Harper Adams University

Harper Adams University is the UK's leading specialist in the university sector for agriculture and the wider rural industries. The institution was established 110 years ago when Thomas Harper Adams bequeathed his Shropshire estate, with a vision of creating an outstanding centre of education where knowledge and skills could be made, shared, and used to drive forward the land-based industries and rural communities.

Harper Adams today is a vibrant university with an enviable academic reputation and a beautiful single campus location based in the heart of Shropshire. Of particular note:-

• University College of the Year in the Sunday Times University Guide for six years running (2007-2013)
• Top for graduate employment (The Sunday Times)
• More than 4,500 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, short-courses, employer based and research programmes
• Award winning sustainable developments
• 70% of research recognised internationally or considered 'internationally excellent' (RAE 2008)
• Working in partnership with over 400 businesses
• 46% of undergraduate programmes accredited by professional bodies

Harper Adams University is the outstanding provider of higher education in its field.

Outstanding postgraduate education

Our flexible approach allows students to choose from around 25 taught programmes full or part-time, from one to four years. Programmes can be tailored to meet individual needs with a personalised programme created from around 50 module choices. Many postgraduate students combine study with paid employment. Postgraduate scholarships are available.

The Harper Adams postgraduate programmes have been designed to allow you to develop your personal and vocational aspirations and/or to supplement your own company's development programmes. The flexible learning format enables postgraduate students to combine studies with a busy work or domestic schedule.

Studying for a postgraduate award is challenging, but benefits include:

• Increased awareness of recent developments, best practice and latest research within a subject area
• Improved understanding of facts, concepts and principles and a development of knowledge in specialist areas
• Development of skills required to deal with complexity and uncertainty when applying managerial, scientific, technical or economic solutions to problems
• Development of personal autonomy and responsibility and the ability to critically evaluate one's own work and that of others

To find out more go to: www.harper-adams.ac.uk/postgraduate

Outstanding academic provision

Animal Production, Welfare and Veterinary Sciences Department

The Animals Department is currently composed of teaching and technical staff and is involved in the following areas: Animal Science, Animal Husbandry, Animal Health & Veterinary Nursing and Food and Food Science & Ethics. The department contributes to all the programme areas delivered by the university, principally to the Agricultural related courses and in particular the Animal related courses.

Food Science and Agri-food Supply Chain Management

The Department operates a number of business courses as well as providing business and management input to other courses across the university. The department comprises staff with considerable industrial as well as academic experience who support modules ranging from finance, human resource management, marketing and economics through to consulting and entrepreneurship.

Crops and Environment Science Department

Staff are responsible for the teaching of crop science, crop production and conservation on the range of courses offered by the university. As the courses are all industry relevant and much of the research is funded commercially, links with industry and the professions are strong. Members of staff have developed a wide range of short courses for the agricultural industry in addition to the full-time provision, often based on their research interests. New courses are under active development.

Members of the Crops Department staff undertake research in:

• Crop protection
• Crop physiology
• Crop biotechnology
• Plant nematology

Engineering Department

To support the population of the world and to provide for the growing expectations across the globe, it will become increasingly necessary to improve the way we manipulate our environment.The Rough Terrain Engineering industry provides the vehicles and equipment to increase the efficiency of agriculture and improve the infrastructure. The Engineering Department at Harper Adams exists to teach and research in the area of engineering and especially agricultural engineering, it is the only agricultural engineering department in the country.

The department is concerned with the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the countryside. Courses focus on aspects of land use, care of the countryside, farm and rural business management and environmental technologies with particular emphasis on contemporary topical developments. All industrial sectors operating from rural-based locations are considered, from agricultural and farm-based businesses to leisure, tourism and event management.

The Rural Affairs and Environment Department undertakes academic and applied research and development in a number of areas:

• Professional Rural Land Management
• Rural Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability
• Agricultural Policy and Agribusiness
• Rural Business Management and Risk Analysis
• Events, Leisure and Tourism in the Countryside

Outstanding environment

The rural campus includes not only the traditional university teaching buildings and student residences but also a commercial farm of more than 550 hectares. The farm is used for both teaching and research and includes grass, maize, stewardship crops and all the major animal enterprises. It has also recently undergone a multi-million pound development, including the expansion of the dairy, pig and poultry units.

A new Postgraduate Centre was recently developed providing postgraduate students with their own professional space. This building houses teaching and break-out rooms as well as communal spaces where students can work in groups or independently in a more informal setting. The centre is conveniently located directly opposite the Bamford Library building. This is also a recent development, representing a £3 million investment in some of the best teaching and learning facilities available.

The most recent addition is the Faccenda student centre which was opened in 2011. This was made possible through a donation of £0.5 million from Robin Faccenda, chairman of major poultry producer, The Faccenda Group. This provides a one-stop-shop for all students, including postgraduates, for student services and support - the Students Union is also based here.

Other recent developments include the development of new poultry facilities, a small animal's centre, veterinary nursing unit, dairy unit, countryside and environment centre and new halls of residence. The investment doesn't stop here. Work is just about to commence on a new conference centre and a new education centre.

Outstanding Internationalisation

Harper Adams has a thriving international student community, hosting students from around 30 different countries including China, India, Ukraine and Nigeria. This is confidently expected to increase with the development of a new internationalisation strategy to establish new relationships with academic institutions overseas.

More than half of our research students are from overseas, many of whom are working on projects that will make a significant difference to agri-food production methods in developing countries.

For more information see: www.harper-adams.ac.uk/prospective/international/

Web: www.harper-adams.ac.uk
Tel: 01952 820280