Overview
The BSc (Hons) (Nutritional Sciences) Degree is of four years' duration. The programme includes a 24-week period of Work Placement in the Third Year. The programme is accredited by the Association for Nutrition (AfN), as part of our accreditation, all students joining the programme from academic year 2024-25 will be subject to the UCC Fitness to Practice policy.
First Year - Nutritional Sciences
In order to be admitted to the First University Examination in Nutritional Sciences a student must have satisfactorily attended, subsequent to entry to the programme, modules amounting to 60 credits. To fulfil accreditation requirements students must independently pass all assessed elements in the following core modules: NT1001 Introductory Nutrition, NT1002 Human Nutrition: Energy and Macronutrients.
Second Year - Nutritional Sciences
No student may register for Second Year Nutritional Sciences until the First University Examination in Nutritional Sciences has been passed. To be admitted to the Second University Examination in Nutritional Sciences a student must have satisfactorily attended the following modules amounting to 60 credits. To fulfil accreditation requirements students must independently pass all assessed elements in the following core modules: NT2002 Human Nutrition: Minerals and Vitamins, NT2003 Animal Nutrition, NT2009 Nutrition in Growth, Development and Ageing.
Third Year - Nutritional Sciences
The Third Year Nutritional Sciences programme consists of taught modules to the value of 50 credits and Work Placement to the value of 10 credits. No student may register for Third Year Nutritional Sciences until the Second University Examination in Nutritional Sciences has been passed. To be admitted to the Third University Examination in Nutritional Sciences a student must have satisfactorily attended the following taught modules amounting to 50 credits. To fulfil accreditation requirements students must independently pass all assessed elements in the following core modules: NT3001 Clinical Nutrition, NT3002 Food Toxicology & Safety, NT3009 Determinants of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour, NT3011 Research and Analytical Techniques in Nutrition, NT3012 Scientific Writing, Communication and Professional Skills, NT3014 Assessment of Nutritional Status.
Notes:
The Third University Examination in Nutritional Sciences will be undertaken in March/April.
Work Placement
Students must also undertake a 24-week period of Work Placement (FS3001 10 credits) after the Third University Examination.
Students who do not secure a work placement position by April 30 each year, or who are debarred from examination in any module in Third Food Science Programme, will take FS3100 Food Industry Skills (10 credits).
Fourth Year - Nutritional Sciences
The Fourth Year Nutritional Sciences programme consists of taught modules to the value of 50 credits and a Research Project (NT4006 Research Project) to the value of 10 credits.
Students who fail or do not undertake FS3001 Work Placement or FS3100 Food Industry Skills must repeat or take this module after the BSc (Hons) Nutritional Sciences Degree Examination has been completed. To be allowed to graduate a student must have passed either FS3001 or FS3100. To be admitted to the Fourth University Examination in Nutritional Sciences a student must have satisfactorily attended the following modules amounting to 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 |
| |
| BC1001 | Introduction to Biochemistry and the Biological Basis of Disease | 5 |
| BL1002 | Cells, Biomolecules, Genetics and Evolution | 5 |
| BL1004 | Physiology and Structure of Plants and Animals | 5 |
| CM1005 | Introductory Chemistry for Food and Nutritional Sciences | 15 |
| MA1001 | Calculus for Science Part 1 | 5 |
| MA1002 | Calculus for Science Part 2 | 5 |
| NT1001 | Introductory Nutrition | 5 |
| NT1002 | Human Nutrition: Energy and Macronutrients | 5 |
| PY1010 | Physics for Biological and Chemical Sciences | 10 |
| |
| BC2001 | Biomolecules | 5 |
| BC2002 | Principles of Metabolic Pathways | 5 |
| FS2022 | Introductory Food Chemistry: Food Constituents B | 5 |
| MB2005 | Fundamentals of Microbiology | 5 |
| MB2906 | Principles of Microbiology | 5 |
| ML2001 | Introductory Molecular Biology | 5 |
| NT2002 | Human Nutrition: Minerals and Vitamins | 5 |
| NT2003 | Animal Nutrition | 5 |
| NT2009 | Nutrition in Growth, Development and Ageing | 5 |
| PL2021 | Introductory Physiology I | 5 |
| PL2022 | Introductory Physiology II | 5 |
| ST2001 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 5 |
| |
| FS3010 | Science and Technology of Food Systems A | 5 |
| FS3011 | Science and Technology of Food Systems B | 5 |
| FS3022 | Sensory Evaluation for Food and Nutritional Sciences | 5 |
| MB3003 | Food and Industrial Microbiology I | 5 |
| NT3001 | Clinical Nutrition | 5 |
| NT3002 | Food Toxicology & Safety | 5 |
| NT3009 | Determinants of Food Choice and Eating Behaviour | 5 |
| NT3011 | Research and Analytical Techniques in Nutrition | 5 |
| NT3012 | Scientific Writing, Communication and Professional Skills | 5 |
| NT3014 | Assessment of Nutritional Status | 5 |
| FS3001 | Work Placement | 10 |
| |
| MB3008 | Immunology: Host Response to Pathogens. | 5 |
| NT4002 | Advanced Nutrient Metabolism | 5 |
| NT4004 | Advanced Minerals and Trace Elements in Nutrition | 5 |
| NT4005 | Emerging Issues in Nutrition | 5 |
| NT4006 | Research Project | 10 |
| NT4008 | Global Nutrition | 5 |
| NT4009 | Advanced Vitamins and Bioactive Dietary Components | 5 |
| NT4011 | Public Health Nutrition | 5 |
| NT4012 | Sports and Exercise Nutrition | 5 |
| NT4013 | Nutritional Epidemiology | 5 |
| NT4014 | Sustainable Food Systems | 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) (Nutritional Sciences) (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
1
1-1
Apply current knowledge in nutritional science from the molecular, cellular and tissue levels to the whole person and to population groups to calculate food and nutrient requirements through the life-cycle in health and disease;
1-2
2
Integrate current knowledge in nutritional physiology and biochemistry with a broader appreciation of eating behaviour and food consumption patterns to devise nutritional guidance for individuals and population groups for the maintenance of good health, in the context of authoritative dietary reference and food safety standards;
1-3
3
Apply current knowledge in relation to the role of nutrition in animal health, welfare and productivity to formulate appropriate feeding regimens to meet a defined specification appropriate for an animal or groups of animals;
1-4
4
Employ specialist experimental skills in nutritional sciences research and analysis;
1-5
5
Identify and critically evaluate emerging knowledge in nutrition and use this as a basis for developing novel approaches to solving problems in varied workplace settings including industry, research/academia and the healthcare sector;
1-6
6
Interpret and translate nutritional science meaningfully for various target audiences and communicate the science effectively;
1-7
7
Promote the values of the discipline in all professional affairs, maintain the highest standards of professionalism, scientific integrity and accountability at all times and uphold the dignity and well-being of all clients;
1-8
8
Work effectively as a nutrition professional either singly, in a team or a multi-disciplinary setting;
1-9
9
Engage in professional development, reflection and life-long learning.
*** 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 have satisfied the Fitness to Practise requirements and must achieve:
- An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
- A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 50 credits,
- A module mark of at least 30% in any remaining modules, and
- A pass mark in each of the modules NT1001 and NT1002.
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.
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
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.
