Program Overview
This part-time Diploma program is designed for individuals seeking to establish or enhance their artisan or specialty food businesses. The program combines lectures, practicals, workshops, and field trips to provide comprehensive training in various aspects of food production, processing, marketing, and risk analysis. The course is tailored for farmers, producers, retailers, culinary specialists, and those working in food support agencies. Graduates can expect to successfully operate small food enterprises or further develop existing businesses in the specialty food sector.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
This part-time Diploma is designed for those who are starting or wish to further develop an artisan or specialty food business and also for those involved in this sector including farmers, producers, retailers, culinary specialists, and those in support agencies. It is also targeted at second generation food business families.
Outline:
The Diploma course is a mix of lectures, practicals, workshops, project assignment and site visits. It is run on a part-time basis over one year, typically 2 days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday) every 3 or 4 weeks, from October to June. The modules include Local Food Production Systems, Food Microbiology, Food Chemistry and Packaging, Food Marketing and Distribution, Food Processing Technology, Risk Analysis, Nutrition and you will submit an assignment report at the end of the year. There are also practical sessions, guest lecturers (case studies), site visits, and an end of year field trip.
Modules:
- FE1805: Local Food Production Systems
- FE1849: Sustainable Marketing and Business for Speciality Food Enterprises
- FS1820: Speciality Food Production Assignment
- FS1823: Food Processing Technology
- FS1824: Food Chemistry and Packaging
- FS1825: Nutrition and Sensory Science
- MB1800: Food Microbiology
- MB1801: Risk Analysis
- PS1801: Food Production and the Environment
Assessment:
The assessments are given on a continuous assessment basis from October to May. They are a combination of either in-class 1.5 - 2-hour exams, or essays/assignments to be completed at home.
Teaching:
The lecturers comprise internal UCC lecturers and external independent lecturers, as well as a selection of guest lecturers.
Careers:
Following successful completion of the course, you can expect to be successfully running a small food enterprises from your home, farm or small production unit or have further developed and improved an existing small food business.
Other:
In previous classes we have had great diversity, including people with various backgrounds, such as farmers, artisan producers, chefs, environmental health officers, and interests, such as farmhouse cheeses, smoked fish and seafood, fresh and specialist meats, poultry and pork products, sauces, confectionery, and fresh organic produce. Such diversity together with programme tutors (from business, food science and social sciences), guest speakers and field trips creates an excellent forum for discussion, exchange of experience and learning. This course will be blended with Online Lectures (10 sessions) and In Class Lectures (4 sessions). There will be sessions typically every 3 weeks from October to May on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00am to 5pm. Additional cost of accomodation/meals an overnight field trip. This part-time Diploma is unique to UCC, and is the only one of its kind in Ireland and the UK. The students come to the course from a variety of backgrounds, including: speciality food producers, farmers who wish to add value to their farm produce, retailers who wish to expand into the ever increasing organic and artisan food sector, restaurateurs and chefs, Environmental Health Officers and others working in support agencies who wish to increase their knowledge and understanding of the speciality food sector. This course will be open to national and international participants. English Language Requirement: All applicants whose first language is not English must have attained IELTS Level 6 or the equivalent TOEFL score.
The tuition fee is €2,800 per academic year. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provide 64% of the fee to eligible applicants.
