Agricultural Sciences
Degree
Mono-bachelor (Bachelor of Science, B. Sc.)
Please also note the ‘Bachelor’s and Master’s courses’ FAQ.
Length of study
Standard time for completing course 6 semesters
Start of study
Cf. course catalogue
Prerequisites for study
- General or restricted university admission qualification
- or?access without university admission qualification (Abitur)?in accordance with section 11 of the Berlin Higher Education Act
Course structure
In total 180 credit points (CP*) are required
Mandatory Modules: 126 CP (including bachelor’s thesis)
Mandatory Elective Modules: 36 CP
General Elective Modules: 18 CP
*One credit point (CP) equals a workload of 25 - 30 hours for preparation, follow-up and attendance at classes.
Course objective
The aim of the degree program is to prepare students for professional activities in the agricultural and horticultural sector. Students will be able to contribute to solving ecological, biological, technical, economic and social problems in the fields of horticulture and agriculture as well as related fields of activity. They have the necessary basic knowledge of natural sciences, engineering, economics and social sciences and practice-oriented specialist knowledge from the sub-areas of agricultural and horticultural sciences, in particular plant sciences, engineering, economics and social sciences. Students have an interdisciplinary understanding of the interrelationships in resource-conserving and climate-friendly agricultural and horticultural production systems in a social context.
Successful completion of the degree program qualifies students for a wide range of activities in horticultural and agricultural enterprises. In particular, successful graduates have specialist knowledge required for the Master's programs in order to qualify for further professional fields as well as for scientific activities in relation to sustainability in food production.
Why study Agricultural Sciences at HU?
The degree program is set up as a full-time course. Lectures, seminars and tutorials are usually held in person and are supplemented by digital offerings. The HU operates experimental areas and greenhouses that are located in or near the city and can be reached by public transport. Students of agricultural and horticultural sciences should be flexible and versatile.? Hardly any other study course leads to so many different areas of employment in practice, in science, services and consulting at home and abroad - e.g. in marketing or quality assurance, as well as in civil society organizations, authorities and offices.
The framework conditions for agricultural and horticultural production are changing dramatically: rising temperatures, extreme drought, heavy rainfall and changes in flora and fauna are creating problems around the world that agricultural and horticultural scientists can help to overcome. Against the backdrop of increasing demand for food, but also for energy crops and renewable raw materials, we are faced with fundamental questions: How do we deal with nature? How do we obtain grain, vegetables, eggs, milk, meat, fish and other products in sufficient quantity and quality? How do we ensure animal welfare? How do we preserve natural resources such as healthy soil, clean water and clean air? How do we preserve biodiversity? How can farms still operate profitably in the face of increasing demands for multifunctionality? How much bureaucratic regulation do we need? How important is agricultural production from the view of the society? What prospects do technical innovation, AI and digitalization offer us??
By studying Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, students acquire the necessary interdisciplinary key qualifications for a broad and constantly changing professional field and learn to critically classify, evaluate and communicate the knowledge they have acquired.
Course content
The best way to find information about course content is using the annotated lecture catalogue. Find it online at u.hu-berlin.de/vorlesungsverzeichnis. You’ll find module descriptions, the course curriculum and other details in the course and examination regulations, available online at www.amb.hu-berlin.de, no. 83/2014, 1st revision no. 15/2023, 2nd revision no. 53/2023, 3rd revision no. 02/2024. For the Agricultural Sciences bachelor’s course curriculum, see the appendix. The timing of the module shown here is the currently proposed course structure. This may change - please contact the faculty! Students are free to individually design their own courses.
