinese city.

Join us for the first Master's degree in urban farming in Scandinavia.

Urban farming is complex, and this education will make you capable at working with these complex and "wicked" problems, both within the public and private sector. Urban farming and sircular economy combine many fields, eg:

- green and living cities
- social integration
- public health
- spatial planning
- food production and organic farming
- the use of plants for both food and decoration
- husbandry in the city
- water and sanitation
- pollution
- sustainable environment and ecology
- the spread of pathogens (diseases)
- economy, business and entrepreneurs

The focus of urban agriculture is sustainable and green development of urban areas, circular economy (reuse of resources) and the ability to see the big picture in complex projects, where many different areas and professionals are involved. A succesfull cooperation between people within different areas of expertise, are getting more and more important, and this Master's degree will train you in communication, problem solving and cooperation.

Students are expected to be an active part of a group, contributing with their background knowledge to support the learning of all participants, and solving complex "wicked" problems relevant to urban farming. Learning the techniqes to achive a positive, rewarding interaction between all participants in a project will be an impotant part of this degree.

The education involves, and combines, different scientific areas, which gives you a good range in your knowledge and experience. As a student you also get the opportunity to focus on your specific interests with your choice of elective courses. The Master's degree is a cooperation between the University, the community, the public and the private sector, and will bring the students opportunities for closer cooperation with relevant connections.

 

Education plan

Download education plan for the master program 

Career opportunities

This Master's degree give the students training as problem solvers and knowledge within a huge range of different scientific areas, which make them relevant within all businesses related to the utilization of circular ressourses, spatial planning and urban farming. The students field of knowledge from their Bachelor's degree, and their choosen spesialization from their Master's degree, will be of importance for where they might find themselves in their future employment. Both positions as leaders and advisors/consultant within private and public sector are possible, both Nationally and Internationally. The Master's degree may also provide a good foundation for future entrepreneurs. Students may also be qualified for Ph.D's within relevant fields after their graduation.

  • Learning outcomes

    A candidate with a Master's degree in Urban Agriculture are expected to have the following learning outcomes, depending on specialization, defined in knowledge, skills and competences:

    Knowledge:

    • The student/candidate will have further developed his/her specialisation from the bachelor’s degree, and are able to expand his/hers competence within other areas, related to relevant problems within the field of urban agriculture
    • The student/candidate should be able to map and analyse different dimensions of complex systems in urban agricultural environments, especially related to plants and food production (safety and security). He/she should have knowledge of water, energy, pollution, urban planning, public health issues, blue-green structures, biological diversity, experiences, innovation, social sustainability, etc.
    • The student/candidate should be able to understand and develop the role of his/her area of expertise within complex urban agricultural systems

    Skills:

    • The student/candidate should have practical skills within urban cultivation of plants, and have knowledge about the significance of urban agriculture in all aspects of society and social development
    • The student/candidate should have developed the ability of independent learning, and to analyse the necessary need of knowledge to be able to solve complex and 'wicked' problems
    • The student/candidate should be able to analyse relevant problems, and decide the best methods and needs of knowledge to find good solutions to the problem
    • The student/candidate should have good and constructive skills to solve relevant problems
    • The student/candidate should be able to adjust his/her own competence to fit into an interdisciplinary collaboration
    • The student/candidate should be able to critically evaluate the benefits and disadvantages with urban agriculture in a social context and in a sustainable, environmental perspective
    • The student/candidate should be able to discuss with, and make himself/herself understood by, specialists within other areas of expertise, that use different terminology
    • The student/candidate should have the ability to reflect over one’s own, and others, disciplines and work
    • The student/candidate should be able to understand the importance and use of interdisciplinarity, and be able to plan, develop and implement processes adjusted to the assignment/task
    • The student/candidate should have ability to critically evaluate the importance and use of transdisciplinarity (the universities interdisciplinarity in collaboration with the society) in development and planning processes

    General competences:

