Overview

The BSc (Hons) Degree in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship is a four year programme which is offered by the School of Business.

First Year - Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Students take core modules to the value of 60 credits. In order to be admitted to the First University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship, a student must have satisfactorily attended, subsequent to entry to the programme, modules to the value of 60 credits.

Second Year - Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Students take core modules to the value of 60 credits. No student may register for Second Year Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship until the First University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship has been passed. To be admitted to the Second University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits.

Third Year - Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship

No student may register for Third Year Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship until the Second University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship has been passed. The Third Year Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship programme consists of taught modules to the value of 45 credits and a transferable skills module (placement or research project) to the value of 15 credits. To be admitted to the Third University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship a student must have satisfactorily attended taught modules to the value of 45 credits.

The Third University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship will be undertaken in March/April. Students must also undertake a 15-credit 6 month period of Transferrable Skills - Food Business and Development - Work Placement (FE3208) or, in exceptional cases, a 15-credit Transferable Skills - Food Business and Development - Research Project (FE3209) after the Third University Examination.

Fourth Year - Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship

The Fourth Year Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship programme consists of core modules to the value of 50 credits and elective modules to the value of 10 credits. No student may register for Fourth Year Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship until the Third University Examination in Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship has been passed, and the Transferable Skills Module (FE3208) or Research Project (FE3209) has been undertaken. To be admitted to the BSc (Hons) (Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship) Degree Examination, a student must have satisfactorily attended modules to the value of 60 credits.

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements. 

Programme Requirements

Module List

Code	Title	Credits
Year 1
Students take 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
AC1116	Financial Accounting	5
EC1500	Ethics and Economic Decision Making in Food Business	5
FE1030	Introduction to International Food Policy	5
FE1016	Introduction to Food Business	5
FE1017	Introduction to Food Marketing	5
FE1200	Introduction to Sustainable Food Marketing Channels and Supply Chains	5
FE1201	Preparing for Entrepreneurship and Placement in Food	5
FS1011	Introduction to Food Science and Technology	5
LW1108	Introduction to the Legal System	5
LW1109	Introduction to Business Law	5
MB1001	Introduction to Food and Industrial Microbiology	5
MA1100	Introductory Mathematics for Business I	5
Year 2
Students take 60 credits as follows:
Core Modules
AC2200	Introduction to Management Accounting	5
FE2014	Digital Food Marketing and Branding	5
FE2204	Quantitative Research for Food	5
FE2205	Food Business Sustainability	5
FE3204	Food Enterprise Management	5
FS2005	Principles of Food Science and Technology	5
FS2007	Topics in Food Quality, Hygiene and Legislation	5
IS1106	Introduction to Information Systems	5
IS1107	Information Systems for the Networked Enterprise	5
NT2013	Fundamentals of Nutrition Part 1	5
ST1023	Introduction to Business Statistics	5
ST2200	Methods of Business Statistics	5
Year 3
Students take 60 credits as follows – all listed taught modules (45 credits) and a 15 credit Transferable Skills module (Placement or Research Module):
FE3020	Understanding Supply Chain Management	5
FE3201	Market-oriented New Food Product Innovation	5
FE3203	Food Market Research Methods	5
FE3208	Transferrable Skills - Food Business and Development - Work Placement	15
or FE3209	Transferable Skills - Food Business and Development - Research Project
FS3011	Science and Technology of Food Systems B	5
FS3018	Fundamentals of Food Packaging	5
FS3022	Sensory Evaluation for Food and Nutritional Sciences	5
MB3993	Food and Industrial Microbiology I	5
MG3012	Enterprise and Innovation	5
NT2014	Fundamentals of Nutrition Part 2	5
Year 4
Students take 60 credits as follows – all listed core modules (50 credits) and 10 credits of elective modules:
Core Modules
AC4406	Accounting in Business	5
FE4002	Global Food Policy	5
FE4205	Consumer Behaviour in Food Markets	5
FE4207	Global Food Supply Chain Management	5
FE4208	Grocery Shopper Behaviour and Food Retail Marketing	5
FE4475	Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship	10
MG4035	Strategic Marketing	5
MG4036	Strategic Management	5
NT4011	Public Health Nutrition	5
Elective Modules
Students take modules to the value of 10 credits from the following:		10
AC4407	Financial Reporting 1 (5)
AC4408	Financial Reporting 2 (5)
FE4008	Food Security and the Developing World (5)
FE4009	Co-operatives, Food and Rural Sustainability (5)
FS4906	Cereals and Related Beverages B (5)
FS4011	Advanced Food Packaging (5)
MG4043	International Marketing Management (5)
Total Credits		240

Examinations

Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Learning Outcomes for BSc (Hons) (Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship) (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

1
1-1
Communicate and work effectively to a professional standard;
1-2
2
Demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills associated with effective practice;
1-3
3
Engage in the application of frameworks and techniques in organisational settings;
1-4
4
Demonstrate entrepreneurial capacity;
1-5
5
Apply knowledge of food science in a food innovation and marketing context to promote food business sustainability;
6
8-1
Identify responsible leadership and sustainable business practices along the food marketing channel.

*** Only for Incoming First Years and Repeat First Years 2024/2025 ***
*** Click here for Marks and Standards for all other years ***

Marks and Standards

These Marks and Standards should be read in conjunction with the Programme Requirements and the Book of Modules.

