Program Overview

Nutraceuticals in Health & Nutrition

Overview

The Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Nutraceuticals in Health & Nutrition is a four-year program that covers a range of scientific disciplines and new nutraceutical technologies. The program aims to produce contemporary food scientists capable of exploiting the growing opportunity in health and wellness.

Program Details

TU Code

TU882

CAO Point Range 2024

309−490

NFQ Level

Level 8

Award Type

Major

Award

Bachelor of Science (Honours)

ECTS Credits

240

Duration

4 years

Number of Places

40

Location

Grangegorman

What is... Nutraceuticals in Health & Nutrition?

Nutraceuticals are concentrated compounds obtained from food sources that can provide health benefits, including prevention of disease and health promotion. Examples of nutraceuticals include substances such as Omega 3, antioxidants or probiotics.

Minimum Entry Requirements

Leaving Certificate Requirements

• Minimum Number of Subjects: 6
• Minimum Grade in Maths: O4/H7
• Minimum Grade in English OR Irish: O6/H7
• Other Grade Requirements: At least O4/H7 in one of: Physics, Chemistry, Physics & Chemistry, or Biology.

QQI/FET Requirements

• QQI/FET Award Required: Level 5: CASFX / 5M5267 Food Science or CASLT / 5M3807 Laboratory Techniques
• Additional Requirements: 5 Distinctions from any of the following: C20006 / 5N2746 Biology, C20011 / 5N2747 Chemistry, D20022 Food Chemistry, C20041 / 5N0737 Microbiology, C20024 / 5N5245 Food Processing, C20140 / 5N2006 Nutrition, C20048 / 5N1460 Physics, B20029 / 5N2066 Statistics, D20127 / 5N5245 Food Preservation & Processing, D20001 / 5N0749 Anatomy & Physiology, C20033 / 5N2751 Laboratory Skills, C20049 / 5N2528 Plant Science, D20165 / 5N1794 Safety & Health at Work, C20139 / 5N1833 Mathematics, OR Leaving Certificate Mathematics O4/H7

Mature Applicants

Applications from mature students (23+) are welcome.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency as detailed on our website. Applicants for this course should have a minimum IELTS (Academic Version) English Proficiency of 6 overall (or equivalent) with nothing less than 6 in each component.

Work Placement

You’ll undertake a three-month work placement, and a full semester in Year 4 is dedicated to an independent research project that will allow you to develop your research skills and in-depth knowledge in an area of your choice.

Study Abroad Opportunities

You may have the opportunity to complete a semester, full-year, project work or work placement abroad under the Lifelong Learning Course (LLP)/Erasmus mobility schemes or their equivalent in other countries.

Career Opportunities

• New Product Development
• Food Technologist
• Product Technician
• Packaging Manager
• Ingredients Development (enzymes)
• Product Development Scientist
• Process Technologist
• Packaging Manager
• Quality Assurance/Control Manager/Co-ordinator
• Research and Development
• Production Manager/Planner
• Academia/Lecturer
• Research Assistant
• Lab Technician
• Brand Technologist/Specialist
• Operations Manager
• Procurement Manager
• Regulatory Affairs Officer
• Patent Agent
• Technical Author
• Writer/Journalist
• Technical Recruiter
• Account/Client Manager
• Marketing Executive
• Sales Manager Representative
• Entrepreneur
• Business Development Executive

Module Listing

Year One

• Communications and Nutraceutical Industry Studies [Mandatory]
• Computer Applications and Digital skills [Mandatory]
• Fundamentals of Inorganic Chemistry [Mandatory]
• Introductory Microbiology [Mandatory]
• Introductory Physics for Sciences and Health [Mandatory]
• Mathematics for Food Scientists [Mandatory]
• Principles of Cellular Biology [Mandatory]

Year Two

• Natural Organic Chemistry [Mandatory]
• Food & Beverages Engineering [Mandatory]
• Structural Biochemistry for Food and Pharmaceuticals [Mandatory]
• Food and Pharmaceutical Instrumentation I [Mandatory]
• Food Microbiology [Mandatory]
• Statistics [Mandatory]

Year Three

• Food Chemistry 1 [Mandatory]
• Molecular Biotechnology [Mandatory]
• Shelf-Life Management and Packaging [Mandatory]
• Fundamental Sensory Evaluation [Mandatory]
• Nutraceutical Food Safety and Occupational Health & Safety [Mandatory]
• Principles of Pharmacology and Toxicology [Mandatory]

Year Four

• Nutraceutical Industrial Placement [Mandatory]
• Nutraceutical Final Year Project / Dissertation [Mandatory]
• Advanced Analysis Techniques for Food, Beverage, Biopharma [Elective]
• Advanced Sensory Evaluation for Consumer Foods [Elective]
• Allergen Management & Control [Elective]
• Bioprocessing [Elective]
• Design of Experiments and Multivariate Analysis [Elective]
• Drug Delivery and Targeted Therapies [Elective]
• Molecular Gastronomy 1 [Elective]

Progression

On graduation, you’ll be qualified to enter postgraduate research courses, both in Ireland and abroad, in nutraceutical research and related areas at masters or PhD level. Demand for researchers in this area is currently high and is predicted to further increase in future years.