    • The student/candidate should be able to use his/her knowledge and skills in new areas, to communicate with professionals within other disciplines, and in a constructive way cay out projects together
    • The student/candidate should be able to contribute to a sustainable development within urban environment and other issues connected with urban agriculture
    • The student/candidate should be able to read, understand and make use of knowledge from different sources, and critically evaluate its use and authencity
    • The student/candidate should under guidance be able to explore and carry out smaller, independent research projects/development projects in connection with urban agriculture, draw conclusions, suggest, and present the results in a constructive/appropriate way
    • The student/candidate should be able to understand, appreciate and make use of the need for diversity in competence in the associates and group members in a given project
  • Exchange possibilities

    The students plan their own study and composition of courses, and may get guidance from the study coordinator and leader of the program board if they wish. The first and second semester there is both mandatory and elective courses at NMBU. The third semester may be used for exchange if the student chooses a 30 ECTS Thesis. The fourth semester will in its entirety be used on the Thesis at NMBU.

    Several big universities in Europe and USA offers corresponding educations or study areas, and it will be relevant for the students within Urban Agriculture to go on exchange to these universities.

  • Program structure

    The Master's program is built upon transdisciplinary courses in Urban Agriculture, that will use research-based teaching methods. This will constitute 15 ECTS the first semester (MUA300) and will be continued the second semester with a 10 ECTS course (MUA301). Other mandatory courses will be a course in economics or leadership and a methodology course during the first year of study. The students can choose between a 30 or 60 ECTS master thesis.

    The rest of the courses is elective courses that the student choose in cooperation with the student coordinator, the Thesis supervisor and the leader of the program council. With a 30 ECTS Thesis, the student may also use the third semester for exchange. The fourth semester will in its entirely be used on the Thesis both in the case of a 30 and a 60 ECTS Thesis.

    Altogether the student will have at least 120 ECTS totally in the Master's degree, where at least 30 ECTS have to be at 300-level.

    The students may choose to build upon the subject of their Bachelor’s degree, or to broaden their knowledge within multiple areas that are relevant for Urban Agriculture. The knowledge the students get in their elective courses they are supposed to use towards the courses in Urban Agriculture, and in this way learn to use their knowledge in a group dynamic and through collaborative learning, where the students are expected to learn from each other and discover new knowledge together. In the end the students will bind together their new knowledge in a Thesis.

  • More about the program
    • Societal relevance

      The world is facing significant challenges such as climate change, overuse of resources, loss of biodiversity, land use, and urbanization, with complex issues that require multidisciplinary expertise. In the world's growing cities, there is a growing interest and concern among residents for food production, self-sufficiency, food security, circular use of resources, and sustainable development, challenging society to find innovative solutions. Currently, about half of the world's population lives in urban areas, a number expected to rise to 70% by 2050. This will increase the pressure to provide enough healthy and nutritious food for the urban population. The pressure on the Earth's land resources is significant, aiming to avoid using land areas that house rich biodiversity. Utilizing various types of land suitable for both small- and large-scale food production is a possible solution, requiring broad interdisciplinary expertise in collaboration with private and public stakeholders in a transdisciplinary interaction.

      NMBU has a long tradition of finding good, interdisciplinary solutions at the intersection of agriculture, urban and landscape planning, circular wastewater management, water and fertilizer handling, other technological innovations, and entrepreneurship. This expertise can be applied to urban agriculture, which involves a complex interplay of many disciplines: urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, ornamental and safe food cultivation, knowledge of livestock, composting and substrate, ecological understanding, fertilization, water management, waste cycles, energy cycles, circular economy, innovation, pollution, public health, etc. Several of NMBU's educational environments have received local and national awards for their innovative teaching. Many academic environments from the university's seven faculties, in collaboration with NMBU's learning center and external actors, have built upon this by jointly offering a transdisciplinary master's program in urban agriculture. Transdisciplinarity here is understood as "a new form of societal knowledge development that brings societal actors in and combines interdisciplinary with an active user perspective" according to Nenseth et al. (2010 p. 4). Here, students learn collaboration methodology and communication across academic environments, as well as between academic environments, business, and society. Students should have the opportunity to develop their own competence within and between different fields. Students are prepared for professional life with various methods that reflect what they may experience in a work context, with a holistic mindset, through actual, complex issues.

