RESUMEN

The problematic of rural development in Latin America is related to the rural exodus, with the agricultural sector suffering the first consequences, with a decrease in the rural active population; causing the aging of the agrarian workforce. The unequal distribution of land, access to credit, technology and markets, as well as knowledge and information systems; they have an increasing impact on achieving sustainable rural development for good living. The changes experienced in recent years in rural territories, force the academy to change their vision, and particularly agricultural education; generating a level of demands on the state and the academic units of the universities, to respond to social demand with highly trained professionals with the ability to solve problems. Knowing the generic and technical skills of the professional profile of the agricultural engineer, perceived by graduates and students of the last three semesters of the Universidad Técnica del Norte (UTN) and its relationship with rural development, is the objective of the present investigation, whose results determine that the Agricultural Engineer of the UTN, according to his perception, responds to agricultural development in its majority, without being strengthened in new dynamics that rural development demands.

Keywords: Rural development; agricultural engineer; generic competences; technical competences