Mono-bachelor's course with 180 CP
Mandatory modules (126 CP)
| Module | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| PM 1 | Fundamentals of Biochemistry | 5 CP |
| PM 2 | Fundamentals of Physics and Meteorology | 5 CP |
| PM 3 | Plant Biology | 5 CP |
| PM 4 | Animal Biology | 5 CP |
| PM 5 | Introduction to Economics | 5 CP |
| PM 6 | Agroecology | 5 CP |
| PM 7 | Soil Science | 6 CP |
| PM 8 | Agricultural and Horticultural Technology | 6 CP |
| PM 9 | Genetics and Plant Breeding | 6 CP |
| PM 10 | Analyses and Planning of Agricultural Business | 6 CP |
| PM 11 | Mathematics and Statistics | 6 CP |
| PM 12 | Phytomedicine I: Fundamentals of Phytomedicine | 6 CP |
| PM 13 | Plant Nutrition and Fertilization | 6 CP |
| PM 14 | Agricultural Policy | 6 CP |
| PM 15 | Agriculture and Plant Cultivation | 6 CP |
| PM 16 | Animal Feed and Animal Feed Science | 6 CP |
| PM 17 | Livestock Farming | 6 CP |
| PM 18 | Fundamentals of Agricultural Marketing | 6 CP |
| PM 19 | Environmental and Resource Economics | 6 CP |
| PM 20 | Animal Breeding and Animal Genetics | 6 CP |
| ? | Bachelor's Thesis | 12 CP |
Mandatory elective modules (36 CP)
The mandatory elective modules are divided into a priority area? (18 CP) and a complementary area (18 CP).
Priority Area (18 CP)
Students must select one course with 6 CP out of each module pool.
Module pool I: Basics of empirical research
| Module | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| FWM S 1 |
Biometry |
6 CP |
| FWM S 2 | Econometrics | 6 CP |
Module pool II: Politics and markets
| Module | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| FWM S 3 | Fundamentals of Market and Policy Analysis | 6 CP |
| FWM S 4 | Structural Transformation and Rural Areas | 6 CP |
| FWM S 5 | World Markets of the Agricultural and Food Sector | 6 CP |
Module pool III: Natural resources and quality
| Module | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| FWM S 6 | Supply and Exploitation of Biogenic Resources | 6 CP |
| FWM S 7 | Grassland and Forage Farming | 6 CP |
| FWM S 8 | Quality Dynamics and Quality Assurance for Fruits and Vegetables | 6 CP |
| FWM S 9 | Plant Protection | 6 CP |
Complementary area (18 CP)
Within the complementary area students must choose modules with a total of 18 CP. The courses can be chosen from the modules FWM E1 - FWM E 45 listed below or from the module catalogues of other Natural and Life Science Faculty's subjects. Alternatively students can choose courses from the faculty's mandatory elective modules (priority area).
| Module | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| FWM E 1 | Problem-orientated work (Bridge module) | 6 CP |
| FWM E 2 | Agricultural Meteorology | 6 CP |
| FWM E 3 | Agricultural Project Workshop | 6 CP |
| FWM E 4 | Applied Phytomedicine | 6 CP |
| FWM E 5 | Selected Systems of Forest Management | 6 CP |
| FWM E 6 | Apiculture | 6 CP |
| FWM E 7 | Soil Utilisation Systems | 6 CP |
| FWM E 8 | Soil Protection I | 6 CP |
| FWM E 9 | Soil Protection II | 6 CP |
| FWM E 10 | Botanical Identification Courses | 6 CP |
| FWM E 11 | Fertilizer and Fertilization | 6 CP |
| FWM E 12 | Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | 6 CP |
| FWM E 13 | Nutrition, Health and Consumer Protection | 6 CP |
| FWM E 14 | Fishing Business Operations | 6 CP |
| FWM E 15 | Open Land Floriculture | 6 CP |
| FWM E 16 | Forage Farming and Exploitation Systems | 6 CP |
| FWM E 17 | Forage Conservation | 6 LP |
| FWM E 18 | Forage Plant Botany | 6 CP |
| FWM E 19 | Horticultural Plant Production and Agriculture | 6 CP |
| FWM E 20 | Greenhouse Technology | 6 CP |
| FWM E 21 | Basics of Controlling | 6 CP |
| FWM E 22 | Trade and Service Business Administration | 6 CP |