      NMBU's strategy towards 2030 is "Investing together in a sustainable future." NMBU has also developed a learning philosophy that provides the basis for an educational transformation with increasing emphasis on student-active learning. The master's program in urban agriculture is based on this mindset and will bring together both students and teachers from all NMBU environments that emphasize sustainable development, interdisciplinary collaboration, transdisciplinarity, cooperation, student-active learning, and continuous development of effective teaching methods as the basis for lifelong learning, which is one of NMBU's focus areas towards 2030.

      Graduates from this program will be highly relevant to the job market in public and private administration and business, where collaboration skills and interdisciplinary expertise are becoming increasingly important. Urban agriculture is mentioned in the Government's declaration from Granavolden: "Facilitate urban agriculture" (page 44, last point). This has led to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food now working on a national strategy for urban agriculture, County Governors doing the same in each region, and all seeking expertise from NMBU and the National Center for Urban Agriculture (NCUA) at NMBU. In addition, NCUA and academic environments regularly communicate with private actors (landscape planning, architecture firms, urban planning, developers, private interest organizations, etc.) seeking expertise in urban agriculture. NCUA and the working group envision that our master's candidates in urban agriculture will meet a significant need for interdisciplinary expertise and the ability to practically collaborate across disciplines in urban agriculture and the circular economy. Students will also acquire a working method that can be used in all transdisciplinary projects across disciplines.

    • Learning activities

      Student courses in the master's program are structured around research-based learning methods and are based on pedagogical principles used in several award-winning learning environments at NMBU. This will enable students, in addition to traditional lectures, exercises, semester assignments, field courses, and laboratory work, to engage in new learning activities such as:

      "Transdisciplinary collaborative group work" (TSG)

      Mentoring

      Digital teaching, -group work and -seminars

      Student active learning

      Facilitated learning

      Reflection

      Exchange

      Internship

      The teaching methods will at all-time be under evaluation, and be developed based on the current issues that is worked on, the students feedback and the teachers/facilitators experiences with the courses over time.

    • Examination

      The students will experience different types of evaluation during their studies. In addition to the traditional types of evaluation, e.g. oral, or written exams, mandatory activities, exercises, assignments and reports, the students within Urban Agriculture will also experience other types of evaluation.

      Through collaboration learning the students will be made responsible for their own and their groups learning. The students will have to evaluate their own learning, both their own gain, and their own contribution to the others learning, through written reports. To be able to do this, the students will have to increase their consciousness about both their own and others way of learning. Reflection will be used to achieve this, and a reflection diary (-report) will be mandatory for each student. Mid-term assessment will also be used through the system of "mentoring".

      Together with their own and other students’ evaluation during the course, the students will regularly have feedback on different types of academic work both from lecturers, teachers, and external resources. A form of folder assessment will be developed, where also the reflection diary/report, and the student’s own evaluation of the learning process and the professional development will be included. A good pedagogical system for folder assessment and feedback will be developed, so the students experience increased learning also of the assessment and may use these for increased professional development through the course of the study.

      The Master's Thesis will be defended and discussed with the student and censors before a final grade is given.

    • Information for students from partner universities

      The Courses within Urban Agriculture will be offered in Norwegian and will be open to all students at NMBU. From admission 2024, the program will also be offered in English for international students.

      For other relevant courses, students may choose from courses offered at NMBU. Lists with examples on relevant courses will be available to help the students see the opportunities, and these may also be relevant for the incoming exchange students (or students from other study programs). Guidance in course selection will be offered by the study coordinator/advisor and the leader of the program board.

Study advisor(s):