Graduate Study
Agribusiness and Rural Development

Study Programme Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Željka Mesić, PhD

Description

The graduate program in Agribusiness and Rural Development offers multidisciplinary knowledge and competences in a number of social sciences, especially economics and biotechnical sciences. Apart from the bio-technological sciences as a part of the course, it also offers application of economic, social studies within the field of agriculture: agricultural politics, farm management, marketing and market placement of agricultural products, economics and organization of production and agricultural sociology. Knowledge of management and marketing from the perspectives of agribusiness, agricultural politics and rural development is deepened.

After the completion of graduate program in Agribusiness and Rural Development a student can pursue a doctoral degree in the postgraduate study in Agricultural Economics, depending on the selection of elective modules, in all other doctoral programs at the Faculty of Agriculture, as well as at other similar studies in Croatia and abroad.

Objective

Based on current scientific knowledge and contemporary teaching process, students will be able to acquire generic and field specific competencies in order to interpret the economic and social role of agribusiness and rural development in national and international context, to define factors of success of agricultural and rural policy, management and marketing as well as the financial success of business systems in agribusiness. The objective is to train students to apply indicators for measuring rurality, solvency indicators for financial businesses and investment cost effectiveness, advanced statistical inferential methods, cost management, control and evaluation of project efficiency as well as socio-economic and management methods in problem solving and business decision-making. Furthermore, students are prepared for staring self-employment and managing diverse jobs in the field of agribusiness and rural development, while there is an increased need at the labour market for management and marketing specialists in agriculture who can manage professional and scientific, national and European projects. On the other hand, state and local government and self-government need experts in the field of agricultural policy and rural development.

Learning outcomes

1. Define agribusiness, rural entrepreneurship and rural development
2. Recognize and interpret economic and social role of agribusiness and rural development in national and international context
3. Define and describe success factors in agricultural and rural policy, management, marketing and financial operations of agribusiness systems
4. Recognize basic stakeholders in economic, and particularly rural development at local, regional and national level, their tasks, missions and interactions
5. Perceive specific features of rural and agrarian society and explain social processes and changes of rural society, as well as causes and consequences of technical , technologic and economic problems in agribusiness and rural development
6. Identify and apply indicators for measuring rurality, cost management methods in agribusiness, methods of project control and assessment of project efficiency
7. Select and apply socio-economic and management methods in problem solving and independent decision making in agricultural and rural sector
8. Analyse current situation, advantages and failures in agribusiness and rural development sector in order to create and suggest business and strategic plans
9. Estimate solvency of financial business and economic success of agribusiness, as well as quality and efficiency of administrative and institutional system in agribusiness
10. Give a critical estimations and suggestions for problem solutions in the field of management and marketing in agribusiness, agricultural and rural policy
11. Establish, organize and independently conduct a farm and/or participate in business activities in farms
12. Conduct expert and scientific, national and European projects and studies in particular segments of agribusiness and rural development
13. Confirm a high level of personal and team responsibility in fulfilling tasks and decision making, especially under unpredictable business, social and political conditions
14. Estimate and evaluate performances of attendants of agricultural training and specialization in the scope of agricultural economics, agribusiness, agricultural and rural policy and development
15. Utilize attained abilities of theoretical and practical learning in acquiring new knowledge and skills under formal and non-formal lifelong learning