M.Sc Agronomy course is a postgraduate programme of the duration of two years. The Master of Science course in agriculture is usually covered during four semesters, with each year having two semesters. The course trains students towards improving the agricultural practices and making agriculture sustainable so that it benefits both the consumer and the environment. With the increasing need of talent in the prominent agriculture sector in India, the course in agronomy is also taking leaps in terms of its demand among graduates.
The M.Sc Agronomy course is majorly offered as a full-time academic programme in most institutions. A few universities and institutes also offer this course on a part-time or distance learning basis. However, such options are not widely available. The course fee is quite affordable in most universities. The fee may vary from a few thousand rupees to INR 2 lakhs. This may depend on the university or institution you select, as well as the course quality and credibility. Students pursuing this course get a vast knowledge of different aspects of agriculture, such as soil and plant sciences, crop production, and scientific agriculture.
It is critical for students to have a passion for agriculture if they want to pursue higher education in agronomy. While the M.Sc Agronomy course has a vast scope in future, it is essential that students have the following basic skills to achieve success in the course:
Good scientific knowledge, especially in biology
Excellent mathematical and numerical skills
Focused mind with high concentration
Analytical ability
Logical and rational thinking
Problem-solving approach
Innovative and clear thinking
Some of the top universities in the country offer the M.Sc Agronomy course. There are private, as well as public institutions and universities that conduct this course in the full-time or distance learning mode. Bodies like UGC, AIU, AICTE, etc recognise these institutes. The course becomes more credible when ICAR or Indian Council of Agricultural Research recognises the institution offering the programme. ICAR is the body that coordinates agricultural education in India. Following are some of the top institutions that offer high-quality agronomy education in India:
College of Agriculture, Bikaner
SV Agricultural College, Tirupati
Uttaranchal College of Bio-Medical Sciences and Hospital, Dehradun
Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramoday Vishwavidyalaya, Madhya Pradesh
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
Agricultural College and Research Institute, Thoothukudi
Bundelkhand University, Uttar Pradesh
Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agricultural Vishwavidyalaya, Palampur
After completing post-graduation in Agronomy, students have a variety of career and job options. While they can enter the teaching arena, they can also perform agricultural research by joining research institutions. These institutions have openings for junior fellow researchers for fresh post-graduates. Further, there are positions of agricultural scientists and consultants in a variety of business firms and private companies.
Students can even join the government departments and agencies at relevant positions. Further, students finishing the M.Sc Agronomy course can explore job opportunities in seed companies, agricultural equipment manufacturing firms, farm services agencies, and businesses linked to land management. They can also join private firms and work in the areas of product development or applied research. Apart from this, several lawn care companies and nurseries require agricultural experts.
Whether it is the public sector or the private sector, those completing the M.Sc Agronomy course have several job options in both. They can fit in different job roles, such as those of farm managers, agronomists, and subject matter experts in agriculture. There are also roles like research testing associate, research associate, or project manager. Some students who want to become lecturers or teachers can find great options in colleges and agricultural universities. To improve their job prospects further, students can even pursue PhD in an area of agronomy. Through this, they will be able to secure senior job positions that require agronomy specialists.
Although there may be a few particular conditions of certain universities while admitting candidates to the M.Sc Agronomy course, following are the basic criteria that all universities and institutions require for admission in this course:
The candidate must possess a B.Sc degree in Agriculture or an equivalent degree from a recognised university. Most institutions will also require the candidate to have studied the subjects of biology, chemistry, and maths mandatorily.
The candidate should have secured a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in the qualifying examination, which is the graduation exam in this case. However, the percentage may vary by institution or candidate category.
While some institutions or universities admit candidates based on the merit of their graduation scores, most of them follow the entrance exam scores to offer admission in the M.Sc Agronomy course. Thus, students must make sure to know about the exam whose scores will be accepted by a particular institution to which they apply. Candidates must appear for the exam conducted by a specific university. They must appear for the national-level exam like ICAR AIEEA, provided its scores are acceptable to the institution they wish to join.
The M.Sc Agronomy course is a specialised programme in itself. Students do not get any other specialisation under this course. Still, the course gives them a complete understanding of the domain of agriculture. Students learn about everything ranging from food production techniques to food security. They receive detailed knowledge in areas like Genetics, Physiology, Biochemistry, Climatology, and Plant Breeding. They even learn about communicating with the public as well as farmers and scientists regarding a variety of agricultural methods and new developments in the field.
The M.Sc Agronomy course offers a detailed knowledge of aspects, such as agricultural economics and marketing, agricultural research practices, finance and project management, agricultural policies, soil management, nutrient management, water resources management, and agro-meteorology. By pursuing this course, students additionally get trained in the areas of crop production, dry land farming, watershed management, organic farming, crop ecology, weed management, soil conservation and system modelling. They receive both the theoretical and practical knowledge of agriculture during this course.