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Description of the title
The Master’s Degree in Precision Livestock Production (MUGP) is the first official degree in this field offered in Spanish, taught by the Universitat Politècnica de València and the Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, with the option of remote monitoring. This program responds to the need for trained professionals in an increasingly technological and expanding livestock sector, which faces social and environmental challenges.
The production of quality and safe food, respecting the environment and animal welfare and preserving the economic and social viability of the sector has led to a change in the paradigm of the sector.
Thus, the modernization of livestock production, understood as the complete value chain, is a fact at the regional and international level, making it necessary to respond to the demands of a sector that is increasingly more technicized and in growing expansion.
The contents of the degree are based on basic concepts obtained in the original undergraduate degrees. These concepts range from engineering applied to livestock farms and animal management to biological issues related to physiology, behavior, reproduction and health, as well as the bases of applied biotechnology. These basic concepts are the foundation on which precision livestock farming is being built, where this knowledge is being used to develop monitoring systems, to develop biotechnological tools for the intelligent presentation of molecules and organisms to modulate animal nutrition, health and welfare, and to manage information and results to improve decision-making.
These contents have been developed in close collaboration between the academic, business and student worlds, thus covering the objectives of all the agents involved.
Objectives of the degree
The Master’s Degree in Precision Animal Husbandry is designed for graduates in agronomy, zoo technics and veterinary science who seek to specialize in key aspects of modern animal husbandry. This program addresses the need to develop biotechnological tools for animal nutrition and health, as well as animal welfare certification, biosecurity, environmental impact, and automation of production systems.
Students will acquire skills to perform tasks such as the development of technologies applied to livestock farming, management of information generated by monitoring, and project and team management in this field. In addition, the focus will be on sustainability, reducing the use of antibiotics, and ensuring food safety.
The specific objectives of the master’s degree include:
Develop biotechnological and technological tools for application in precision livestock farming.
Manage tools for the assessment and certification of animal welfare and farm biosecurity.
To develop more sustainable production systems, considering the impact of livestock farming, energy efficiency, the value chain, the reduction of antibiotic use, and the use and valorization of by-products.
Acquire business management skills for projects and personnel, as well as for the management of work teams in the field of precision livestock farming.
Establish automation and environmental control programs in livestock farms.
Evaluate and correct the impact of farms on the environment.
Ensuring the safety of food of animal origin.
Manage large databases obtained within the framework of precision livestock farming.
Career opportunities
Livestock farming is the main professional activity, focusing on the following aspects:
- Modernization of livestock production
- Use of technological and biotechnological tools
- Big Data Management
- Training in Business Management and Direction
Aimed primarily at
This master’s degree is focused on agronomy and veterinary graduates who want to specialize in cutting-edge animal production systems, to participate in the modernization of livestock production, through Technological and Biotechnological Tools, supporting in the management of Big Data and with training in Business Management and Direction.
The recommended entry profile is as follows:
- Students who have completed degrees in disciplines directly related to the field of animal production, such as Agri-food and Rural Engineering.
- Veterinary Graduates.
- Equivalent university degrees, e.g., Agricultural Engineering, Animal Husbandry Engineering, etc.
Structure of the master’s degree
Credits: 60 ECTS
Mandatory:36 ECTS |Electives:12 ECTS |External internships:0 ECTS |Final Master’s thesis (TFM):12 ECTS
Module 1. Bases and Tools of Precision Animal Husbandry :36 ECTS mandatory
Subject:Livestock challenges
Minimum credits: 11 | Character: Compulsory
Subject:Tools in Precision Livestock
Minimum credits: 14 | Character: Compulsory
Subject:Data and business management
Minimum credits: 11 | Character: Compulsory
Module 2. Practical application of Precision Livestock:12 ECTS mandatory
Subject:Internships
Minimum credits: 12 | Character: Elective
Note: In this subject a maximum of 12 ECTS can be carried out in external curricular internships (The syllabus contemplates a maximum of 12 ECTS for external curricular internships).
Subject:Research Initiation
Minimum credits: 12 | Character: Elective
Module 3. Master’s Final Project :12 ECTS mandatory
Subject:Master’s Final Project
Minimum credits: 12 | Subject: Final Degree Project
Internships
The degree allows you to opt for external internships to bring your training closer to the reality of professional activity. These internships can be carried out both in companies of the sector and in institutions related to the field of livestock farming.
Two types of internships are available:
Curricular
They are included in the Syllabus in the Complementary Training Module. The subject, which is optional, has 12 ECTS, so the internship will have a duration of 300 hours.
Extracurricular
They are not included in the Syllabus but will be reflected in the student’s transcript. They will have a maximum duration of 900 hours.
The internship is a significant complement to the theoretical and practical learning and will allow you to gain experience in the selection process and professional job search as well as work experience.
In the ETSIAMN Business Internship Unit (UPE) will provide you with all the information related to these internships (eligibility requirements, documentation to be submitted, available offers, etc).
Companies that currently offer an internship program:
Research and access to Ph.
Research Initiation:
Students interested in orienting themselves towards the world of research will have the option of completing 300 hours (12 ECTS) through:
- Training in animal experimentation, through the Animal Experimentation courses offered by the UPV, which allows the acquisition and subsequent certification of the different functions included in RD 53/20131.
- Seminars offered by the DCA or other official institutions related to Precision Livestock.
- Other courses offered by the DCA: Data Analysis in Animal Experimentation, Analytical Techniques in Animal Production, Scientific Communication in Animal Production, etc.
- Inclusion in the research team, assigning him/her a role and a tutor, with whom he/she will discuss the activities assigned and the way to approach them.
For more information about the Ph.D. program, consult the UPV Doctoral School
Academic exchange / agreements with other universities
In the section on International of the ETSIAMN website you will find information regarding academic exchanges.
Facilities and laboratories
Location and maps of ETSIAMN, here: https://www.upv.es/entidades/etsiamn/localizacion-y-planos/
Master’s Thesis
In the section on International of the ETSIAMN website you will find information regarding academic exchanges.
The curricula of the master’s degrees taught at the ETSIAMN include in its curriculum a subject that includes the elaboration of a final master’s thesis (TFM). This will consist of an original and individual work or project, in which knowledge, skills and competences acquired by the student throughout his studies will be shown.
Proposal Modalities
- Ordinary: the student chooses, prioritized according to the criteria established by the UPV, one of the TFM from the annual offer or list proposed by the departments. The tutor will be the professor proposing the TFM.
- Arranged: the student agrees, at any time during the course, with the professor by mutual initiative on the title and the subject to be developed in a TFM and that is not in the list proposed by the departments.
- Mobility: the student develops his TFM in another university. He/she will look for a tutor at ETSIAMN appropriate to his/her subject and a co-tutor at the receiving university where the work will be carried out.
- Internship: the student develops his TFM in a company, institution or entity related to the contents and competences of the academic degree. The student will look for a tutor in the ETSIAMN appropriate to its subject and another external tutor with a contractual relationship with the company, institution or entity in which the work is developed.
The formal, procedural and administrative requirements for the development of the TFM are specified in the framework regulations for final master’s thesis (TFM) of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), in the specific regulations of the TFM of the ETSIAMN and in the procedural annexes developed for this purpose.
Collaborating companies
More than 30 companies in the sector have participated in the design of the Master’s Degree in Precision Livestock Farming, indicating the contents and skills they consider essential for the professionals of the present and the future.
These companies actively collaborate with the Master through the generation of Challenges that students will solve during the course and with the offer of an internship program.
