Sustainable International Agriculture

The Sustainable International Agriculture (SIA) program is a joint Master of Science degree offered by the University of Göttingen and the University of Kassel-Witzenhausen. It is designed for students aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture worldwide. The program provides a comprehensive understanding of biophysical and socioeconomic factors influencing agricultural systems, global ecosystems, and their relationship with agriculture, as well as social, professional, and methodological expertise. The program is internationally oriented and taught in English.

The program offers three specialization profiles:

• International Agribusiness and Rural Development Economics: Focuses on analyzing socioeconomic interactions in agriculture using quantitative and qualitative methods.




• International Organic Agriculture: Offers a focus on organic agriculture, covering soil, crop, and animal sciences, as well as environmental, social, and economic sciences.




• Tropical Agricultural and Agroecosystems Sciences: Aims to train professionals in sustainable agricultural land use of integrated tropical and subtropical agro-ecosystems.

Graduates can pursue careers in European and international agricultural administration and consultancy, organic agriculture, economic sectors related to agriculture, international organizations, and science and research.

The program spans 4 semesters (2 years) and requires the completion of 120 ECTS credits. The curriculum includes compulsory modules, elective compulsory modules, and elective modules. The fourth semester is dedicated to the Master's thesis and colloquium.

The program structure includes:

• Fifteen modules with 6 ECTS each




• Master's thesis in the 4th semester with 22.5 ECTS




• Colloquium with 7.5 ECTS

Each specialization profile has specific requirements regarding the number and type of compulsory and elective modules.