Agriculture and Food Security PhD, MScR

Our research and associated education and engagement are in two broad themes – Food System Transformation and Healthy People, Healthy Planet, and especially the interactions between them.

Improving the effectiveness and sustainability of agri-food systems is vital to tackling the challenges of:

• global population growth
• rapid urbanisation
• food and environmental security
• diet and health

These challenges occur in low and middle income countries, as well as in more industrialised nations.

Achieving sustainable, healthy diets underpins many of the Sustainable Development Goals – especially those concerned with:

• hunger
• poverty
• health
• gender equality
• responsible consumption and production
• climate action

We welcome applicants whose research interests are aligned to address one or more of these challenges, and who hold the potential to develop and translate scientific advances into policy and practice.

Most of our research is interdisciplinary in its approach, and we collaborate with other Schools and groups across the University of Edinburgh, and with a wide range of national and international partners.

Our current specific expertise spans:

• nutrition and health of humans, livestock, crops and soils
• environmental and agri-food systems
• crop and livestock production systems
• climate smart agriculture
• agricultural and natural resource economics
• development
• data science and mathematical modelling
• the science-policy interface
• food and land rights and law

We welcome applicants with interests in these areas. Please also see staff webpages for more details of potential supervisor research interests.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in a related subject.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Academic Technology Approval Scheme

If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss national, you may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance certificate in order to study this programme.

• Academic Technology Approval Scheme

A wide range of career paths will be available to our graduates depending on their area of research study, these include:

• researchers in academia or industry
• policy advisors for government departments, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), charities or industry bodies
• technical advisors
• consultants
• teachers
• economists
• marketing and management roles throughout the agri-food chain