Food Business & Innovation

Course Outline

Our MSc programme in Food Business and Innovation is offered by the College of Business & Law at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland. It prepares students for a career in the dynamic world of food business and will set you up to play a lead role in the analysis of key sectoral issues and strategic management of the ever-evolving food industry.



The balance of modules in this programme reflects the global nature of the food industry. Students will expand their knowledge of food, the food consumer, innovation in food and the decision-making processes in companies that develop, brand, distribute, and sell food products. The practical application of learning in this course will equip you with analytical, communication, business, and presentation skills, which are required and highly valued by the industry.



The skills learned in this course are highly transferable so our graduates pursue employment opportunities in both the food sector (international corporations, SMEs, start-ups, and food agencies) and non-food sector (banks, market research firms, and higher education).

The MSc (Food Business and Innovation) programme comprises two parts with a total of 90 credits.



Modules

Part I (60 credits)

FE6005 Strategic Food Marketing (5 credits)

FE6505 Food Entrepreneurship and Innovation (10 credits)

FE6506 Food Branding and Digital Media Marketing (5 credits)

FE6507 Economics of Agri-Food Markets and Value Chain Analysis (5 credits)

FE6511 Category Management and Food Retail Marketing (10 credits)

FE6512 Sustainable Food Systems (5 credits)

FE6517 Supply Chain Management and Food Integrity (5 credits)

FE6902 Global Food Policy Issues (5 credits)

MG6012 Consumer Culture and Consumer-Brand Relationships (10 credits)



Part II (30 credits)

FE6127 Applied Food Industry-Centred Research Project (30 credits)

To be eligible for the MSc in Food Business and Innovation programme, applicants must hold at least a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ Level 8).



Consideration under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) may also be given to applicants who have a minimum of three years of relevant professional experience, subject to the approval of the Programme Director.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.



- In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.



- Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Closing Date: Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date: Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

You will be assessed by examinations, continuous assessment and a Food Industry Centred Research Project report.

12 months full-time.

Start Date: 8th September 2025

Skills and Careers Information

Our Food and Innovation course is ideally suited to graduates who seek employment opportunities in a broad sector of food and non-food settings; these areas include market research, consumer research, food business management, product marketing, and brand management, new product development, food retail organisations, the financial sector as food analysts, research institutions and policy organisations, and organisations that support food firms nationally and internationally.



What are our graduates doing?

Graduates on sister programmes have secured employment in international food and non-food firms (Glanbia, Ornua, Kerrygold Ireland, Britvic, Danone, Aldi, Dawn, AIB, LinkedIn), banks, food agencies (Bord Bia, UK Home-Grown Cereals Authority, Teagasc), brand management and marketing departments (Kerry Foods, Musgrave Group, Nestle), non-food agencies (Enterprise Ireland, IBEC, Bord Bia), market research firms (AC Nielsen, Spark Market Research, Dunhumby) and in Higher Education (Munster Technological University, Waterford Institute of Technology, University of Lancaster).