Course Title: Master of Arts in Gastronomy and Food Studies
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.
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.
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 for this course are now open - Apply Online
What attracted me to TU Dublin was their strong culinary culture, their strong sense of food history, that their department are actively encouraging people to forge new paths in discovering what the past was in terms of food history and what the future will be.