The Irish dairy industry has undergone a significant transformation since the abolition of EU milk quotas in 2015. The pressing challenge for the industry is to become more sustainable not only environmentally but also economically and societally. As a graduate of the Dairy Business Programme, you will be wellprepared to take on this challenge and lead the way in addressing these issues. This degree will equip you with the scientific, technical, and business skills you need to drive innovation in this exciting and dynamic industry.
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This course is available through the following application route(s)
The Irish dairy industry has undergone a significant transformation since the abolition of EU milk quotas in 2015. The pressing challenge for the industry is to become more sustainable not only environmentally but also economically and societally. As a graduate of the Dairy Business Programme, you will be wellprepared to take on this challenge and lead the way in addressing these issues. This degree will equip you with the scientific, technical, and business skills you need to drive innovation in this exciting and dynamic industry.
About This Course
The first two years provide a strong foundation in business, science, mathematics, and technology-related modules, followed by relevant applied sciences, business, and communication modules.
First Year
Animal Biology and Evolution • Introductory Chemistry • Mathematics for Agriculture • Physics for Agricultural Science • Agricultural Economics and Business • Introduction to Management • Land Use and the Environment • Cell and Plant Biology • Introduction to Animal Science • Introduction to Food and Agribusiness Management • Optional Modules
Second Year
Soil Science • Animal Reproduction Applied Biostatistics • Marketing: Forms, Customer & Society • Accounting for non-Business students • Business Law • Animal Nutrition • Principles of Dairy Production • Global Operations and Supply Chain Management • Health, Welfare and Safety in Agriculture • Optional Modules
Third & Fourth Year
In your third year, you will undertake the technical management of a dairy farm at Teagasc, Kildalton Agricultural College and gain Professional Work Experience (PWE) in the industry. For trimester two of third year, you study at Teagasc, Moorepark in areas including:
Herd Health and Milk Quality • Grassland Management and Applied Dairy Nutrition • Dairy Systems • Dairy Business project • Applied Dairy Breeding and Fertility
Fourth year focuses on business and science modules, consolidating earlier learning.
Farm Business Management • Agri- Environmental Issues and Policy • Animal Breeding • Animal Nutrition • Leadership and Change Management • Food and Agricultural Policy • Food and Agribusiness Strategy • Agri-Environmental Nutrient Management • Experimental Design and Data Analysis • Professional Communications • Optional modules
Professional Work Experience (PWE)
PWE takes place between July and December (first trimester, third year) and offers you the opportunity to visit New Zealand at the busiest time of the dairy farming calendar.
PWE takes place between July and December (first trimester, third year) and offers you the opportunity to visit New Zealand at the busiest time of the dairy farming calendar.
Graduates of the Dairy Business Programme are well-positioned for a range of roles, including:
- Dairy Farm Management
- Research
- Animal Feed Industry
- Banking
- Teaching
- Consultancy
Research opportunities to Masters and PhD level are also available.
Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.
Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.
| Trimester | Credits | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stage 1 Core Modules |
AESC10010 | Land Use and the Environment | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
CHEM00020 | Introductory Chemistry | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
MATH10230 | Mathematics for Agriculture I | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
PHYC10180 | Physics for Ag. Science | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
RDEV10030 | Introduction to Agricultural Economics and Business | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
ANSC10010 | Introduction to Animal Science | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
BIOL10010 | Animal Biology and Evolution | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
BIOL10030 | Cell and Plant Biology | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
BMGT10060 | Introduction to Management | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Core Modules |
RDEV10040 | Introduction to Food and Agribusiness Management | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of: Select one of the following options in the Autumn term: |
FOR10020 | Trees and Forests in Ireland | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of: Select one of the following options in the Autumn term: |
RDEV10020 | Information Skills | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - A)1 of: Select one of the following options in the Autumn term: |
BMGT10140 | Business Plan | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of: The following modules are closely related to your programme and may be taken in place of an elective worth 5 credits |
BMGT10180 | Business Management Simulation | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of: The following modules are closely related to your programme and may be taken in place of an elective worth 5 credits |
CHEM10010 | Introduction to the Chemistry of Biomolecules | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of: The following modules are closely related to your programme and may be taken in place of an elective worth 5 credits |
CPSC10010 | Introduction to Crop Science | Spring | 5 |
Stage 1 Options - B) Min 0 of: The following modules are closely related to your programme and may be taken in place of an elective worth 5 credits |
PHYC10190 | Aspects of Physics for Ag. Sci | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
AESC20060 | Soil Science Basics | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
ANSC30010 | Animal Reproduction | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
FOR20100 | Applied Biostatistics | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
MKT20020 | Marketing: Firms, Customers & Society | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
ACC10060 | Introduction to Accounting | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
AERD20020 | Business Law | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
