Learning objectives

The vocationally oriented degree course in 'Quality and procurement of raw materials for the agri-food industry' aims to train an experienced professional in the field of agricultural, food or forestry systems. Specifically, QuAM aims to train graduate technicians, more specifically qualified food technicians capable of assessing the impact in terms of sustainability and safety and with expertise on issues of professional interest related to the safety and quality of food raw materials, including the regulatory and normative aspects of the sector and the safety of working environments. At the same time, particular care will be devoted to the acquisition of the disciplinary contents deemed indispensable, with reference to basic knowledge of agro-biology, knowledge of machinery, plants, constructions, works and hydraulic systems in agriculture, food and forestry, knowledge of estimative, economic and/or legal contexts, as well as disciplinary knowledge aimed at solving applicative problems relating to specific production chains). In addition, in view of the special features of vocationally-oriented degree courses, transversal, non-disciplinary competences are of particular importance in this context. These include the ability to tackle and solve technical and business problems, to know the principles and areas of professional activities, to possess the basic cognitive tools for continually updating one's knowledge, to collaborate and communicate information and to be able to work in a team. In the QuAM degree course, topics related to different scientific disciplines will be explored. The raw material will be studied in all its facets in order to characterise it and predict its suitability for a specific process or use. For this reason, the degree provides for training activities in the propaedeutic and basic agro-biological sciences, as well as characterising activities. The qualifying educational objectives focus on the Fundamentals of Food Technology, without neglecting aspects of plant and animal production, materials science and technology (for the food industry), and legal aspects in the field of agriculture.

Finally, thanks to the company internships, the vocationally-oriented degree course will enable the student to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in the first part of the course directly in the working world with high-profile professional skills. Priority is given to training aspects that are more directly spendable in the world of work while building a solid scientific mindset.

The course therefore offers in-depth training, consolidated with practical experience, on real-life cases, especially thanks to in-company placements during the second and third year of the course. In fact, the training project will be developed through agreements with qualified companies, or their associations, which will ensure the implementation of curricular internship activities. It is precisely for this reason that the degree is based on a strong corporate involvement, both in the definition of part of the content, in the teaching delivery through teaching staff and tutors, and in the provision of curricular internships and thesis.