MISS – Second Level Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development of Agricultural and Rural Areas of the Adriatic-Ionian Basin

Programme

The Master MISS foresees the analysis and the discussion of the main topics related to sustainable development, with particular current reference to the countries of the Adriatic-Ionian Basin. Particular attention will be given to specific elements of the agro-food system and to its implications for the European Integration Process, for local, social and economic development, and for environmental and energetic issues.

Methodology

The Master MISS intends to follow the approach of harmonisation of different scientific subjects, paying particular attention to the analysis of methodologies and operative instruments aiming at the promotion of sustainable development in the areas subject for discussion.

The programme of the Master is articulated in three interdisciplinary areas, which deal with topics related to international cooperation and internationalisation with particular reference to the agricultural and rural development, valorisation of typical agro-food products, sustainable development in its diverse aspects, such as organic farming and bioenergy issues.

Creating a platform for discussion among the scientific community of the member states of the Western Balkans, the MISS proposes to deal with the sustainable development of the agricultural and rural areas of the Adriatic-Ionian Basin through an interdisciplinary approach, which would make possible to connect different problematic related to the sustainability of development, (e.g. demographic dynamics, environmental degradation, the increase of income and production, the rule of the institutions at local, national and international level, etc.).

Didactic Plan

The Master, entirely in English (English will be the official working language of the Master, therefore all the courses, seminars and communications will be in English), is oriented to analyse and discuss the main dimensions of sustainable development (ecological, social, economical and international). The Didactic Plan will be articulated in three different but strongly interconnected areas as indicated before. The interdisciplinary approach can be considered an essential requisite for the education of experts in planning and management of agricultural, rural and environmental systems. The three main areas are the following:

• International Cooperation (Area A)
• Sustainable Agricultural Development Policies (Area B)
• Sustainable Rural Development (Area C)

The Didactic Plan foresees different intervention methods, which in their totality constitute a didactic offer as complete as possible:

• an on-line module composed by several courses;
• a face-to-face module, which includes classes, workshops, round tables, field visits;
• seminars and conferences;
• an internship;
• a final Master thesis.

The choice to offer a blended Course intends to overcome some possible difficulties related to an exclusively distance education: the discussion of topics which are not very much suitable to be debated at distance, the lack of some fundamental components of the face-to-face education, such as social integration, the possibility to understand signs of the paralinguistic and non-verbal communication (this is going to be in part solved by utilising of video-lectures).

Blended education is understood as a teaching method to utilise the peculiarities of both the face to face education (direct interactions, and social aspects) and distance education (discussions, exercises by distance learning, access to materials, flexible schedule).

Attendance and evaluation

The first fifteen days of the introductory -propaedeutical- on-line module will be a tool for the Scientific Committee to evaluate the competencies (through tests and exams) and the level of participation of the selected students. In case some participants will not succeed in passing the tests, the Scientific Committee will substitute him/her with waiting-list candidates individuated beforehand.

At the end of the on-line module, the students will have to do a final exam related to the topics discussed in the framework of the module. Those participants who do not pass the final exam will not be allowed to follow the face-to-face module, to perform the internship, and therefore to obtain the Master degree.

Attendance at the courses (both the on-line and face-to-face modules) is obligatory. The Scientific Committee reserves the right to expel from the Master as well as to cut off scholarship of those students whose attendance does not reach at least 80% of the whole Master Programme. The final exam, to be conducted by the Scientific Committee, will take into consideration the Master Thesis and could have different results according to the performance of each student.