Gastronomy & Food StudiesGhastranamaíocht ┐Staidéar Bia

This is the first Masters programme in Ireland to offer graduates a solid underpinning in the three pillars of Gastronomy & Food Studies: History, Society, and Practice. The food landscape in Ireland and indeed globally is under ever-increasing scrutiny from a wide range of commentators and this programme will satisfy the growing interest in Food Studies.

By amalgamating shared learning with focused networking opportunities, the course will develop transferrable, interpersonal communication skills whilst encouraging creative and critical thinkers who will become life-long learners and advocates for Irish food and international food culture.

The programme will examine the key forces and policies that influence the modern food system by investigating the impact of history on contemporary foodways.

Successful completion of an undergraduate (level 8) degree or equivalent at honours classification (2.1 or higher). 

OR

Successful completion of an undergraduate degree (Ordinary or Bachelor) or equivalent (level 7), together with significant industrial or academic experience (Significant industrial experience comprises a minimum of 3 years in a supervisory role/ senior position in a related industry).

In addition, all shortlisted candidates will be required to attend an interview or in the case of overseas candidates unable to travel, interviews can be conducted via Skype. Applicants are required to produce evidence of the minimum English language proficiency requirement for overseas applicants i.e. a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS or equivalent.

Graduates of this MA Gastronomy and Food Studies course will be uniquely positioned and equipped to seek employment opportunities in an ever-expanding range of disciplines and to pursue a multitude of career paths. The strength of the graduate will lie in their diversity of knowledge and exposure to a range of subject areas. Successful graduates will be able to contribute to the arenas of Food Policy (government agencies, NGOs, advocacy, non-profit and philanthropic organisations), Art and Media, Food Writing and Communications, Teaching and Academia, Food and Beverage Consultancy, Food Tourism or as Brand Ambassadors. In addition, graduates may move into creative and entrepreneurial leadership roles within the broader culinary and food industries.

In semesters 1, 2 and 3 students will take two (2) core modules and choose one (1) further optional module. The final semester will be reserved for Dissertation research and writing, supervisor meetings and workshops.

Core Modules

• Introduction to Gastronomy and Food Studies
• Global Cultural History of Food
• Politics of the Global Food System
• Post-Graduate Research Methodology
• Food Writing and Media
• History of Irish Food: Applying the Past
• Dissertation (Semester 4)

Optional Modules

• Reading Historic Cookbooks: A Structured Approach
• International Trends in Gastronomic Research and Publishing
• Social Approaches to Wine and Beverage Culture
• Food Tourism
• Food Regulatory Affairs
• Consumer Culture and Branding

Applications will open in February 2025.

Non-EU Students

Non-EU students, not resident in Ireland, are not eligible to apply for part time programs that are delivered on-campus. Applications for part time courses that require on-campus attendance will not be processed and the application fee will not be refunded. 

I couldn’t recommend this course strongly enough, it is a course that keeps giving long beyond conferring day. Aisling Geraghty

I would recommend the MA Gastronomy to potential students because of the academic excellence, the opportunities it can open for you, as well as the rich learning experience that I feel I gained from it. Joseph Matapure

I recently completed the Masters in TU Dublin, I loved it, I miss it … It has changed a lot for me, my career, possibly my brain … One of my favourite things about the Masters is the way in which your background and where you are coming from is really celebrated and is almost like a ‘superpower’, and in that way, you feel part of the group that you are in, your class is made up of all these people with so many different skills and knowledge and experience and you are all bolstering each other up. There is a lovely sense of support from that and also from the tutors … I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Jennie Moran

I would encourage anyone interested and passionate about food, gastronomy and the importance of it in our lives to really consider doing this Masters. The lecturers were all brilliant, the support was incredible, and the networking and other students, seeing how we all went off and progressed using this course as a great launch pad has been really interesting. Some great work has been achieved since, I can heartily recommend it. Domini Kemp

The Masters in Gastronomy and Food Studies programme has allowed me the opportunity to explore the relationship between food and various other disciplines, such as art, and on a personal level, it has made me appreciate and want to understand my own country’s [South Africa] food stories, history, and culture. Merrill Buckley

I think it is a perfect course for anyone who is interested in food and would like to learn as much as possible, anyone who is obsessed, who loves reading and writing about food would enjoy this course … it pushed me to become more of a critical thinker and I have been using what I learned on the course on a daily basis from my everyday shopping … to my job as a food tourism business owner … it also gave me more credibility. Ketty Quigley