Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Cattolica International

Course details

35 students, of whom 20 are international*  

  

*”International”= A diploma awarded anywhere in the world with the exclusion of: Italian high school qualification (Maturità) | European Bac.
 

The first year lectures will cover the basic statistical, physical, chemical, physiological and genetic concepts through lessons and practical sessions.

 
In the second year, the students will be introduced to applied studies of microbiology, crop agronomy, cultivation, animal husbandry and welfare, agri-food economics, food technology, traceability, food safety, sustainability and certification. In the third year, the programme will broaden to provide a general grounding in the principal features of Italian husbandry (cereals, tomatoes, wine, cheeses and cured meats).

The degree study programme also comprises an in-company internship and the submission of a final dissertation report that both enhance the students’ ability to apply methodologies learnt and knowledge gained to concrete situations.

Each course syllabus is available here.
Select the academic year, campus and Faculty to view and download the file. 

First year

  • Applied statistics and physics - 9 ECTS
    • Applied statistics - 4 ECTS
    • Physics - 5 ECTS
       
  • Chemistry - 10 ECTS
    • Inorganic chemistry - 5 ECTS
    • Organic chemistry - 5 ECTS
       
  • Plant physiology and genetics - 9 ECTS
    • ​​​​​​​Plant physiology - 4 ECTS
    • Applied genetics - 5 ECTS
       
  • Biochemistry - 8 ECTS
    • ​​​​​​​Biochemistry - 4 ECTS
    • Applied biochemistry - 4 ECTS
       
  • Applied agronomy and horticulture - 8 ECTS 
    • ​​​​​​​Applied agronomy - 4 ECTS
    • Horticulture - 4 ECTS
       
  • Food economics - 10 ECTS
    • ​​​​​​​Fundamental in economics - 5 ECTS
    • Agri-food economics - 5 ECTS

Second year

  • Applied agri-food microbiology - 6 ECTS
     
  • Food technology - 9 ECTS
    • Principles of food processing technology - 5 ECTS
    • Sensory evaluation 4 ECTS
       
  • Crop protection - 9 ECTS
    • Entomology - 3 ECTS
    • Plant pathology - 6 ECTS
       
  • Animal science - 9 ECTS
    • Animal physiology - 4 ECTS
    • Applied animal science - 5 ECTS
       
  • Sustainability and food law - 10 ECTS
    • Food law and certification - 5 ECTS
    • Economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture - 5 ECTS

 

The Wine Trail 

  • Applied viticulture - 6 ECTS
  • Applied enology - 6 ECTS
  • Integrated vineyard protection - 6 ECTS

Third year

  • Food safety - 8 ECTS
    • Biological safety  5 ECTS
    • Chemical safety - 3 ECTS
       

Cheese and Cured Meat Hub

  • Milk, meat production and technology - 12 ECTS
    • Milk and meat production - 6 ECTS
    • Technology of animal chain products - 6 ECTS
  • Microbiology of diary and meat food - 6 ECTS

Tomato, Pasta and Bakery Hub

  • Vegetable production and technology - 6 ECTS
  • Cereal grains, processing and technology - 12 ECTS
    • ​​​​​​​Cereal grains - 6 ECTS
    • Grain processing and baking technology
  • Free programmes - 12 ECTS
  • Internship and Final exam - 9 ECTS
The programme equips students with the knowledge and skills to manage different stages of the agri-food chains, including input suppliers, farms, food processors, traders, retailers, and support organisations. 
Thanks to the focus on the importance of collaboration across these value chains to improve product quality, sustainability, and market success, graduates will be qualified to enter any working segment of a given agro-food chain in small and medium enterprises, as well as large companies. 


Graduates might also continue their studies with postgraduate programmes, such as Cattolica’s very own Master of Science in Agricultural and Food Economics or the Master in Viticulture and Enology. Alternatively, they can also strengthen their academic path abroad. 
 

Start date and academic calendar for the a.y. 2025/26 will be available in July 2025. For reference:

Classes for the academic year 2024/25 started on September 23rd, 2024.
Find here the calendar of the Faculty of Agricultural, food and environmental sciences for the academic year 2024/25.

The degree includes preliminary courses in Chemistry, Biology and Applied statistics and Physics, held in the weeks prior to the start of classes. 
The pre-courses are included in the programme, no fees or registration are required. 

Learning Italian

SELDA (Servizio Linguistico di Ateneo) organizes fee-paying Italian language courses. For more information contact SELDA from the dedicated iCatt function (in the homepage, box “request for information”), or send an email to selda.lingueper@unicatt.
Students are required to attend theology teachings aimed at offering a reasoned and critical knowledge of the Christian message.