Nutritional Sciences

This course blends basic sciences, food science, human biology and nutrition in a unique and interesting way to give you the knowledge, skills and training you need to work as a nutritional scientist

As a nutritional scientist, you will increase knowledge of the relationship between diet, health and disease through research, and apply that knowledge through the provision of sound nutritional advice, and safe wholesome and nutritious food to consumers

Lecturers are internationally recognised researchers and are deeply committed to excellence in teaching

Graduates have excellent opportunities for employment and for further career specialisation. Our course has a long history of producing outstanding graduates who have gone on to have successful careers in areas such as dietetics, public health nutrition, sports nutrition, nutrition research, academic lecturing and a range of other career paths. Our graduates are also highly sought after by the food industry, especially for areas such as quality assurance and new product development.

An application for accrediation of the course by the UK Association for Nutrition is under review.

Non-EU applicants are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate. In addition, where such applicants 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 and language requirements visit our qualification comparison page and refer to our International Office page for more information.

Graduate Study Options

There are many options for further study in Nutritional Sciences. Our graduates have many courses to choose from including:

It is also possible to pursue a PhD in Food Science & Technology, Nutrition, or related subjects.

Career Opportunities

Nutritional Sciences graduates are equipped to work in a wide range of industries and other areas of responsibility including:

This course prepares you for working in a variety of career sectors including the biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical science sector, the medical and healthcare sector, and the food and beverages sector. The food industry is the major employer of our graduates, and graduates have secured employment in many national and international food companies including Abbott Nutrition, Coca Cola, Danone, Dairygold, Drover Foods, Glanbia, Glenpatrick Spring Water, Green Isle Food, Kerry Group, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Nutricia, PepsiCo, and Sainsbury’s, as well as the national food agencies BIM, Ornua, Safefood, and Teagasc.

A smaller number of graduates have found employment in the pharmaceutical industry (e.g. Eli Lily, Novartis). Other graduates have gone on to further studies and careers in sports nutrition, medicine, public health, radiography, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and secondary school teaching.

Graduates also have many opportunities to advance to MSc and PhD courses in Nutrition and other life sciences and to pursue careers in academia.

Dietetics is another important career destination and each year approximately 20% of our graduates go on to study dietetics at postgraduate level, with the majority of these now working as dietitians either in Ireland or the UK.

Note that, while the course does not qualify you to work as a dietician upon graduation, many of our graduates go on to pursue one to two-year postgraduate courses in Dietetics. This allows them to gain the extra clinical and relevant skills to become a qualified dietician, and many have gone on to careers in Dietetics through this route.

See the School of Food & Nutritional Sciences page for more information on the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics programme at UCC.