The programme of the Master in Advanced Techniques in Agricultural and Food Research and Development intends to introduce university students into the research in such field. The programme is based on research carried out by the Higher Technical School of Agriculture Engineer on the one hand, and on the other hand on the technological development of the Spanish agricultural and food sector.
This Master programme has as its main goal the qualifying of researchers in the area of agricultural and food development, since all the present indicators point at the need for an increase in the critical mass of researchers in this area in the EU; despite the fact that agriculture, from production to processing and manufacturing, is a wide field in which to research and innovate. There exist some horizontal tools that allow us to train students with excellent technical skills, and that can be applied to a wide range of areas such as environment, genetics, animal and vegetal improvement, food processing or pest control. On these grounds we have been led to draw up a Master programme that has four clearly defined modules: one with methodology courses and three with basic courses.
The students who follow the proposed Master programme should become university experts in research and development in the agricultural and food field.

• Biotechnology.
• Postharvest.
• Mediterranean Agriculture.
• Crop protection.
• Soil technology.
• Genomic.
• Handling of Irrigation.
• Food Safety.
• Animal Genetics.
• Soil Management.
• PhytoGenetic Resources.

NAME OF THE GROUP	DEPARTMENT
Agro chemistry, Substrate and Soil Technology and Management	Agriculture Science and Technology
Physiology of stress in plants	Agriculture Science and Technology
Vegetal Genetics and Biology	Agriculture Science and Technology
Management, Exploitation and Recovering of Soil and Water	Agriculture Science and Technology
Animal Production	Agriculture Science and Technology
Design, Automation, and Control of Irrigation and Greenhouses	Engineering of Food and Agricultural Equipments
Cold Engineering and Microbial Control	Engineering of Food and Agricultural Equipments
Postharvest and Refrigeration	Engineering of Food and Agricultural Equipments
Crop Protection	Vegetal Production
Soil-Water-Plant	Vegetal Production
Mediterranean Horticulture and Flower Growing	Vegetal Production

The present Master programme emerges from the PhD programme "Advanced Techniques in Agricultural and Food Research and Development", which was conceded the Quality Mention by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education in 2005 (and it has been extended). The programme has also been validated by the Ministry of Science and Education for the period 2009-2010.
The Region of Murcia differs from other regions and communities in the high percentage of agricultural activity. The evolution of such activity depends, to a great extent, on maintaining a competence based on knowledge, and so the graduates should be a system of continuous technological transference.
With this aim, the Master programme is integrated by four different modules:

• Research Methods.
• Agricultural and Food Biotechnology.
• Technology and Engineering of Vegetal Production.
• Technology and Engineering of Food.

And together with the 23 subjects they make a total of 92 ECTS credits.
The syllabus is simple; the students must get a total of 60 ECTS credits, with the aim of obtaining the Master degree title (Royal Decree 1393/2007). Such Master is made up of 32 ECTS credits divided in courses, 8 ECTS credits in training periods for companies, and 20 ECTS credits in the final Master assignment or project.