Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno can pride itself on the longest history of agriculture and forestry studies on the Czech lands. It was established in 1919 as the University of Agriculture in Brno and it maintained this name till 1994. Its constitution completed the longterm effort to institute an agricultural unversity in Moravia, which has, from time immemorial, held an important post among the countries with the most developed agricultures in the central Europe. Since its establishment it has undergone a range of structural as well as curricular changes, and provided top quality education to more than 20,000 agricultural engineers, 6,500 forestry engineers and 5,500 engineers of economics in order to assert themselves in a variety of spheres of the national economy and the economic practice.
Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno (MUAF in Brno) is divided into four faculties. Faculty of Agronomy, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology,and Faculty of Business and Economics are all located in Brno. Faculty of Horticulture is then located in Lednice. The total number of students enrolled at all four faculties was almost 8,000 in the year 2004.
The original education programme drew on the university's two main spheres of interest: economics and forestry. Nevertheless, over the time the programme significantly expanded. Steadily, new study programmes were introduced and consequently modified so that they better suited the needs and technical orientations of the university graduates. Presently the university has been accredited study programmes with 25 Bachelor fields of study, 12 study programmes with 27 follow-up Master fields of study, 13 study programmes with 17 5-years Master fields of study and 19 study programmes with 29 postgraduate fields of study. Within the individual study programmes students can assume a technical track including a variety of technical courses which have been curricularly modified with regard to the needs arising from the Czech Republic having joined the European Union.The university also offers courses within the Lifelong learning scheme and since 2003 it has also been providing education within the University of the Third Age scheme.
The solution of the science and research tasks complies with the long-lasting prognosis and the scientific aims of the university and of the individual faculties, and covers the agricultural, forest, biological, economic and technical sciences. It is an open circle of scientific activities used in institutional research, in tenders of grant agencies, in research centers and in international research programmes. The research programme of MUAF in Brno follows on general level the trends in contemporary development of the fundamental scientific fields, particularly biology, and their application in agricultural, forest, horticultural and economic sciences. In practice it means intended managment of biological processes, effective use of non-renewable natural sources and production of renewable ones while sustaining the present standard of multifunctional agriculture and business. The main interest lies largely in the quality and safety of the agricultural products, and foods in particular, in the context of ever-growing competition on the world agricultural market. In compliance with the outcomes of the common agricultural policy of EU, the unversity defines as its priority the topics concerning multifunctional agriculture and forestry and the implications of their production and outside production functions when shapig the landscape, and developing the countryside.
Concerning the foreign relations, both university employees and students frequently visit universities in France, Poland, Austria, Germany, the USA, Great Britain and many other countries for the purposes of study, attending conferences, scholarship programmes or consultation. MUAF in Brno is a member of prominent Eropean organizations (CRE, ICA) and cooperative networks of analogically technically oriented schools. The university also participates in a large number of international programmes such as SOCRATES, LEONARDO DA VINCI, CEEPUS, AKTION and further international projects.
In order to train students, to conduct researches and to verify the teorethical knowledge in practice the university disposes of the University agriculture enterprise in ŽabÄice and the University forest enterprise Masaryk's forest in KÅ™tiny. The complementary teacher training in technical subjects, the complementary teacher training for job trainers, education of senior citizens within the University of the Third Age and the educational courses tailored to the needs of general public are all arranged by the Institute of Lifelong Learning, established in 2003. Both the botanical garden and the arboretum frequently serve the teaching purposes. All persons at the university are welcome to make use of the extensive library, the reading room, and the modern information and computer center which pertain to the Institute for Scientific Information. Automated systems of administration, in the forms of the University information system and the SAP system, are operated by a newly formed Institute of Informatics and Communication Technologies. The Audiovisual Center is responsible for producing video recordings for educational and research purposes, and runs the university film and video library. To preserve and present the university legacy to future generations is the task of the University Archive.
The students dormitories are located primarily in Brno and Lednice. All students can take their meals in the university canteen. Sports activities are offered to students within the university courses and the university sports club.
