M.Sc in Agriculture is a Post-graduate course in scientific process of agriculture and agricultural studies.  A candidate has to be a B.Sc graduate in Agriculture/ Horticulture/ Forestry from a recognised university in order to be eligible for this course. 

M.Sc Agriculture is a two year program which has many specializations and has a similar course by the name M.Tech in Agriculture Engineering.  The mode of admission is mostly through an Entrance Examination.

The average tuition fee for the entire course ranges between 50,000 thousand INR to 1.5 Lakhs INR.

M.Sc Agriculture graduates can obtain jobs in Research labs, food beverage and dairy industries, academic institution etc. and work as Agricultural Scientist, Research Scientist, Lecturer/professor, agricultural officer etc. A fresh graduate of this course can expect an average annual salary of 1 Lakh INR to 2.5 Lakhs INR.

Duration

This course is completed over the duration of two years and four semesters.

About the Course

Agriculture is an important sector for the Indian economy. This course deals with the scientific knowledge of agriculture and farming techniques and skills. Farming and agriculture has changed a lot from primary to modern ways and courses like M.sc Agriculture are helping make innovations in the farming industry as well as make good career options for students today.  

Difference between M.Sc Agriculture and M.Tech Agricultural Engineering

The basic difference between the two is that one is a science discipline stream while other is engineering stream.

M.Tech in Agricultural Engineering is about agriculture, food processing and agricultural machinery. The course heavily deals in the technical aspects of agriculture like ‘Production technology of field crops’.

M.sc in Agriculture is about scientific knowledge of agriculture and farming like plant genetics and breeding, soil science, agricultural economics etc.

Specialization

M.sc in Agriculture is a course which specializes in 12 sub-disciplines. It is often that students would find this course with a specialization and not as a whole. Hence, it is important to know what these specializations are. M.sc Agriculture specializations are as follows:

• Agronomy
• Biotechnology
• Agricultural Economics & Farm Management
• Plant Physiology
• Entomology
• Extension Education
• Horticulture
• Plant Breeding & Genetics
• Plant Pathology
• Soil Science & Agricultural Chemistry
• Forestry
• Food Science & Technology

Where to study?

M.sc in Agriculture is a course which is mostly found with its specialization. The top colleges for M.sc in Agriculture are as follows:

• Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
• Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad
• Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
• Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Pune

Academic Options after M.Sc in Agriculture

After this Masters course, students can opt for M.Phil and Ph.D in Agriculture from colleges like Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal, Jawaharlal Nehru University etc.

Aspirants seeking admission to 2 year Full-time M.Sc Program should meet the following criteria as specified by the institute.

Academic Requirement:

Candidate should have passed Bachelor’s degree from a recognized Universities. 

Entrance Exam:

Candidates must qualify entrance examination for admission to M.Sc degree courses at IARI is undertaken by the Education Division of ICAR and on the basis of the merit, the ICAR finalizes the admission for M.Sc. degree courses in 26 disciplines at IARI.