Educational objectives
Knowledge and Understanding -->
- Comprehensively analyze mountain farms in terms of economic performance and the impact of production on natural resources and the environment
- Integrate social, environmental, productive, and economic aspects into the development of mountain farms, including the sustainable development of tourism and local products
- Recognize new fields of work and opportunities for the economic development of mountain farms
- Evaluate typical mountain farming operations and their impact on society and design the most appropriate development strategies
- Actively participate in research projects in the field of mountain agriculture
- Collaborate with other professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, and natural sciences
- Work in interdisciplinary, national, and international teams
- Facilitate stakeholder participation in the sustainable development of mountain farms
- Identify new employment and economic development opportunities for mountain farms
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding -->
Graduates of the Master's degree program (Master SAM) are equipped with a solid scientific and technical foundation that enables them to address and solve complex problems. Thanks to their scientific and technical training in agriculture, economics, and management, graduates are able to develop analyses and plans for the development and management of agricultural businesses in mountainous regions, taking into account their specificity and multifunctionality (ecosystem services). In these specialized fields, graduates are able to coordinate interdisciplinary groups in the agricultural sector.
The ability to apply acquired specialized knowledge is achieved through critical reflection on the course materials and classroom learning activities, complemented by case study analysis and practical exercises conducted by instructors. Furthermore, practical exercises in the laboratory, computer, and field are included, as well as field trips, literature research, the development of individual and/or group projects, and the preparation of the final thesis.
The assessment of success (oral and written exams, seminar reports) and the exercises are designed in such a way that graduates must demonstrate mastery of the work tools, the methods learned, and a critical and independent way of working.
Autonomy of judgement -->
- identify new job and economic development opportunities for mountain farms;
- analyze data and information to independently assess the quality and effectiveness of results obtained in designing strategies to manage difficulties.
- make independent decisions on professional issues. These may specifically concern the feasibility of agricultural projects.
- evaluate quality assurance systems for agricultural products, including those in the tourism sector, and the methods for defining internal and external quality criteria.
- plan activities and strategies based on predefined objectives, taking into account timeframes and methods.
Communication Skills -->
Graduates will be able to work professionally in one or more foreign languages. Mandatory courses and elective courses are taught in English. Additionally, some elective courses may be offered in Italian or German. In accordance with unibz's trilingualism policy, the unibz Language Centre offers the opportunity to take extracurricular courses (levels A1-C1) in Italian and German.
Graduates will be able to communicate fluently with other professional groups they work with and will be able to participate in European projects with foreign partners thanks to the international focus of the Master's program. Written and oral communication skills are promoted through seminars, excursions, exercises, and teaching activities, which include the preparation of reports and written documents and their oral presentation in English and, where appropriate, in Italian and German in elective subjects. The aforementioned communication skills are also acquired and assessed/verified through the writing of the final thesis and its defense in English. The master's degree program also promotes the acquisition of additional language skills in German and Italian. This should enable graduates to successfully enter the international job market (e.g., Austria-Switzerland-Italy-Germany).
Learning Capacity -->
Graduates will be able to manage complex projects thanks to the specialized knowledge acquired during their studies. They will be able to continuously expand and update the specialized knowledge acquired during their studies. They will learn to use the most modern methods to competently perform analyses, project planning, and management measures in their professional lives. Graduates will be able to use various information systems to further their cultural and professional development. They will also be able to choose the methods and training paths best suited to their cultural and professional development. Graduates will be able to manage complex projects thanks to the specialized knowledge acquired during their studies. They will be able to continuously expand and update the specialized knowledge acquired during their studies. They will learn to use the most modern methods to competently perform analyses, project planning, and management measures in their professional lives. Graduates will be able to use various information systems to further their cultural and professional development. They will also be able to choose the methods and training paths best suited to their cultural and professional development.
Learning skills are encouraged throughout the degree program. Special emphasis is placed on individual study, especially in completing group work on proposed topics. This skill is enhanced during compulsory lectures, which include group work, and subsequently in the preparation of the final thesis. Learning progress is assessed regularly throughout the courses and during the preparation of the final thesis. Specifically, this practice-oriented program involves working in small groups (3-5 students) on a shared project (e.g., a plan for the development of agricultural businesses in mountain areas), from the initial stages (development of objectives and measures, collection of available data) to cooperation with various stakeholders (e.g., public administration, mountain agriculture advisory center, farmers' association), which also includes communication activities for agriculture and society. The projects are carried out under the supervision of two or more professors, with exchanges between students and the private companies and/or public authorities involved.
Learning skills are assessed through continuous assessment during the learning units and in the preparation of the final thesis.
Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Display basic knowledge of underlying theories and concepts of sustainable tourism development and the production and marketing of regional/local products (Knowing and Understanding)
2. Understand economic disparities and their implications for rural development (Knowing and Understanding).
3. Identify market opportunities in sustainable tourism and regional/local product development
4. Check feasibility of projects; formulate project objectives, deliverables, exclusions, and limits (Applying).
5. Plan and implement project activities professionally (Applying).
6. Detect and evaluate social, ecological and economic opportunities and threats of rural development (Judging).
7. Assess critically project management documents and processes (Judging).
8. Assess the impact of development initiatives (Judging).
9. Plan implementation initiatives (Applying).
10. Build rural innovation partnerships to assure the success of such projects (Applying).
11. Apply methods and tools for creating rural development strategies (Applying).