The Nihal European University in Sudan

While closely cooperating with the other faculties and the interdisciplinary institutes and centres of the Nihal European University in Sudan the Department of Agricultural Sciences sees its purpose in making a contribution to the sustainable development of agriculture, to rural and nutritional economics and to consumer and environmental protection. Its self-understanding consists not only in an international orientation with the highest scientific standards in research and teaching, but also in a serious engagement with current conditions in Sudan. Agricultural sciences represent a working field of central importance, especially in Sudan, a country which is still largely agricultural. The nation will also have to address crucial questions of nutritional, consumer, land, environmental and resource protection. At the Nihal European University in Sudan we will thus be setting a course for the future, attempting to find solutions to local challenges.

Students and junior scholars will be trained by highly qualified specialists and will be supported in the development of their personalities and the acquisitions of key qualifications.

The course offerings in the Department of Agricultural Sciences should qualify students in a wide variety of fields:

• Business Administration
• Natural Sciences
• Technology
• New Biotechnologies

At the beginning we will offer the following concentrations at the level of the bachelor’s:

1. Agricultural Sciences
2. Sustainable raw materials and bio-energy

An expansion of these offerings on the level of a master’s programme is planned.

Agricultural Sciences (Bachelor)

The degree programme is designed to last six semesters as a rule.

Within the concentration natural-scientific as well as economic and social-scientific foundations will be taught, providing students with a broad theoretical grounding.

The objective of the concentration is to offer students broad scientific and applied training qualifying them for professions in agricultural sciences. The university will provide a rich curriculum in agricultural sciences with numerous possibilities for specializing at the bachelor’s level. Training will take place in the form of lectures, lab courses, practicums, seminars and excursions.

The concentration will thus contain required courses from the following fields:

• Mathematics and statistics
• Foundations in the social sciences of agricultural engineering
• Resource protection and food safety
• Physics and agricultural meteorology
• Foundations of economics
• Agricultural management science
• Agricultural ecology
• Agricultural engineering
• Agricultural policy
• Market science

In the second half of studies, at the advanced level, students will have to decide on one of the following areas to specialize in:

• Economics and social science of agricultural engineering
• Agricultural engineering
• Soil science

Sustainable Raw Materials and Bio-energy (Bachelor)

The concentration Sustainable Raw Materials and Bio-energy is a unique plan at the University of Hohenheim, which will begin offering instruction in it as of the winter semester of 2007-08.

“The future of environmental-friendly energy is called Sustainable Raw Materials and Bio-energy […] In virtually all areas of research and industry there is an enormous demand for specialized workers in such current technologies. By introducing this new bachelor’s programme Hohenheim is responding to this demand. […]

The concentration includes studies in plant-engineering, the technology and economics of producing of raw materials and energy biology, intelligent processes and technologies to make energy available as well as approaches to solving economic and social problems associated with these areas. […]

The orientation of the concentration is as innovative as the curricular concept. Foundational disciplines such as mathematics, physics or chemistry are integrated didactically into field-specific modules. Students receive a first-class profile through interactive pedagogy, project-related work and research and teaching oriented to the future. Social competencies are promoted in a directed manner. Through a choice of profile-forming focal areas each student has the chance to expand his strengths in a directed manner […].

The action plans of […] the United Nations point to a large supply of new jobs in this area. The fields of activity which continue to develop dynamically are in the agricultural sector, in industrial plant construction and in energy supply. The professional and career prospects are excellent in the coming years – in research, development, management and methods engineering.

Careers are particularly available in the following areas:

• Plant construction companies
• Energy supply companies
• Plant- / bio-engineering and breeding companies
• Agencies for environmental protection, private industry and land and forestry management
• City administration and non-profit organizations
• The technical media and public relations
• Engineering and consulting firms
• Freelance opportunities for appraisers and legal consultants.”^*

Due to the significance of the agricultural sector and acute problems with the environment in Sudan and neighbouring countries we can assume that the concentration Sustainable Raw Materials and Bio-energy will address the economic and ecological needs of Sudan, the Arab countries and Africa. It thus points to the future, offering graduates a lucrative job market upon graduation. The Nihal European University in Sudan is thus willing to take the risk of adopting among its degree programmes a concentration that has not yet been attempted in praxis.

The concentration contains required courses in the following areas:

• Ecological Physiology and Systematic of Energy Crops
• Material Use of Biomass
• Principles of Energy Engineering I
• Energy Markets, Competition and Regulation
• Economics of Bio-energy Production
• Principles of Energy-Plant Production I
• Principles of Energy-Plant Production II
• Principles of Energy Engineering II
• International Aspects of Bio-energy Use
• Accounting and Management Analysis

In accordance with the disciplinary orientation of its curriculum and its profile the Department of Agricultural Sciences will be focused on the following areas:

• Agriculture and environment
• The use of bio-energies
• Agriculture in Sudan, the Arab sphere and in Africa
• Agriculture and the structural transformation in Sudan

Because of the areas are associated with each other in both research and teaching we will strive to cooperate with the Department of Environmental Engineering and the Institute for Environmental and Resource Management.

On the basis of data for similar departments and degree programmes we can assume that teaching and research in this section will require approximately twelve lecturers at various levels, ten teaching assistants and twelve postings for technical personnel. The requirements for space ought to be approximately 2,500 m², while equipment should also be provided for establishing laboratories and a test lab. In addition there should be sufficient fertile land made available for learning and experimental purposes.