The Subject Agricultural Science prepares students for a specialist career, typically in research with government or increasingly industry. Agricultural Science is of special interest to students wishing to take a pure science degree in Biochemistry, Biological Sciences or Chemistry and then apply their knowledge of these subjects to agriculture and the natural environment. A module in Agriculture must be taken in the first year of the BSc course. Graduates obtaining a first or second class honours degree proceed to a final year in Agricultural Science to graduate with a BAgr degree. Within the final year all students take a common core of modules in Animal Science, Soils and Plant Nutrition and Biometrics.
Specialisation is provided by optional modules and a major research project.
The specialistoptions are in Agricultural Chemistry, Animal Nutrition, Environmental Management or Soils and Plant Nutrition. The BSc courses are taken on the main campus of the University with students taking pure science degrees. The BAgr courses are taken at the Agriculture and Food Science Centre, Newforge Lane where the Queen's University of Belfast School of Agriculture and Food Science and the research laboratories of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland are sited. Thus, students taking the final year are taught in a research environment. Students are expected to engage in a substantial amount of independent study.