Overview of Scottish Agricultural College

Scottish Agricultural College on the King's Buildings Campus of the University of Edinburgh
©2010 Gazetteer for Scotland

The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) is involved in education, research and consultancy in the rural sector of the economy and other related industries. The college was formed in 1990 by the amalgamation of the North of Scotland College of Agriculture (Aberdeen), the East of Scotland College of Agriculture (Edinburgh) and the West of Scotland College at (Ayr) into a single corporate structure, administered from Edinburgh. The SAC retains these three campuses and also includes seven research and development farms, eight veterinary centres and twenty-three local farm and rural business advisory offices located throughout Scotland. Core funding comes from the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department but the College generates significant additional income through commercial activities in Scotland, other parts of the UK and world-wide.

The Aberdeen campus is at Craibstone Estate, at Bankhead 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Aberdeen. This campus provides access to mixed farming and the opportunity to study the food production industry. The Auchincruive campus lies in South Ayrshire, 3 miles (4 km) east of Ayr and includes a poultry farm and laboratory-based research facilities, while the Edinburgh campus is situated on the Kings Buildings Campus of the University of Edinburgh. The college shares three farms, extending to 1295 ha (3200 acres), with the University of Edinburgh on the Bush Estate near Penicuik in Midlothian.

Some 1000 students take a range of diploma and degree courses in subjects such as agriculture, aquaculture, conservation and rural resources, food manufacture, horticulture, leisure and tourism, management, poultry and science & technology. Degree courses are taught in collaboration with the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde.

Edinburgh Genetics is the College's commercial breeding technology company, which provides artificial breeding services internationally from the Bush Estate and Malvern (Worcestershire, England).