Sustainable Agriculture and Technology
Lead the next generation of sustainable farming with advanced training in agricultural technologies and ecology.
Course key facts
Qualification
MSc
Duration
1 year
Start date
October 2027
Study mode
Full-time
Delivered by
Location
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Silwood Park
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Course overview
Transform the future of farming and tackle the biggest challenges in food production and ecosystem health, with our MSc designed for aspiring agricultural scientists, technologists, and sustainability professionals.
Explore how ecological principles and cutting-edge technologies can be applied to create more resilient, productive, and sustainable farming systems. Dive into topics like biological control, integrated crop management, agritech innovation, and sustainable livestock production.
You’ll gain hands-on experience through fieldwork, lab sessions, and exclusive visits to agritech companies, research farms, and commercial operations. You’ll also build essential research skills in use of R, statistics and data science – tools that are increasingly vital in modern agriculture.
A major highlight of the programme is your five-month independent research project, where you’ll choose a topic that inspires you and develop your own research. You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with external partners or undertake a placement, and your work will culminate in a thesis and presentation.
Whether you’re looking to innovate in the agritech sector, influence agricultural policy, or contribute to global food security, this course gives you the knowledge, experience, and confidence to make a real impact.
Living Planet courses at Silwood Park
This course is part of the "Living Planet" family of courses based at Silwood Park.
- MSc Biodiversity, Carbon and Nature-Based Solutions
- MSc Computational Ecology and Evolution
- MRes Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
- MRes Ecology, Evolution and Conservation with AI Methods
- MSc Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
- MSc Ecology, Evolution and Conservation with AI Methods
- MSc Sustainable Agriculture and Technology (this course)
We can discuss which course is the best fit to you at the interview stage of your application. It is normally possible to transfer to a different living planet course at that stage if you wish.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
Please note: it may not always be possible to take specific combinations of modules due to timetabling conflicts. For confirmation, please check with the relevant department.
You'll complete the following compulsory modules.
- Silwood Field Programme and Basic Computing
- Statistics in R
- Ecological and Evolutionary Data Science
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Agricultural Technologies
- Integrated Crop Management and Biocontrol
Take the lead in your own research. You'll receive extensive training in research skills on an extended five-month independent research project.
You will have the opportunity to develop a research question, with an Imperial College London supervisor, aligned with the themes taught throughout the course.
Working closely with a supervisor, you’ll have the opportunity to conduct your project in the lab, field, or through computational analysis – often based at Silwood Park. You can also collaborate with external partners such as CABI.
Your project will culminate in a written thesis and a research presentation, giving you the chance to apply scientific methods to real-world agricultural challenges and showcase your expertise.
Teaching and assessment
Balance of teaching and learning
Key
- Lectures
- Practicals, fieldwork and partner visits
- Independent study
- 25% Title 1 goes here
- 25% Title 2 goes here
- 50% Title 3 goes here
Teaching and learning methods
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Lectures
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Field work
-
Presentations
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Group work
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Virtual learning environment
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Independent study
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Individual research project
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Guided problem-solving
Assessment methods
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Coursework
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Presentations
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Thesis
Partnership with CABI
CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International) is a not-for-profit, intergovernmental organisation that works to improve global agriculture and the environment.
With expertise in biological control, invasive species, and sustainable farming, CABI supports evidence-based solutions to crop protection and food security.
It collaborates with governments, researchers, and farmers worldwide to promote science-led agricultural development.
As a partner on this MSc, CABI delivers teaching in IPM and ICM and offers students the opportunity to engage with real-world challenges and cutting-edge research.
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Applications open on Wednesday 30 September 2026
We operate a staged admissions process with several application rounds throughout the year.
Apply by 23.59 (UK time) on the closing date of an application round, to ensure you receive a response on your application by the relevant decision date.
Round 1
Business School courses only.
Round 2
- Applications open on Wednesday 30 September 2026
- Applications close on Wednesday 6 January 2027
- Decision by Wednesday 3 March 2027
Round 3
- Applications open on Thursday 7 January 2027
- Applications close on Wednesday 10 March 2027
- Decision by Wednesday 5 May 2027
Round 4
- Applications open on Thursday 11 March 2027
- Applications close on Wednesday 28 April 2027
- Decision by Thursday 1 July 2027
We recommend applying as early as you can – we cannot guarantee that places will be available, or that courses will remain open, in later rounds.
If you are applying for a Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course.
The application fees for postgraduate courses are:
- £90 for all Master's applications, excluding those to Imperial Business School
- £125 for MSc applications to Imperial Business School
- £150 for MBA applications to Imperial Business School
There is no application fee for Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas, or courses such as PhDs and EngDs. This includes MRes and PhD combined (1+3) courses with the Centre for Doctoral Training.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
Find out more about how to apply for a Master's course, including references and personal statements.
When are applicants invited for an interview?
Applicants will be invited for an interview should their written application pass an initial review.
How long is the interview and what purpose does it serve?
This interview lasts about 10-20 minutes. It serves as an opportunity for a two-way conversation between the interviewer and the applicant to ask questions and probe further. There are several elements that are being explored, including the applicant's motivations, academic ambitions and their suitability for our courses.
When does it take place?
Interviews will usually be scheduled approximately 3-4 weeks after the application round deadline that you applied to, and we aim to inform applicants of the confirmed schedule approximately 1 week in advance.
How is the interview going to be conducted?
Regardless of whether you are in the UK or overseas, the interview will be conducted through an online meeting via Microsoft Teams.
An ATAS certificate is not required for students applying for this course.
Fees and funding
Home fee - Sustainable Agriculture and Technology
2027 entry
Not set
As a guide, the fee for 2026-27 was £16,600.
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
The maximum value of the loan is £13,206 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2026.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Please note that the loan is only available if you’re studying a full Master’s course from the start. If you start on a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and later move on to the Master’s, you won’t be eligible for this loan.
Overseas fee - Sustainable Agriculture and Technology
2027 entry
Not set
As a guide, the fee for 2026-27 was £36,000.
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the university, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
The maximum value of the loan is £13,206 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2026.
The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Please note that the loan is only available if you’re studying a full Master’s course from the start. If you start on a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) and later move on to the Master’s, you won’t be eligible for this loan.
Scholarships
View all scholarshipsHow will studying at Imperial help my career?
Position yourself at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, with a course designed for future sustainability and ecology professionals tackling global food and ecosystem challenges.
Develop high-demand research and data skills, including the use of cutting-edge agritech tools, with exclusive visits to research farms and commercial operations.
Gain practical experience across lab, field, and computational settings, building the confidence and insight valued by employers.
Learn from experts at CABI, a global authority in sustainable agriculture and pest management, with collaboration opportunities to connect you to real-world impact and career pathways in policy, development, and industry.
Further links
Contact the department
Email: pgt.silwood@imperial.ac.uk
Course director: Dr Emma Cavan
Visit the Department of Life Sciences website.
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Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications