The course provides the opportunity for students to: Study to an advanced level the techniques used for the production and postharvest handling of horticultural crops and the underlying mechanisms which determine and limit these techniques; develop a thorough knowledge of the horticultural business environment and marketing processes concerned with the trade of horticultural produce; apply research methodology and information technology to horticultural practice; identify and critically evaluate important trends and developments within the horticultural industry; identify the needs of national and international communities, and reconcile these with the aims and objectives of specific horticultural organisations.