Laurea (First cycle degree/Bachelor - 180 ECTS) in Land and agro-forestry Sciences

The degree programme aims to provide students with the knowledge to deal in a constructive way with new issues concerning the protection, enhancement and planning of agricultural and forestry land resources namely hydrogeological hazards, erosion, slope stability and stabilisation, pollution and depletion of soil fertility, also in relation to agricultural and forestry activities. The programme also provides students with competencies in the following areas: planning and management of agroforestry interventions, description and representation of the structural and infrastructural components of the agricultural and forestry land, evaluation of agricultural and land resources. Graduates will be able to apply these competencies in a career working for territorial, public or private, national and international bodies, companies specialised in the management of agricultural and forestry resources including water resources, in particular in relation to the description, representation, planning and management of the components of agricultural and forestry land.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABILITY:
Graduates:

- will have theoretical knowledge of mathematics, statistics, computing and physics and the ability to apply the technical instruments concerned for the description and representation of the basic phenomena of agricultural biosystems and their interaction with different types of physical phenomena;

- will have knowledge of and the ability to analyse chemical and physical phenomena underlying changes in soil and water in natural systems in particular regarding the agro-environmental ecosphere;

- will have theoretical knowledge of and the ability to use tools to assess and analyse phenomena that govern the organisation and development of living organisms and their interactions within the agroforestry context;

- will know of and be able to identify the nutritional and water requirements of the main vegetal species in order to plan and manage cultivation interventions up to the harvest and to contribute to the environmental remediation of the territory in terms of chemical, physical and agronomic aspects;
- will have knowledge of the main mineralogical characteristics of pedogenetic substrates and the ability to describe them;
- will have knowledge of and be able to describe and represent all the structural and infrastructural components of the territory for the recovery, defence and preservation of the territory and management of water systems;
- will have legal notions and knowledge of problems concerning the analysis, evaluation, estimation and economic management of production systems and agricultural and forestry resources.
The knowledge and understanding abilities listed above are achieved and developed through lectures, practical activities, seminars, supervised home study, and individual home study provided for by the programme course units. Assessment is accomplished through written, oral and practical assessments.

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND TO UNDERSTAND:
Graduates:
- will have the ability to plan and implement forestry management interventions at the local level, analyse and plan the management of the territory, landscape and agricultural and forestry resources, use instruments to read and analyse the agricultural and forestry ecosystem, in particular using cartographic instruments and aircraft and/or satellite remote sensing methods;
- will have the ability to define mechanisation plans for agricultural and forestry land, selecting the relevant machines and combinations of machines by examining the technological, cultivation, structural, environmental and economic aspects;
- will be able to carry out cadastral, topographic and cartographic work;

- will have the ability to evaluate the role of microorganisms in the agricultural and forestry field and to use vegetal species as indicators of the environmental conditions of the agricultural and forestry areas at different levels;

- will have the ability to carry out agronomic interventions for the use of soil, modify the land utilisation system in relation to regulations and environmental conditions, correct soil structure in chemical and physical terms and correct the undesirable effects caused by cultivated plants and spontaneous plants, plan land recovery operations and water and agronomic management of the land also in mountain and hillside areas;

- will have the ability to measure, manage and elaborate data on weather, physical and chemical characteristics of soil, fertilisers and land use;

- will be able to manage the ecological planning of forestry land including parks and protected areas;

- will be able to deal with the main issues concerning pathogens and insects harmful for productions;

- will be able to deal with issues related to the interaction between zootechnic activities and their environmental impact on the territory, to maintain a balance in the agricultural and forestry ecosystems;

- will be able to deal with issues concerning the analysis, estimation, evaluation and economic management of production systems and agricultural and forestry resources.
Achieving the ability to apply the knowledge and understanding listed above is accomplishedthrough critical reflection on texts proposed for home study stimulated through classroom activities, practical activities in the laboratory, individual and/or group projects, as well as during an internship and preparation of a final paper. Assessment is accomplished through oral, written or practical assessment including specific tasks that offer students the possibility to demonstrate their command of instruments and methodology as well as their critical autonomy. Internships are assessed on the basis of a report.

JUDGEMENT SKILLS:
Graduates will be able to collect and interpret data and information and use it to express autonomous judgements and opinions and to solve different issues that may arise related to their competencies and functions. These competencies are developed through course units that focus on the critical analysis of different types of phenomena, problems, theoretical and applicative aspects. Internships and the preparation of the final paper are further opportunities for students to develop their decision making and judgement skills autonomously. Assessment is accomplished through the evaluation of the activities provided for in certain course units, during the preparation of the final paper and through the internship.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Graduates:
- will have the ability to communicate information, ideas and problems orally, in writing and graphic form, and present solutions to specialist and non-specialist interlocutors;

- will be able to use at least one language (level B1), usually English, to exchange information and translate texts within their field of competence;

- will be able to express in writing and discuss topics of interest related to the themes of the degree programme and to summarise the main points of the topics concerned.
The above mentioned communication skills are assessed and developed through specific course units that provide for student participation in the discussion of specific or general topics.
The preparation and presentation of the thesis, along with the report at the end of the internship, offer students the opportunity to develop these skills and assess the results.

LEARNING SKILLS:
Graduates:

- will be able to use analysis techniques and to apply the learning methods developed to autonomously update and elaborate upon the knowledge acquired concerning agricultural, forestry and environmental technologies and engineering;
- will be able to identify training instruments and opportunities suitable for developing general and specialist knowledge acquired and their professional competencies;

- will have the ability to integrate theoretical competencies with practical skills thanks to a fruitful contact with the work environment.
The learning abilities acquired are a result of the entire period of study, in particular during home study, lectures and laboratory activities, and during internship activities and the preparation of the final paper. Students are evaluated through the assessment of the course units provided for.