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PROGRAM EVALUATION

Program : AGRIBUSINESS, BA, re/accreditation

Educational process content

Table: Content of the bachelor study program “Agribusiness”

The main objective of this program is to prepare specialist with profound theoretical and professional knowledge, capable to be well-oriented in the filelds of agrbusiness, to understand management aspects and regulatory boards of the Agribusiness sector.

Apart form contribution to the local, regional, and national community this study program also aims to offer quality education and advance practical knowledge and skills to its students. Therefore, students will be able to deveolp their creative and critical thinking skills, innovative and interactive skills in solving various problems and build up competences in policy making. Based on the curriculum of this program which includes subjects from variuos trends of Agribusiness (see program curriculum), also, based on sufficient analytical, research and suitable literature as a result of the hard scientific work and research, we aim that our students to become leaders in the field of Agribusiness. Following the first cycle in “Agribusiness” profile, will give them a better opportunity to find themselves involved in entrepreneurship and management of agribusiness activities. Requirements for this study profile will be increasing, because in general, Agribusiness is the basis of economic development prospects in developing countries such as the case of Kosovo.

The Bachelor study program “Agribusines” is a three year study program consisting of 6 semesters with a total of 180 ECTS. During the last semester (see semester VI) students will attend their professional practice throughout the semester and they will be supported continuously by the public-private enterprises which are respresented by the memebers of the Industrial Advisory Board (referred in the future as IAB) of the FLES. (Annex 2.1.2.) Graduates in this study program will be able to respond well to the demands of the country, especially in rural and Agribusiness system in order to implement natural resources efficiency. Gaining the necessary education in the Agribusiness management, they (the graduates) will be a promoter as well as a great potential in favour of the organization of new businesses in the agribusiness sector and the management efficiency of the sector. They will also be leaders of sustainable development of rural areas as well as the orientation of the development of agricultural enterprises towards their well functioning. Also, another important intention of this study program is to enable students to continue their studies in the second cycle program – Master.

Comparability with international programs and the external consultation

During the drafting of the study curriculum, we have been consulting with many universities programs abroad that have similar study areas, such as the University of Brno, Czech Republic; University of Nitra, Slovakia and Agricultural University of Tirana, Faculty of Economics and Agribusiness. Besides, it is important to emphasize that the FLES has established AIB which is made up of representatives from various public and private enterprises, including the representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development; Agricultural Development Agency; Agricultural Directorate of Forestry and Rural Development of Prizren, apart from that we also gather information about the needs of the labor market for our graduates. Therefore, “Ukshin Hoti” Unversity has the necessary reasonings and basis for re-accreditation of the Agribusiness program, because the advantage of leading, developing, and proposing for accreditation of this program, is based on the indisputable need that agribusiness system in the region of Prizren and also Kosovo has for the young specialist in this field.

1.4 Orientation of the study program according to the guiding principles of the institution

The curriculum of Agribusiness management studies is in accordance with the rules and criteria of studies according to the Bologna system and for two academic years they also have elective courses, while the distribution of ECTS is done according to the weight of the course. The number of credits is 60 credits per year of study, which means 30 credits per semester. This means that Bachelor studies in this field have a total of 180 credits. Students can choose the elective courses according to the special list provided within this curriculum (elective course table) and their number is determined by filling in the number of credits for the designated semester. The first cycle study programs are realized with 180 European credits (ECTS) (hereinafter: credits) and their normal duration is 3 academic years.

An overview of the labour market

According to official statistics by the KTA (Kosovo Tax Administration), it shows that in Prizren more than 300 agribusiness enterprises (mainly in food production) operate their activity and this number is expected to grow in the future, despite the potential effects of the global crisis, including here that of the Agribusiness industry as a result of the decreasing demand in Kosovo. Agribusiness enterprises are diverse and can include all companies that fit or find themselves in the system of Agribusiness; industries providing inputs for agricultural farms, agricultural farms, and industries processing agricultural products, industries that market these products and all stakeholders (businesses) that make it possible the movement of the product to the final consumer. These enterprises are guided or lead by experience, are developed especially in areas that are relatively populous and focus more on areas that have significant agricultural production activity (the case of Prizren and surrounding municipalities).

It is worth mentioning that this program does not exist in any of the public or private universities of the Republic of Kosovo, while given the market needs and the experiences of countries that have a better or comparable economic status to that of Kosovo (the case of Albania), shows that such study profiles are very much present and highly required.

Objectives of the program for our graduates

• To obtain sufficient knowledge in the field of agribusiness and their prefered field of research;
• To demonstarte theoretical and practical knowledge identifying and solving various problems in the sector of agribusiness;
• To gain necessary skills and knowledge for employment in the labour market or continue their studies to the next level of postgraduate;
• To gain comparable knowledge with international study models regarding theory and practice of agribusiness;
• To be able to adopt and interact in various social and cultural environments;
• To be capable of setting-up new enterprises in the rural areas;
• To be capable of managing farms and agricultural