ANSC20020 | Animal Nutrition I | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
ANSC20050 | Principles of Dairy Production | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
BMGT20150 | Sustainable Operations & Supply Chain Management | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Core Modules |
RDEV20140 | Health, Welfare & Safety in Agriculture | Spring | 5 |
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
BIOL20050 | Climate Change and Agriculture | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
FDSC20110 | Food Diet and Health II - Making Healthy Food Choices | Autumn and Spring (separate) | 5 |
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
CPSC20030 | Principles of Crop Science | Spring | 5 |
Stage 3 Core Modules |
ANSC30370 | Professional Work Experience | Autumn | 30 |
Stage 3 Core Modules |
ANSC30280 | Herd Health & Milk Quality | Spring | 5 |
Stage 3 Core Modules |
ANSC30290 | Grassland Management and Applied Dairy Nutrition | Spring | 5 |
Stage 3 Core Modules |
ANSC30310 | Dairy Systems | Spring | 5 |
Stage 3 Core Modules |
ANSC30320 | Dairy Business Project | Spring | 10 |
Stage 3 Core Modules |
ANSC30330 | Applied Dairy Breeding and Fertility | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
AERD30190 | Farm Business Management | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
AESC30080 | Agri-Environmental Issues and Policy | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
ANSC30020 | Animal Breeding I | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
ANSC30040 | Animal Nutrition II | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
BMGT30100 | Leadership and Change Management | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
AERD30210 | Food and Agricultural Policy | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
AERD40040 | Food and Agribusiness Strategy | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
AESC40140 | Agri-Environmental Nutrient Management | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
ANSC30050 | Experimental Design and Data Analysis | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Core Modules |
RDEV30060 | Professional Communications | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
CPSC30050 | Organic Agriculture | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
RDEV30380 | Knowledge Tfr for Farm Innovat | Autumn | 5 |
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
ANSC30130 | Principles of Animal Health, Behaviour and Welfare | Spring | 5 |
Stage 4 Options - A) Min 0 of: These modules may expand your knowledge of the Agri-Food sector and may be taken in place of electives |
BSEN30020 | Buildings and Environment | Spring | 5 |
The mission of the School of Agriculture and Food Science is to develop and apply the science and scholarship of agriculture, food, environmental sciences, and rural development for the benefit of society through excellence in education, research, innovation and continuing professional development.
The BAgrSc in Dairy Business is designed to equip students with the scientific, technical, and business skills required to drive innovation in this exciting and dynamic industry. The pressing challenge for the industry is to become more sustainable not only environmentally but also economically and societally. The programme focuses on the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) as they relate to dairy production practices and the dairy industry in Ireland and internationally. This vision of sustainability fits very closely with the expertise within the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science where the teaching and research programmes span the entire food chain, from on-farm food production to human nutrition and health, providing a diverse range of career opportunities for graduates in Ireland and internationally.
In addition to this the programme relates to the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s):
- No Poverty (SDG 1)
- No Hunger (SDG 2)
- Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
- Climate Action (SDG 13)
- Life on Land (SDG 15)
Growing up on a beef farm I was very interested in the rapid growth and development of the dairy industry in Ireland. In 3rd year I spent my placement working on a large scale dairy farm in the south of England. The second semester was spent in Moorepark Research centre where we learned about the key principles of grass based dairy farming from the top researchers in the country. The UCD GAA club has been a major part of my university experience and an excellent outlet that has allowed me to make friends for life.
Daire Cregg, Student
Non-EU Undergraduate Fee information can be found here.
UCD offers a number of competitive undergraduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD undergraduate degree programme. For information on Undergraduate Scholarships, please see the UCD International Scholarships webpage.
How to Apply
General application route(s) for Irish/UK/EU applicants* for International (non-EU) applicants* to Dairy Business:
| ROWCLASS | Apply to | Application Type | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| showAudience-audienceInt | UAS1 Agricultural Science Bachelor of Agricultural Science |
Full-Time Commencing September 2024 |
Undergraduate Degree (Non EU) Non EU Undergraduates |
Closed |
| showAudience-audienceInt | UAS1 Agricultural Science Bachelor of Agricultural Science |
Full-Time Commencing September 2025 |
Undergraduate Degree (Non EU) Non EU Undergraduates |
Apply |
| showAudience-audienceEU | DN250 Agricultural Science Bachelor of Agricultural Science |
Full-Time Commencing September 2025 |
Application through CAO | Apply via CAO |
* you can change options at the top of the page
Additional special entry route(s) to Dairy Business:
These options have additional eligibility requirements to cater for specific applicant cohorts. You should not apply via these routes before consulting the requirements or contacting the responsible UCD office.
| ROWCLASS | Apply to | Application Type | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| showAudience-audienceEU showAudience-audienceInt | UAS1 Agricultural Science Bachelor of Agricultural Science |
Full-Time Commencing September 2025 |
Access Progression Pathway Access Progression Pathway Application to this Non-EU Access Progression Pathway is by invitation only. If you are not currently enrolled on an Access programme at UCD, your application will be marked as invalid. If you are not a current Access student, but you are a non-EU applicant seeking admission to an undergraduate degree, please submit an application via the "Undergraduate Degree (Non-EU)" course type. |
Apply |