The recent problems of animal disease in the agriculture sector have not diminished the need for agriculture graduates, quite the opposite in fact, according to Professor Joseph Mannion, dean of the faculty of agriculture in UCD.
"On the surface it could be seen as a threat to employment but BSE and foot-and-mouth only emphasise the need for highly qualified scientists to tackle issues of food safety and quality, to work on improving animals resistance to disease and ensure that animals are produced in a safe way. Agriculture is changing all the time so there is a need for specialists with the most up-to-date skills possible."
In response to the trends in the sector a decision was made in the early 1990s to diversify the bachelor of agricultural Science course in UCD. There are now nine different programmes within the degree. These are: animal and crop production, animal science, agriculture and rural development, agricultural and environmental science, food science and engineering technology, horticultural science, landscape horticulture, and forestry.
Mannion says few students take the course with a view to becoming farmers. "Only 5 per cent of our graduates go back to run the farm. People who want to be farmers, in the main, go to Teagasc." Those taking the degree who intend to go back to the farm usually wish to combine farming with off farm work in some area of agriculture.
The degree offers more career opportunities than a focused agriculture course, he says, and graduates could find themselves working in anything from landscape management to financial services depending on the particular stream chosen. In fact, 30 to 40 per cent don't end up working in the agriculture industries but use their qualification to go into other sectors. The starting salaries for most graduates are around £15,000. However, this varies between the different streams and generally it's the business area that attracts the highest pay. Mannion says that after four to five years graduates could expect to be earning more than £30,000. The degree requires a minimum of a D3 in one ordinary-level science subject; however, Mannion recommends that students chose a second science subject. "It is advisable for students to have Leaving Cert biology, but if they were also to have chemistry it would make first year a lot easier." The final-round points last year were 345 and he says most students had considerably more than the minimum requirement in science. Mannion says prospective students should be interested in science, nature and in the environment around them. He warns, however, that they are unlikely to find a job that allows them to be outdoors full-time.
"Some students just come in with the idea that they don't want to work in an office but there are very few jobs that don't involve some amount of desk work."
He also says students should be aware that if their career is to progress they will need to become involved in management. "Your career path will only go so far on your technical ability."
The workload on the course includes academic study, lab work and field work and, says Mannion, students can find first and second year quite tough. He says that the course is manageable and anyone who is serious about it is unlikely to fail. "If you have the points to get in, you have the ability to pass first year."
As with the majority of courses, the biggest dropout rate is in first year. Although Mannion says the rate has improved, he expects 5 to 6 per cent of first-years to leave before the summer exams. There is a 90 per cent pass rate for the summer exams and a further 5 per cent will pass the repeats in the autumn.
The opportunities for travel are good both within the course and in the job after graduation. During the course students have the opportunity to go on exchanges in universities as far away as Michigan State in the US and, says Mannion, an increasing number go abroad for their work experience. Graduates from the course are welcome throughout the EU and they also find work in Australia and New Zealand.
