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University College Cork

Nutritional Sciences

The PG Dip Nutritional Sciences is a full-time programme running for 9 months from the date of first registration for the programme. UCC has a long history of teaching and research in food and nutritional sciences and now is amongst Europes largest multidisciplinary education and research institutions with world-class academics working in all aspects of the food and nutritional sciences.

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

Conduct a comprehensive literature search using all available resources of seminal and recent research in a specified topic

Analyse, synthesise and summarise information critically, including published research or reports, and write a well-constructed and concise scientific report.

Explain the principles of, and apply in practice, techniques used in nutritional sciences research;

Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between nutrition and the development of disease and disorders;

Demonstrate the importance of nutrition to facilitate optimum physical and mental development and maintenance of health throughout life;

Apply critical thinking skills to solve problems in nutrition;

Communicate effectively on nutrition-related issues with different stakeholders;

Demonstrate the capacity to undertake lifelong learning.

UCC has a long history of teaching and research in the Food and Nutritional Sciences and is amongst Europes largest multidisciplinary education and research institutions with world-class academics working in all aspects of the food and nutrition areas.

Entry requirements

Candidates must be holders of an honours BSc degree, or equivalent qualification, in a Human Biology-related discipline including a significant element of biochemistry and/ or physiology and a minimum of a Second Class Honours Grade 1 or equivalent. Graduates with a Second Class Honours Grade 2 degree will be considered on a case-by-case basis subject to the approval of the Director of the PG Dip in Nutritional Sciences.

Candidates with a BSc in Nutritional Sciences or closely related programmes are not eligible for admission.

The English Language Requirements is IELTS 6.5 with no individual section lower than 6.0 or TOEFL equivalent.

If you are applying with Qualifications obtained outside Ireland and you wish to verify if you meet the minimum academic and English language requirements for this programme please click here to view the grades comparison table by country and for details of recognised English language tests.

Non-EU Candidates

Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to Irish university primary degree level. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. To verify if you meet the minimum academic requirements for this programme please visit our qualification comparison pages.

For more detailed entry requirement information please refer to the International website .

Duration

1 Year - Full-Time

The course content of the PG Dip Nutritional Science is adjusted to each individual students needs therefore it is impossible to quantify contact hours precisely. This PG Dip programme is a challenging course and is intended to be full time. Students are expected to attend lectures or be engaged in their research from 9 am to 5 pm each working day from September to May.

Careers or further progression

Skills and Careers Information

Career Opportunities

This course is designed for individuals with a strong biology background wishing to gain a postgraduate qualification in nutrition. It will helps to up skill students in the rapidly advancing field of nutritional science, while also providing a conversion pathway for science graduates who wish to enter the nutrition field. There is no preordained career path, and it is up to each graduate to fit the qualification in with their own educational background as they shape their individual careers.
Graduates of the PG Diploma and its predecessor course (MSc Nutritional Science) have gone on to work in:

Research
The food industry

Or have used the qualification:
To enhance their current qualifications (e.g. public health graduates (with an interest in public health nutrition; food science graduates ( to allow them to apply for jobs in food industry on the product development and regulatory side); and health care professionals such as nurses (who wish to further their nutrition knowledge and apply it to their practice)

As a stepping stone to other careers (e.g. dietetics, science teaching (biology)

Graduates can apply for individual membership of the Nutrition Society.

Skills

On successful completion of this programme, students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between nutrition and the development of disease and disorders; demonstrate the importance of nutrition to facilitate optimum physical and mental development and maintenance of health throughout life; apply critical thinking skills to solve problems in nutrition; communicate effectively on nutrition-related issues with different stakeholders; demonstrate the capacity to undertake lifelong learning.

Further enquiries

Contact details for this course
Dr. Aoife Ryan
a.ryan@ucc.ie
+35321 4902406

Subjects taught

Modules will be chosen with the approval of the Programme Board depending on the student's background. Students take 60 credits as follows:

Modules

Core Modules

NT6104 Library Project in Nutritional Sciences (10 credits)

NT6106 Current Topics in Public Health Nutrition (10 credits)

NT6107 Integration and Regulation of Nutrient Metabolism (5 credits)

NT6108 Sensory Analysis in Nutrition Research (5 credits)

NT6109 Minerals in Health and Disease (5 credits)

NT6110 Food Security and Implications for Human Nutrition (5 credits)

NT6111 Advances in Vitamins and Other Dietary Bioactives (5 credits)

NT4005 Selected Topics in Nutrition (5 credits)

Students submit their library in April.

Elective Modules

Students select 10 credits from the following:

NT3001 Clinical Nutrition (5 credits)

NT3002 Food Toxicology (5 credits)

NT3009 Determinants of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour (5 credits)

NT3014 Assessment of Nutritional Status (5 credits)

Assessment method

Assessment is by End of Year Written Examination, Continuous Assessment, In-class presentation, In-class tests, laboratory write-ups and Library Projects.

Application date

Closing dates

Closing Dates for Application

Applications for 2018 start dates will open on November 1st 2017.

EU Applicants: UCC operates a rounds closing date system for the majority of postgraduate taught programmes (detailed below).

Some programmes have a specific closing date. Applicants are advised to consult with the postgraduate prospectus for programmes with a specific closing date.

The UCC rounds EU application system closing dates for Postgraduate Taught courses are detailed below. However, we would advise applicants to apply as soon as possible.

Deadline for receipt of Applications: Offers will be made:
For all completed applications received by January 15th 2018 Offers will be made by January 29th 2018

For all completed applications received by March 1st 2018 Offers will be made by March 15th 2018

For all completed applications received by May 1st 2018
Offers will be made by May 15th 2018

For all completed applications received by July 2nd 2018
Offers will be made by July 16th 2018

Late applications may be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for any courses that have remaining capacity for places.

While there is no official closing date for Research courses applicants are advised to submit their application at least two months ahead of their proposed start date. There are four official Research start dates September/October, January, April and July.

Non-EU Applicants:

Please visit the following page for further information for Non EU applicants http://www.ucc.ie/en/international/studyatucc/postgraduateprogrammes/tau...