The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has issued its congratulations to the College of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) class of 2024, who recently graduated with master’s degrees from Queens University Belfast.

The newly decorated cohort from the master’s degree in business for agri-food and rural enterprise programme, were formally awarded their master's degrees by the dean of the college during a recent ceremony celebrating the new graduates' achievements.

Senior lecturer at CAFRE, Dr. Victoria Murphy, congratulated the graduates, stating: “The time, energy and work that you have put into the course have been recognised today.

"Graduation is a special occasion to celebrate your achievements with your family and friends. We hope that by attaining a Master’s degree, you will advance your careers in the agri-food and rural business sectors.”

The one-year master's programme offered by CAFRE, in conjunction with Queen’s University Belfast, at its Loughry Campus in Cookstown, aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to excel professionally within the agri-food sector.

During the course, students complete six taught modules, which include:

Integrating learning with business needs;
Rural business dynamics;
Skills to affect change within businesses;
Planning and evaluating change management programmes;
Research and development;
Sustainability leadership.

Upon successful completion of the modules, students subsequently select a research topic to conduct detailed analysis on, before presenting their findings in project format, which includes a 16,000-18,000 word thesis on their chosen subject.

According to CAFRE, due to the diverse nature of the programme and wide variety of student interests, past students research topics have varied, with previous examples including:

Irish dairy expansion: An investigation into the decision making process and factors that influence new entrants into dairy farming and expansion of existing dairy farms;
Factors and barriers affecting change in rural business;
The knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of consumers in relation to dietary fat;
An investigation into consumers’ attitudes and perceptions of copycat brands within the UK food grocery industry and their effect on brand equity.

Course lecturer at CAFRE, Michaela Tener remarked: “The master’s course at Loughry encourages students to develop their knowledge of the agri-food sector.

"Through case studies and engaging learning activities students develop skills in project management, teamwork, critical and lateral thinking, independent working and self-motivation.

According to CAFRE, completion of the master’s degree in business for agri-food and rural enterprise, provides numerous employment opportunities within the sector, with previous graduates now employed in a wide range of roles, including, but not limited to:

Marketing communications;
Lecturers;
Sales representatives;
Business management;
Change management;
Knowledge transfer partnerships associates.