Program Overview

Food Studies and Irish Foodways - Postgraduate Diploma - PG Dip

Course Fact File

• Code: PDFIF
• Duration: 2 years part-time (Year 1: September - May, Year 2: September - May)
• Teaching Mode: Part-Time
• Qualifications: PG Dip
• NFQ Level: Level 9
• NFQ Award Title: Postgraduate Diploma (major award)
• Fees: €3000 per year (€1500 payable on registration, with the remaining €1500 paid in the second semester)
• Closing Date: 29 August 2025
• Next Intake: September 2025
• Venue: Online with on-campus workshops and seminars, and two fieldtrips per year

Course Outline

The Postgraduate Diploma in Food Studies and Irish Foodways is designed to examine the complexities, intricacies, and fascinating elements in the development and evolution of Irish food culture and its connection to global food developments. The course covers food and culinary systems of the past and present from the perspectives of production, processing, preservation, preparation, and consumption.

Course Practicalities

• The programme will run one evening per week over two academic years, with students attending a three-hour lecture from mid-September to May, and one Saturday (full-day) on-campus workshop per semester.
• Students are also required to undertake approximately 12 hours of self-directed study each week.
• Four guided fieldtrips will be taken during the programme (two full-day fieldtrips per year).
• The course fee does not include the costs associated with fieldtrips (travel costs and, if applicable, venue admissions).

Year I Modules

• FL6804: An Introduction to Irish Food Studies
• GG6802: The Irish Food System and Food Policy
• HI6801: Irish Food and Culinary History
• DR6801: Food and Creative Practice

Year II Modules

• FL6802: Food, Festival and Folklore
• PS6801: Food, the Environment and Sustainability
• NT6801: Introduction to the Principles of Nutrition
• FL6806: Heritage Foods in Contemporary Society
• FL6807: Research Methods in Foodways

Assessment

• Assessment is by continuous assessment, with students completing an assignment for submission at the end of each module.
• Assignments include essays, case studies, reflective journals, reports, oral presentations, MCQs, scientific posters, portfolio entries, creative writing, and oral presentations.

Why Choose This Course?

• The programme provides an opportunity to study Irish food culture in a holistic manner.
• Students will develop high-level and proficient skills in research, critical and creative thinking, and reflective practice.
• The course will enable students to distinguish between food facts and food myths and foster a respect and love for research in the area of food studies and Irish foodways.

Skills and Careers Information

• On successful completion of the programme, candidates will have developed transferable skills with direct application to careers in food-related business and professions.
• Career opportunities include food marketing and PR, food and culinary tourism, consumer research, food advocacy, agriculture, innovation and creativity in food-event design, food education, and continued/further research in academia.

Requirements

• NFQ Level 8 qualification in any discipline (Honours Degree or Higher Diploma).
• Desirable, though not compulsory, areas of prior study include the humanities and social sciences, food science, food marketing, and food business.
• Candidates without an NFQ level 8 award are eligible to apply, subject to the approval of the programme Academic Director, if they can demonstrate at least three years of professional experience in a related field.

English Language Requirement

• All applicants whose first language is not English are required to sit either an IELTS test or a recognised equivalent test.
• The minimum requirement is an IELTS score of 6.5, or the equivalent TOEFL score with no individual section lower than 6.0.

Fees and Costs

• €3,000 fee for year 1 and €3000 for year 2.
• Applicants pay half fee on registration (€1500 for year 1).
• The remaining second instalment fee is paid in the second course semester.
• Students may be eligible for Taste4Sucess Skillnet funding if they meet the specified criteria.