| COM 23 | Introduction to Aquaculture | 6 CP |
| FWM E 24 | Methods and Methodology of scientific work | 6 CP |
| FWM E 25 | Molecular and Population Genetics | 6 CP |
| FWM E 26 | Natural Environment and Agricultural Site Structuring | 6 CP |
| FWM E 27 | Farm Animal Biology | 6 CP |
| FWM E 28 | Organic Farming | 6 CP |
| FWM E 29 | Organic Fruit Growing | 6 CP |
| FWM E 30 | Horse Breeding and Feeding | 6 CP |
| FWM E 31 | Phytomedicine Report: Basics | 6 CP |
| FWM E 32 | Quality Assurance of Tropical/ Subtropical Fruits and Vegetables | 6 CP |
| FWM E 33 | Horticultural and Agricultural Accounting | 6 CP |
| FWM E 34 | Reproductive Biology of Agricultural Farm Animals | 6 CP |
| FWM E 35 | Special Horticultural Plant Cultivation | 6 CP |
| FWM E 36 | Habitat Ecology I | 6 CP |
| FWM E 37 | Habitat Ecology II | 6 CP |
| FWM E 38 | Student Project | 6 CP |
| FWM E 39 | Horticultural and Agricultural Open Land Production Technology? | 6 CP |
| FWM E 40 | Animal Product Processing Technology | 6 CP |
| FWM E 41 | Animal Feed and Ration Balancing | 6 CP |
| FWM E 42 | Process Engineering and Agronomical Problems with Timber Cultivation | 6 CP |
| FWM E 43 | Process Engineering Exercises (Animal Farming) | 6 CP |
| FWM E 44 | Agricultural Water Management | 6 CP |
| FWM E 45 | Protected Cultivation of Ornamental Plants | 6 CP |
General elective modules (18 CP)
In addition to specialised study, Students acquire subject-specific, non-specialist and interdisciplinary key qualifications of 18 CP. The general elective modules can be chosen from the module catalogues of other subjects or central institutions (see: http://agnes.hu-berlin.de/). Alternatively students can choose courses from the faculty's mandatory elective modules.
General elective course offerings for students coming from other courses of studies
| Module | Description | Size |
|---|---|---|
| PM 14 ?F | Agricultural Policy | 10 CP |
| PM 15 ?F | Agriculture and Plant Cultivation | 10 CP |
| FWM E 4 | Applied Phytomedicine for Biologists | 10 CP |
| FWM E 7 | Soil Utilisation Systems | 10 CP |
| FWM E 28 | Organic Farming | 10 CP |
Master
The faculty offers a wide range of internationally-oriented master’s courses:
Agricultural Economics
Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Horticultural Science
Integrated Natural Resource Management
Process and Quality Management.
You will find more information in the ‘Course catalogue’.
Important addresses
Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute for Horticultural and Agricultural Sciences: Invalidenstr. 42, 10115 Berlin,?www.agrar.hu-berlin.de, Tel. +49 30 2093-46300
Course Advisory Service?(also contact for approval and classification?in higher semester): Dr. Krocker, phone +49 030 2093-6326, manfred.krocker@agrar.hu-berlin.de
Applications: www.hu-berlin.de/de/interessierte
Links to job market: Federal Employment Office Berufenet (http://berufenet.arbeitsagentur.de/berufe/ - tip: type ‘Agricultural Sciences’ into the search screen, select a profession), careers information centre (http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/web/content/DE/BuergerinnenUndBuerger/ArbeitundBeruf/Berufswahl/Berufsinformationszentren/index.htm), employment market reports (http://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de/Navigation/Statistik/Arbeitsmarktberichte/Akademiker/Akademiker-Nav.html),Hochschulteam calendar of events (http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/web/content/DE/dienststellen/rdbb/berlinmitte/Agentur/BuergerinnenundBuerger/Akademiker/index.htm)
Version: April 2025
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Contact for questions or feedback regarding this page:?studienberatung@uv.hu-berlin.de