Student's Guide

During the first year, the following courses are scheduled: 

• Housing planning and design (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Waste management and impact (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

•  Digital Mapping, Geospatial Statistics and Decision Support (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Precision Irrigation Systems and Sensing Technologies (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Big data approach and analysis (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Livestock farming through Artificial Intelligence (3 ECTS; 30 h) – Mandatory 

• Biomass thermal conversion processes (4 ECTS; 40 h) – Mandatory 

• Bioconversion processes (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Instrumentation and measurements for livestock farming (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory  

• Robotics (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory; 

• Innovation management in livestock farm (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

During the second year, the following courses are scheduled: 

• Innovative approaches in large animals management (6 ECTS; 60 h) – Mandatory 

• Management of livestock through innovative software (4 ECTS; 40 h) – Mandatory 

• Management of Poultry and other small farmed animals (6 ECTS; 60 h) – Mandatory 

• Infective diseases (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Non infective diseases (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Precision Strategies in Parasitology (3 ECTS; 30 h) – Mandatory 

• Precision Nutrition and Feeding (7 ECTS; 70 h) – Mandatory 

• Precision crop protection (5 ECTS; 50 h) – Mandatory 

• Elective module I (4 ECTS; 40 h) – Mandatory 

• Elective module II (4 ECTS; 40 h) – Mandatory 

• Training (6 ECTS – 150 h) 

• Stage (6 ECTS – 150 h) 

• Final report  (8 ECTS – 200 h) 

Further details are available at: https://www.mvpa-unina.org/corsi/studying-plf.xhtml. 

The Master’s Degree in Precision Livestock Farming includes a mandatory internship (6 ECTS) and training activities (6 ECTS), to be undertaken at private companies and/or universities that have established agreements with the University of Naples “Federico II”. The internship activities have the purpose of both facilitating professional choices, through a direct knowledge of the job and creating opportunities to alternate between academic study and professional practice. 

The exchange program is coordinated by the ERASMUS + Commission of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production (DMVPA). The section dedicated to the Erasmus+ program of the DVMAP website is updated with all the exchanges activated by the teachers and the notices regarding the selections for study and traineeship purposes. (https://www.mvpa-unina.org/erasmus/tpastpaerasmus.xhtml) 

The Master Degree in PLF has a common educational path for all students. During the first year, the Disciplines related to the logistic and structural organization of the farm will be studied, through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Digital mapping techniques for the management and processing of spatial data. The knowledge of robotics and sensors will be fundamental for the implementation of precision techniques. Data obtained through sensors will be studied and analyzed through innovative statistical approaches and the use of artificial intelligence. The environmental impact of livestock will be analyzed with a multidisciplinary approach: farm waste and effluents will be characterized, and some treatment methods will be analyzed, to advise the new professional figure on biomass utilization for energy production and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, according to the current legislation. Farm economic analysis, production process controls, and the assessment and implementation of innovations in livestock farm management are also considered. 

During the second year the precision techniques applied to animal science are analyzed. A focus will be placed on the management of livestock through innovative software and sensors, with particular attention to animal welfare and quality of their productions. Precision feeding will be studied alongside techniques for improving forage crop production through precision crop protection. Finally, computerized reproductive management and monitoring of infectious, non-infectious diseases and parasitic diseases are also included. The second year is completed by two elective courses (4 ECTS/each Course) for a total of 8 ECTS, that will be chosen by the students. The path is completed by a training (6 ECTS) and a Stage (6 ECTS). The list of the scheduled elective courses is reported on the website of the course (https://www.mvpa-unina.org/corsi/Livestock/elective_617.xhtml). 

Customizing the study plan 

A personalized study plan must be submitted by October 31 of each year. It requires the approval of the Degree Course Coordinator and the Didactic Coordination Committee  who may approve or reject the proposed changes 

The final exam of the Degree Course in Precision Livestock Farming is regulated by the “Degree Exam Regulations”, approved by the Didactic Coordination Commission. The Master’s Degree in Precision Livestock Farming is obtained after passing a final exam, consisting of the discussion of a document written by the student under the supervision of a supervisor. The thesis is divided into a first part, concerning a theme inherent to one or more disciplines of the study path, with the intent of making the most of the experience gained during the two years of the course, and a second part which contains a report of the internship and stage activities carried out during the training path. In addition to the thesis, the presentation and illustration skills of the topics covered and the critical discussion of the same will be evaluated. The first part of the final exam paper can be generally traced back to the following typologies: 

• Experimental work carried out either in the Department’s laboratories or in affiliated research centers. The thesis can also be carried out in non-affiliated structures outside the Department (farms or research centres) subject to the stipulation of an agreement with the University, for which the supervisor will be the contact person in order to guarantee the student’s insurance coverage. 

