10 Reasons Why You Should Study at CAFRE

1. Experienced Staff: CAFRE staff are highly qualified and experienced at delivering education programmes. They come from a range of backgrounds bringing a lot of knowledge and skills that they will share with you.
2. Great job prospects: Students study at CAFRE because they’re interested in getting a good job at the end of their course. Our results speak for themselves – over 95% of our graduates gain employment or progress onto further education within six months of completing their course.
3. Specialist facilities: You’ll go far to find better facilities at which to study for higher education courses in Agriculture, Horticulture, Food or Equine. With continuous investment, we keep our facilities up-to-date to benefit not just our students but also people from industry who continue their professional development through our Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses.
4. Industry links: CAFRE has excellent links with businesses and organisations, many of which employ our graduates. They show their support by providing work placements, guest lecturers and real-life course projects. Companies also donate generous bursaries to help fund the cost of getting a degree.
5. Small and special: You are treated as an individual at CAFRE as staff get to know the 1,700 students at our three campuses. Staff are friendly and approachable and ensure that you are supported both personally and academically to achieve your potential.
6. Practice makes perfect: If you’re a hands-on type of person who doesn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day, then our courses and the careers they lead to are perfect for you. Relevant practical experience, in modern specialist facilities, is a part of all our courses.
7. Financial support: With competitive accommodation costs and free car parking, you’ll find that studying for a degree with CAFRE is not as expensive as you thought. And don’t forget about the CAFRE Bursaries: Over £60 000 in industry bursaries are available to all first year degree students. Most bursaries are worth £1 000 which will help to lighten the load of studying for a degree.
8. University life If you’re studying on our Foundation or Honours Degrees validated by Ulster University, you can become an ‘Associate Student’. You’ll get a student card and access to Ulster University’s libraries to name a few of the perks. Students studying on the Honours Degree in Agricultural Technology are Queen’s University students and have access to the university’s resources.
9. Opportunities to progress onto higher courses If you didn’t get the grades to get onto the Honours Degree of your choice, you could enrol on a Foundation Degree and once successfully completed you may be eligible to apply to study on the Honours Degree. Still not finished? On completion of your degree you can apply for the Master’s in Business for Agri-food and Rural Enterprise. This is a Queen’s University Belfast Postgraduate Degree delivered at Loughry Campus, Cookstown.
10. The final word belongs to the students – 95% of graduates would highly recommend the course to others and are quoted as saying “If I could do it all over again I would!”

International Travel Opportunities:

CAFRE recognises the value of international travel and provides many opportunities for students to either study, go on study tours or work in countries all over the world. Being able to experience different cultures and learn about the latest developments first hand is often a life changing experience.

Michigan State University Student Exchange Programme

We have a long established exchange programme with Michigan State University (MSU), where students can study for a semester in a large American university and undertake modules that will complement their degree programme. A valuable bursary of over £5 000 is available for students who are selected to participate in this amazing programme.

Study Tours

Equine students have the opportunity to travel to Kentucky and the Netherlands for a study tour and work shadowing experience. Students also visit equine establishments throughout Ireland, including some of leading stud farms and equine veterinary facilities. This helps give the students a broad perspective of how the industry functions internationally and to identify new career and business opportunities for themselves after they graduate.

Agriculture students enrolled on the Honours Degrees and Foundation Degree programmes usually go on a study tour in Europe to visit specialist farms and businesses and learn about agricultural production in the regions.

Horticulture students travel to experience different horticultural systems production facilities and visit some of the most spectacular gardens in Europe. Recent tours have included France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, where they visited Aalsmeer Flower Market, Ajax Stadium and specialist growers

Work Experience

Work experience is an integral part of all CAFRE programmes and requires working in a a relevant business from 6 weeks up to a year depending on your course. Placements can be in Northern Ireland, Ireland, UK or further afield. Students in the past have gone to New Zealand, Australia, USA, Japan and mainland Europe. The choice is yours!

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