Program Overview
The Graduate Diploma in Food, Nutrition & Health is a flexible, online program for graduates seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in the rapidly evolving field. Designed for individuals without a formal background in food science or nutrition, the program equips students with the expertise necessary for careers in product innovation, technical sales, health promotion, and food regulation. Delivered through interactive online modules, it allows students to study from anywhere while fostering connections and developing subject-specific knowledge in core areas of Food, Nutrition & Health.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Graduate Diploma in Food, Nutrition & Health is a part-time, online program designed for graduates from various disciplines who want to enhance their knowledge and understanding of food's relationship to human nutrition and health. It's particularly suitable for graduates without a formal background in food science or nutrition, aiming to gain skills and become employable in this evolving field. The program's objectives are to:
- Enable students to transform their careers and develop intellectually and professionally.
- Equip students with the skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to succeed in the rapidly changing global food, nutrition, and health landscape.
- Provide a challenging and relevant program of study for students seeking careers in Food, Nutrition & Health.
- Develop subject-specific knowledge in core areas of Food, Nutrition & Health.
- Foster fundamental skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
- Promote teamwork, collaboration, and communication.
- Connect students from diverse disciplines and cultures.
- Utilize the online format to strengthen connectedness and design innovative solutions to problems across the Food, Nutrition & Health spectrum.
Assessment:
The program utilizes a variety of assessment methods, including:
- Online assessed multiple-choice quizzes: These quizzes are used to monitor student progress and understanding of the material.
- Interactive discussion boards: These boards provide a platform for students to engage in discussions and share their perspectives on the topics covered.
- Virtual classroom environments: These environments facilitate interactive learning experiences and allow students to interact with their peers and instructors.
- Formative assessments: These assessments are used to help students develop and critically assess their understanding of the material presented.
- High continuous assessment component: This means that a significant portion of the final grade is based on ongoing assessments throughout the program.
Teaching:
The program is delivered entirely online through the UCD online learning platform (Brightspace) and utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including:
- Pre-prepared lecture material delivered online: This material provides students with the foundational knowledge and concepts of the program.
- Videos and demonstrations by lecturers: These resources enhance the learning experience by providing visual and practical examples.
- Interactive learning reinforcement quizzes: These quizzes help students solidify their understanding of the material and identify areas where they may need further review.
Careers:
Graduates of the program have excellent job prospects in a range of roles across the food industry, public health, and regulatory agencies. They bring a distinct advantage of a nutrition or health perspective to their roles. Potential career paths include:
- Product Innovation: Developing new food products that meet specific nutritional needs or trends.
- Technical Sales: Promoting and selling food products with a focus on their nutritional value and benefits.
- Production Quality Enhancement: Ensuring the quality and safety of food products throughout the production process.
- Health Promotion: Educating consumers about healthy eating habits and promoting the benefits of a balanced diet.
- Food Regulation: Working with regulatory agencies to ensure the safety and labeling of food products.
Other:
- The program is delivered and assessed entirely online, allowing students to study from anywhere in the world.
- Students can contact their Module Tutor and Module Coordinator with any queries.
- The program is designed to be flexible and allows students to combine studying with employment.
- The program is hosted by the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science, bringing together academic and research staff from across UCD in health-related aspects of food research.
- Students will gain an understanding of the nature of food, its production, processing, consumption, and the interaction of food components with human functioning.
- Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to apply their knowledge to address nutrition-related problems in different groups, cultures, and societies.
- Graduates will be educated to a high level in the science of food as it pertains to human nutrition and health.
