Make your mark in the multibillion-pound food and drinks industry by focusing on the core business management skills needed for commercial success.
Did you know Food and Drink is a £5 billion industry in Northern Ireland and is the region’s largest manufacturer? With the government backing strategy to invest in sales growth to worldwide markets this course has been designed to create managers and leaders with the skills needed to respond to significant opportunities and challenges faced by the industry.
Covering the key aspects of supply chain management, consumer behaviour and marketing you’ll learn how to exploit market opportunities and understand the key activities required to create competitiveness in the food and drinks industry.
The course content has been specially aligned with the needs of industry. You’ll investigate and learn to interpret consumer behaviour, why do people make the choices they do when they shop? As well as cover consumer rights and law. You’ll also study practical elements such as supply chain and retail management, people management and accounting studies and get to flex your creative flare with media creativity and marketing. Develop business plans and conduct an e-business strategy. With content covering the entire supply chain through to retail management you’ll get a holistic view whilst having the flexibility to determine your interests in the varied value supply chain.
You’ll get the chance to discover how consumers shop and how that impacts future products and business using our virtual reality Consumer Insight Lab as well as look at consumer preferences for a product via our award-winning Food and Consumer Sensory Testing Suite (FACTS). Our facilities will help create a real-life learning environment so you will be ready to take your commercially-focused skills and apply them to your workplace upon graduation.
With the opportunity to take a placement year in year three you will also get the chance to put your theory into practice within industry. We have strong networks with industry and will keep you up to date with opportunities available in a variety of roles.
Whether you want to work for top national supermarkets or help develop and grow artisan local and family businesses to elevate them to the next level this course will give you the skills for success in the food and retail chain.
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Part-time students may complete the course in up to seven years from the date of registration (normally five years); part-time students are only allowed to take 45 credit points in any one semester. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Assessment is via a mixture of exams and coursework.
You’ll get the opportunity to present to real life businesses – a fantastic opportunity to hone your presenting and networking skills. You’ll also have the opportunity to put together an e-business plan simulating real life work scenarios.
Our well-established networks mean we will regularly have guest lectures from successful local and national businesses coming in to share their success stories and lessons learnt.
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until near the start date and may be subject to change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days of attendance will often be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10- or 20-credit modules and postgraduate course typically 15- or 30-credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Masters courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be via one method or a combination e.g. examination and coursework . Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessment. The precise assessment will depend on the module and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification and the assessment timetable. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have four learning outcomes, and no more than two items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6 (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Masters degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study. In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures correct for academic year 2019-2020.
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 59% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (25%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (20%) or Lecturers (55%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic staff (81%) are accredited fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advanced HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures correct for academic year 2021-2022.
The feeling of community at our Coleraine campus makes for a warm and welcoming student experience.
A laid-back campus at the heart of a global tourist attraction.
Find out more - information about accommodation
Our Campus in Coleraine boasts a variety of indoor and outdoor facilities that are open all year round to students and members of the public.
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At Student Wellbeing we provide many services to help students through their time at Ulster University.
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We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
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Applicants must satisfy the general requirements for admission to a first degree, and hold: GCSE passes in English and Mathematics at grade C or above.
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
Candidates may be interviewed as part of the selection process and mature (or non-traditional students) students not having the general entry requirements may be admitted on the basis of APEL.
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With this degree you could become:
The food industry is N. Ireland’s most successful industry, driving the local economy and contributing substantially to every area.
This proposed programme is targeted at people interested in a career in this dynamic and growing food industry and employees seeking to progress in their careers, in both food producers and retailers.
You’ll be prepared for a range of employment opportunities with organisations across Ireland, the UK and beyond with organisations such as Tesco, Lidl, Dale Farm and Moy Park.
The commercially-focused skills set embodied in the programme are in high demand by employers as noted from the industry engagement conducted; and this demand is anticipated to increase in a post COVID19 and Brexit marketplace.
Fees illustrated are based on academic year 22/23 entry and are subject to an annual increase.
If your study continues into future academic years your fees are subject to an annual increase. Please take this into consideration when you estimate your total fees for a degree.
Additional mandatory costs are highlighted where they are known in advance. There are other costs associated with university study.
Visit our Fees pages for full details of fees.
Correct at the time of publishing. Terms and conditions apply.
The price of your overall programme will be determined by the number of credit points that you initiate in the relevant academic year.
For modules commenced in the academic year 2022/23, the following fees apply:
| Credit Points | NI/ROI Cost | GB Cost | International Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | £4,629.60 | £9,249.60 | £15,360 |
| 60 | £2,314.80 | £4,624.80 | £7,680 |
| 30 | £1,157.40 | £2,312.40 | £3,840 |
| 20 | £771.60 | £1,541.60 | £2,560 |
NB: A standard full-time undergraduate degree is equivalent to 120 credit points per year.
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees. See www.ulster.ac.uk/student/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/tuition-fees-202223/ni-roi-students for most up to date costs.
Course Director
Professor Geoff Simmons
E: gj.simmons@ulster.ac.uk
Admissions
Joanne Warke
E: j.warke@ulster.ac.uk
International Admissions Office
E: internationaladmissions@ulster.ac.uk