Fitness to Practise

All students on programmes subject to Fitness to Practise in UCC will be required to comply with the Fitness to Practise Policy and meet the relevant Fitness to Practise standards, in order to progress to the next year of his/her/their programme. Click here for a list of programmes subject to the Fitness to Practise Policy.

Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

First Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass first year and progress to second year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 50 credits, and
3. A module mark of at least 30% in any remaining modules.

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in modules to the value of 10 credits and pass the year overall.

Award of Honours in the Degree Award

An honours classification is awarded for the final degree using the final year examination results and marks carried forward from the penultimate year. The aggregate of 33.33% of the penultimate year marks plus 66.67% of the final year marks will be used to calculate the final degree award.

Honours will be awarded as follows:

1. First Class Honours: ≥ 70%
2. Second Class Honours, Grade I: ≥ 60% and <70%
3. Second Class Honours, Grade II: ≥ 50% and <60%
4. Pass: ≥ 40% and <50%

Award of Honours when a student undertakes Study Abroad
When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, the calculation of the final degree award is based on modules in the Book of Modules only.

Examination Boards

• Provisional marks for Semester 1 examinations are released in January/February of each year. These marks are subject to approval at the University Examination Board.
• Marks for all modules taken in Semester 1 and 2, including those wholly assessed by Continuous Assessment, will be presented to the University Examination Board at the end of Semester 2.

Supplemental Examinations and Assessment

• Students who fail to achieve the progression standard for the year at the Summer Examination Board must complete Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment for those specific module(s), where there is provision to do so.
• Please refer to the Book of Modules for requirements governing the Supplemental Examination and Assessment for individual modules. Note: For some modules there is no Supplemental Examination and Assessment.
• The marks achieved in the Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment of a repeat module are considered at the Autumn Examination Board.
• The actual mark achieved by the candidate in the Supplemental or Repeat Year Examination will be recorded on the student record (Academic Transcript).
• The maximum mark that will be taken into account for aggregation and progression purposes is a pass level, unless the student has been granted a cap waiver or deferral by the University Mitigation Committee, or a University Examination Board, or has been approved to defer the previous attempt by the University Mitigation Committee.
• At the Autumn Examination Board, marks from all passed modules approved at the Summer Examination Board are carried forward and are combined with the marks achieved in Supplemental Examinations and/or Assessments. The pass and progression criteria are applied to the aggregate mark achieved.

Note: The mark achieved at the last examination/assessment attempt is the mark that is included in the calculation of the aggregate mark for pass and progression purposes.

Study Abroad

• When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, they will be assessed by his/her/their host university.
• To pass the study abroad period and progress to the subsequent year, a student must achieve a pass standard as applied by the host institution.
• A Pass/Fail judgement will be presented to the UCC Examination Boards:
  • At the Summer Examination Board for students spending Semester 1 abroad.
  • At the Autumn/Winter Examination Board for students spending the full academic year abroad or Semester 2 only.
• For students failing to achieve a pass mark, Supplemental Assessment will be prescribed by the School in UCC, and these results will be presented at a Winter Examination Board.

Exemptions

All passed modules carry an exemption, which is limited to a period of five academic years (or two in the case of Computer Science modules) subsequent to the award of the exemption.

Repeat Year Examinations

Students repeating the year may do so choosing one of the following mechanisms:

1. Students retain module exemptions, if any, and must repeat all failed/absent modules, including those modules where the failing mark previously achieved was greater than the level of compensation (≥ 30%) but who failed to achieve the progression standard for the year (see above). The pass and progression criteria are then applied to the combination of full marks achieved in modules passed at the first attempt, plus capped marks achieved in modules in the Repeat Year Examinations.​

Note: For students selecting different modules not previously taken, there are no restrictions on the marks awarded for those modules at the first attempt in a repeat year. The selection of different modules by the student means that the student foregoes any previous marks achieved in the original modules (including previously passed modules).

2. Students may forego all module exemptions achieved and repeat the year choosing modules to the value of the full 60 credits. In determining pass and progression, there is no restriction on the marks awarded for modules taken at the first attempt of the Repeat Year. Modules taken at the subsequent Supplemental Examination and Assessment are capped at the pass mark.

Subject to capacity, all students - whether they have failed or passed - are allowed to choose this second option, in an attempt to improve his/her/their grade.

Students repeating the final year are eligible for the award of Honours in the first Repeat Year only. Final year students wishing to repeat the year with a view to improving his/her/their degree result may do so only if they have not been conferred.

Three Year Rule

Students must pass/progress within three academic years of the date of first registration for a year, otherwise they cannot continue in the programme.

Terms and Definitions

Programme Description

• The programme description is outlined in the Programme Requirements tab.

Module Descriptions/Assessment

• Module descriptions, including the pass standard for a module, special requirements to pass a module, and assessment elements and their weightings, are contained in the Book of Modules.

Marks and Credits

• A maximum of 100 marks may be awarded for every five credits of a programme.
• Some modules are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis only, i.e. marks are not awarded.

Pass and Progression

• Progression is defined as the permission granted to a student to register in the subsequent academic year for the next set of modules within his/her/their programme of study.
• Compensation is defined as the process by which a student, who fails to satisfy some of the regulations for credit in a specific module, is nevertheless recommended for credit to be awarded on the grounds that the failure is offset by his/her/their performance in the other modules on his/her/their programme of study.