Vienna, City of Music, Dreams and four MSc Students from CAFRE

Date published: 10 August 2016

The famous musical city of Vienna is home to four Loughry students this summer as they work towards completing their thesis for the Masters (MSc) in Business for Agri-Food and Rural Enterprise.

Visiting Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna are MSc students Sarah Irwin, Stewartstown; Bridget Nugent, Cookstown; April Clarke, Larne and Michael Arthurs, Warrenpoint who are undertaking their MSc research in Vienna, Austria.

After a year spent studying at College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) Loughry Campus, the group seized the opportunity open to all MSc students to experience a different culture while researching an area of their interest.

Funded through the Erasmus programme, the students arrived in the Austrian city in June and will return home in September. Two of the students, Bridget Nugent and Sarah Irwin, commented on the opportunity to study in Vienna: “Over this past year we have been able to build upon our own ideas and aspirations as well as learn a broad range of transferable skills to take into the working world. Having the opportunity to live and study in a city like Vienna, with its exquisite architecture, diverse culture and lifestyle, has made the MSc an enjoyable and unforgettable experience!”

Living and learning in a vibrant European city will provide the students with numerous benefits, enabling them to stand out from the crowd in today’s competitive employment marketplace. April Clarke said: “Not only has the programme developed my interpersonal skills and self confidence, it has provided me with the opportunity to make new friends and experience a different culture.”

Michael Arthurs said: “It has been a fantastic opportunity to carry out my MSc in Vienna and live and work within a different culture. To have the chance to broaden my CV with this experience, will be critical in pursuing my future career.”

The postgraduate graduate programmes at Loughry Campus, CAFRE, in Business for Agri-Food and Rural Enterprise are awarded by Queen’s University Belfast. If you are interested in finding out more and applying for any of these programmes, please come along to the open day at Loughry campus on the 25 August 2016, between 3.00pm and 8.00pm or apply through the QUB website. Further information on any of our programmes can be obtained by visiting the CAFRE website or freephone 0800 028 4291.

Notes to editors: 

  1. All media enquiries to DAERA Press Office, pressoffice.group@daera-ni.gov.uk or tel: 028 9052 4619.
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