Science - Nutritional Sciences
The BSc Nutritional Sciences course focuses on the role of diet in health promotion and disease prevention (including problems related to undernutrition and over-nutrition, and especially the major non communicable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis).
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 Years
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements
At Least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H4 in one subject, minimum grade H5 in one subject and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish.
Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Maths O6/H7 or H4*
Lab Science O6/H7 or H4*
Note
H4 in either a Lab Science subject, Maths or Applied Maths or Computer Science*
* If the H4 is in Maths, Applied Maths or Computer Science an 06/H7 in a Lab Science subject is also required.
The following are considered Lab Science subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics with Chemistry and Agricultural Science.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
UCC awards the following points to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme Link Modules:
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
While Link Modules are counted for point scoring purposes they may not be counted as one of the six subjects to satisfy minimum entry requirements.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
Graduate Study Options
There are many options for further study in Nutritional Sciences. Our graduates have many courses to choose from including:
MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics
PG Certificate in Dairy Technology and Innovation
PG Certificate/Diploma/Masters in Clinical Trials
MPH Master of Public Health
MSc Biotechnology
MSc Diagnostic Radiography
MSc Food Science
MSc Food Business and Innovation
MSc Food Microbiology
It is also possible to pursue a PhD in Food Science & Technology, Nutrition, or related subjects.
Career Opportunities
Nutritional Sciences graduates are equipped to work in a wide range of industries and other areas of responsibility including:
Food
Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare
Governmental and non-governmental agencies
This course prepares you for working in a variety of career sectors including the biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical science sector, the medical and healthcare sector, and the food and beverages sector. The food industry is the major employer of our graduates, and graduates have secured employment in many national and international food companies including Abbott Nutrition, Coca Cola, Danone, Dairygold, Drover Foods, Glanbia, Glenpatrick Spring Water, Green Isle Food, Kerry Group, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Nutricia, PepsiCo, and Sainsbury’s, as well as the national food agencies BIM, Ornua, Safefood, and Teagasc.
A smaller number of graduates have found employment in the pharmaceutical industry (e.g. Eli Lily, Novartis). Other graduates have gone on to further studies and careers in sports nutrition, medicine, public health, radiography, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and secondary school teaching.
Graduates also have many opportunities to advance to MSc and PhD courses in Nutrition and other life sciences and to pursue careers in academia.
Dietetics is another important career destination and each year approximately 20% of our graduates go on to study dietetics at postgraduate level, with the majority of these now working as dietitians either in Ireland or the UK.
Note that, while the course does not qualify you to work as a dietician upon graduation, many of our graduates go on to pursue one to two-year postgraduate courses in Dietetics. This allows them to gain the extra clinical and relevant skills to become a qualified dietician, and many have gone on to careers in Dietetics through this route.
See the School of Food & Nutritional Sciences page for more information on the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics programme at UCC.
Further information
Approximate Available Places 5
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
Approximate Available Places Overall 43
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
Course Outline
The BSc Nutritional Sciences course focuses on the role of diet in health promotion and disease prevention (including problems related to undernutrition and over-nutrition, and especially the major non communicable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis). This is done from an individual, national and international perspective, using insights gained from a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Nutritional science is the study of food as it impacts our health and is concerned with the provision of food and nutrients to the body to facilitate optimum physical and mental development and maintenance of health throughout life.
A six-month work placement in third year forms a significant part of the course and, along with the rich learning load of the placement itself, will enhance your future employment and career development.
The course will give you a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between diet and health and you will learn how to apply this knowledge to the provision of nutritional advice to the public, as well as providing safe, wholesome and nutritious food to the consumer.
A six-month work placement forms an integral part of the course in Year 3.
On completion of the course you will be able to:
- apply current knowledge in nutritional science from a molecular, cellular and tissue level to the whole person and to population groups to calculate food and nutrient requirements across the life-span in health and disease;
- devise nutritional guidance for individuals and population groups for the maintenance of good health, in the context of authoritative dietary reference and food safety standards;
- employ specialist experimental skills in nutritional research and analysis;
- identify and critically evaluate emerging knowledge in nutrition and use this as a basis for developing novel approaches to solving challenges in industry, research/academia, government agencies, healthcare and other sectors;
- interpret and translate nutritional science meaningfully and communicate the science effectively;
- and work effectively as a nutrition professional.
Year 1 Modules
BC1001 Introduction to Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Disease (5 credits)
BC1002 Cells, Biomolecules, Genetics and Evolution (5 credits)
BL1004 Physiology and Structure of Plants and Animals (5 credits)
CM1005 Introductory Chemistry for Food and Nutritional Sciences (15 credits)
MA1001 Calculus for Science Part 1 (5 credits)
MA1002 Calculus for Science Part 2 (5 credits)
NT1001 Introductory Nutrition (5 credits)
NT1002 Human Nutrition: Energy and Macronutrients (5 credits)
PY1010 Physics for Biological and Chemical Sciences (10 credits)
Placement or Study Abroad Information
Work Placement
Year 3 students are placed in a food-related industry placement for 24 weeks (April to September) in Ireland or abroad. During this placement, you will make a significant contribution to a relevant project under the supervision of an industrial and UCC mentor.
The placement will significantly enhance your prospects for future employment and career development, as many well-known national and international brands participate in the programme.
On work placement you will gain invaluable experience and acquire or improve key transferable skills such as teamwork, decision-making and initiative, as well as building communications, management, organisational and presentation skills.
You will also foster a deeper understanding of food and nutrition by applying the theory you will be learning in college to practical situations.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/programmes/) for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/)
Dr Alice Lucey
a.lucey@ucc.ie
+353 (0)21 490 2310
http://www.ucc.ie/en/fns/