Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

Course Content and Structure: 

Modules: The Graduate Diploma in Carbon Accounting and LCA comprises 60 credits over a calendar year. In the Autumn students take BSEN30360 Life Cycle Assessment, BSEN40820 Carbon Footprinting and BSEN40720 Carbon and Sustainability (15 ECTS in total), in the Spring, BSEN40400 LCA Applications and BSEN40810 Greenhouse Gas Accounting (15 ECTS in total) and in the summer BSEN40800 Industry Project (30 ECTS).

Delivery: All lectures, tutorials and practicals can be completed online, with the option of attending some on campus if desired. Practicals are offered in the late afternoon to facilitate online attendance. Most learning activities can be completed at a different time if necessary.

Course Hours: The programme is delivered over three trimesters, starting in September, January and May. Each trimester is 12 weeks of teaching plus 3 weeks for final assessments. The workload is around 6-9 contact hours plus time to work on assignments per week between September and April. In May a similar amount of time is dedicated to project work.

Following completion of this Graduate Diploma, students will be able to:

• Explain and apply the theory of carbon footprinting, GHG accounting and life cycle assessment
• Compile a data inventory, with calculations appropriate to ISO14044, ISO14064 and ISO14067
• Interpret the inventory and impact data to identify hotspots and significant issues, and draw conclusions
• Present a written report summarizing findings, and recommendations in accordance with the relevant ISO standard

Complete one of the following:

• calculate the carbon footprint, using ISO14067, of an extant product currently in the market, or a new product that is market-ready
• complete an institutional GHG inventory, using ISO 14064, and identify mitigation options
• life cycle assessment, using ISO 14044, of an extant product, process or service, considering at least 4 impact categories relevant to the company/sector.

There is an ever increasing demand for employees the with skills that this Graduate Diploma provides. While theoretical knowledge of GHG and other emissions is important, there is a clear demand in Ireland for people with the skills necessary to complete Carbon Footprint, GHG Inventory and Life Cycle Assessment of product and organisations. This skill is transferable across sectors and can be aligned with the different parts of a business, be that process and production, management, health and safety, sustainability or even marketing. This graduate diploma will be ideal for professional development or for reskilling by those looking for a new career opportunity.

Graduates progress into: 

• Sustainability team member or leader
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Energy management
• Consulting
• Sourcing and Procurement

Employers include, Veolia, Arup, Codema and RPS.

View All Modules Here

GradDip Carbon Accounting & Life Cycle Assessment (T384) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 6138
nonEU    fee per year - € 13780

***Fees are subject to change

NFQ Level 8 honours degree (or international equivalence ) in a relevant subject or >5 years relevant professional experience.

Professor Nick Holden, Programme Director. 

"When I started working with life cycle assessment, over 20 years ago, I was the only person in Ireland using the method. Since then LCA and carbon footprinting have become critical issues for industry in Ireland and beyond. It is amazing to think that almost all livestock farms in Ireland now voluntarily participate in a national carbon footprinting programme (Origin Green) because of the benefits gained. I have seen increasing interest in what we doing the last few years as companies and their employees have to learn about and implement management of GHG emissions (particularly scope 3). While theoretical knowledge of GHG and other emissions is important, there is a clear demand in Ireland for people with the skills necessary to complete Carbon Footprint, GHG Inventory and Life Cycle Assessment of product and organisations. This skill is transferable across sectors and can be aligned with the different parts of a business, be that process and production, management, health and safety, sustainability or even marketing. This graduate diploma will be ideal for professional development or for reskilling by those looking for a new career opportunity ".

Marta Gulman, Class of 2023/2024

I applied to this course to further my knowledge on technical sustainability concepts such as carbon accounting and life cycle assessment and to further apply this knowledge in industry to support emission reductions for industry in Ireland. 

The course has brought a deepened technical understanding of carbon footprinting, life cycle assessment modelling, and application of statistical analysis to calculate scope 1-3 emissions for organisations. Very worthwhile course, however, requires a significant time commitment as a prerequisite due to the nature of the content taught.

The School of Biosystems & Food Engineering has state-of-the-art facilities for system modelling, LCA and risk modelling and inventory management.

Students can have access to the facilities and networks of the school and BiOric Bioeconomy, SFI Research Centre during their studies. All students are provided licences for the software they use, including Gabi (for LCA) and @Risk/MS Excel (for GHG Inventory uncertainty assessment). Students have access to State-of-the-Art blended learning and virtual classroom facilities and have full digital and physical library access.

The following entry routes are available:

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised