SMEA Cremona: degree in Agri-Food Economics
SMEA, the specialized school of Università Cattolica dedicated to agri-food economics, offers a Master's degree entirely in English as a double degree with Wageningen University. The only ASFOR-certified Master's in Italy in the Business & Management category.
About SMEA
SMEA, Alta Scuola di Management ed Economia Agro-Alimentare, is the specialized school of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore dedicated to the economics and management of the agri-food system, based in the Santa Monica campus in Cremona, at the heart of Italy's so-called Food Valley. Founded in 1984, SMEA offers a Master's degree entirely in English in Agricultural and Food Economics, delivered as a double degree with Wageningen University in the Netherlands and part of the prestigious European AFEPA consortium, alongside a second-level Master's in Agri-food Business and a first-level Master's in Sales Technician Qualification and Agri-supply Marketing.
The school has a long-standing collaboration with major international organizations such as the European Commission, FAO, the OECD and the World Bank, and is the only Master's in Italy ASFOR-certified in the Master of Science in Business & Management category, confirming its specialized excellence in the agri-food sector.
Main academic areas
Master's degree in Agricultural and Food Economics (double degree with Wageningen University), second-level Master's in Agri-food Business, first-level Master's
SMEA statistics and indicators
Employability: specific figure not published. Master's degree in Agricultural and Food Economics delivered entirely in English, with a Wageningen University double degree.
SMEA's history
SMEA was born in Cremona in 1984 as the School of Specialization and Master's in Agri-Food System Economics, on the joint initiative of the Faculties of Agriculture and Economics of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in response to the needs of an increasingly complex modern agri-food system, involving food industries, distribution companies, consulting firms and credit institutions. From its founding, the school developed an intensive Anglo-Saxon-style educational model, with specialized seminars, corporate internships and collaborations with North American universities.
In 1997 SMEA became a member of ASFOR, the Italian Association for Management Education, consolidating its position within the national system of accredited business schools. In 2005 the school joined Università Cattolica's system of Alte Scuole, a recognition reserved for institutions of excellence in university education and research. Over the following decades SMEA developed an extensive network of international collaborations, culminating in the double degree with Wageningen University and participation in the European AFEPA consortium, confirming its role as a specialized reference point in agri-food economics at the European level.
What people say online about SMEA
Available information comes mainly from institutional sources, typical of highly specialized schools with a small but highly qualified user base.
SMEA is the only Master's in Italy ASFOR-certified in the "Master of Science in Business & Management" category, a distinctive quality recognition in its specialized sector.
The double degree with the prestigious Wageningen University in the Netherlands, among the world's leading universities for agri-food sciences, gives the school a specialized excellence profile recognized internationally.
- Only Master's in Italy ASFOR-certified in the "Master of Science in Business & Management" category
- Double degree with Wageningen University, among the world's leading universities for agri-food sciences
- Long-standing collaboration with FAO, the World Bank, the European Commission and the OECD
- Very clear value proposition for those specifically seeking agri-food economics education
- Intensive Anglo-Saxon-style educational model since founding, with specialized seminars and corporate internships
- Little presence of independent student reviews on general-purpose review platforms
- Niche user base compared to general-purpose business schools
FAQ — SMEA
SMEA occupies a unique position among Italian business schools: the only one ASFOR-certified in its sector and with a Wageningen double degree, it represents the specialized reference point for those seeking agri-food economics education, from Italy's Food Valley to a well-established international network.