• Analysis and processing of a large collection of sources and bibliography relating to a topic belonging to one of the SSDs present in the teaching system of the Course (Compilation thesis). The work in this case will consist of summarizing the content of the texts, creating a clear and orderly summary of the readings to be presented to the Graduation Commission. 

The student can ask to carry out the degree thesis in basic, characterizing, similar/integrative courses activated by the study course, even if he has not taken the relevant exam, or has taken it with a different teacher than the one chosen as tutor. The Master’s degree thesis is prepared by the student under the guidance and supervision of a teacher (supervisor), chosen among the teachers of the CdS in PLF and/or a teacher or researcher belonging to the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production. It is possible to complete the thesis under the guidance of a supervisor external to the Department, upon request to the Teaching Coordination Commission. The final test takes place in a public session in front of a judging commission, during which the candidate will present an oral dissertation in English of the work by the graduating student. At the end of the presentation, the Commission will evaluate the student’s commitment, autonomy and innovativeness during the activity covered by the dissertation. The candidate must present his/her work in an allotted time, highlighting the aims of the work carried out, the methodologies applied and the results obtained. At the end of the discussion of the thesis by all the candidates, the Commission, in a private session, formulates a summary judgment for each of them expressed through a score that can vary from zero to ten points. 

The Department’s Orientation and Tutoring Commission organizes various incoming orientation events aimed at students of the Bachelor’s Degrees who want to know in detail the training offers (subjects, educational organization, professional and employment opportunities) activated at the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions.

The calendar of incoming orientation initiatives is available at the link  https://www.mvpa-unina.org/origuente/iningresso.xhtml

The Department’s Orientation and Tutoring Commission organizes on-going guidance and tutoring initiatives with the aim of providing all the information so that the student is able to consciously organize his or her exam schedule and can choose and build his own curriculum in person.

Furthermore, at the beginning of the second semester of the first year, the Tutoring Commission assigns the tutor teacher to students enrolled in the first year, in order to provide support, reduce dropout rates, prevent dispersion and delay in studies, promote a fruitful and active participation in university life in all its forms.

The calendar of on-going orientation initiatives is available at the link https://www.mvpa-unina.org/orientamento/initinere.xhtml

The Department’s Orientation and Tutoring Commission organizes outbound orientation and placement initiatives (Career Days) focused on the main job opportunities and on the various post-graduate training opportunities.

The calendar of outgoing orientation initiatives can be consulted at the link https://www.mvpa-unina.org/oritente/including.xhtml.

The first and the subsequent enrollments usually take place from June/July to 31 October of each year, according to a specific Guide to registration and payment of fees published at the URL:

https://www.unina.it/didattica/sportello-studenti/guide-dello-studente
Further deadlines (deadlines for submitting study plans, deadlines for submitting ERASMUS applications, etc.) are indicated on the Degree Program website:

https://www.mvpa-unina.org/corsi/Livestock.xhtml

The first semester courses start in the first week of October and end in December. The extraordinary exam session opens at the end of the courses and closes at the end of February.

The courses of the second semester, on the other hand, start in the first week of March and end in the month of May, while the summer exam session opens at the end of the courses and closes at the end of July.

Finally, the autumn session begins in the first week of September and ends before the start of the courses in the first semester (usually the first days of October).

The calendar of didactic activities and exams can be consulted at an external link:

https://www.mvpa-unina.org/getdoccorso.php?ID=1843.

Courses start at 9.00 at the Regional experimental agricultural farm “Improsta” SS 18 – Tirrenia Inferiore – Km 79+800 84025 EBOLI (SA)

The detailed and dynamically updated timetable can be consulted at an external link:

https://www.mvpa-unina.org/getdoccorso.php?ID=1797

The final exam sessions are divided into Summer Session, Autumn Session and Extraordinary Session.

The detailed and dynamically updated timetable can be consulted at an external link:

https://www.mvpa-unina.org/getdoccorso.php?ID=1671