Home Economics and Business

Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Piggy bank and fresh produce for Home Economics and Business course
Piggy bank and fresh produce for Home Economics and Business course
Type of Programme
Full-time
Number of Places
32
Duration
3 Years
Course Code
MT 930
Entry Requirements
488 CAO Points in 2023 (round 1) and meet minimum entry requirements as listed below
Application Deadline
See CAO for details
Location(s)
MTU Bishopstown Campus, Cork
Course NFQ Level
Level 8

Breda O’Mahony

T: +353 (0)21 433 5834

Email: (email)

Overview

This programme allows students to study a wide array of Home Economics and Business related modules.  This programme is the first in its kind as it is the only programme that offers a BA (Hons) in Home Economics and Business nationally.  Furthermore, the opportunities upon successful completion are vast. Graduates may decide to pursue a Professional Master of Education (PME) in Home Economics and Business or decide to work as a Home Economist with families in a community setting. Graduates also have the knowledge, skills and competencies to work in area’s of food, nutrition, textiles, household technology (to name but a few). Graduates may also decide to action their business and entrepreneurial knowledge and create their own food, beverage or textile related product or business.

The nature of the Home Economics programme is diverse, and requires graduates to gain competencies in a multidisciplinary context. This means graduates will gain expertise and develop skills in culinary arts, biological sciences, textiles and design, consumer studies, family resource management, social studies, architecture, and environmental studies. Through the study of Business, graduates will gain insight and develop skills in management, accounting, economics, human resource management, international business, entrepreneurship, and legal studies.

The design of the programme means the knowledge and skills gained by graduates will encompass discipline knowledge and skills in Home Economics and Business, along with an introduction into education studies. This will provide a solid foundation to develop pedagogical expertise when graduates go on to complete the PME. Graduates from the BA (Hons) in Home Economics and Business who go on to complete the PME, will complete their studies as teaching professionals, critical thinkers and innovators, with a broad worldview.

The module Preliminary School Placement in Home Economics introduces students to the actual teaching of Home Economics in schools through a supported school classroom placement working with an experienced Home Economics teacher. This placement takes place during the second semester of year 3, where students will work with a qualified teacher for a number of class periods in school each week, whilst completing their studies in MTU.

What will I study?

First year at a glance

  • Culinary techniques and food safety
  • Biology for home economics
  • Household finance and planning
  • Family and social change
  • Introduction to management
  • Introduction to micro economics
  • Human nutrition
  • Science of food and health
  • Fashion design and industry
  • Home design and management
  • Business law
  • Financial accounting

Modules

What is a Module?

A module is a standalone unit of learning and assessment and is completed within one semester. A full-time student will normally study six modules in each semester; part-time and ACCS (Accumulation of Credits and Certification of Subjects) students will have flexibility as to the number of modules taken.

The button below provides a link to all of the University's approved modules for this programme.

View Modules

Entry Requirements

Entry 2024

For admission to a programme, standard applicants must

  • score the necessary CAO points and
  • meet the minimum entry requirements

Leaving Certificate in six subjects i.e. H5 in two subjects including Home Economics* and O6/H7 in four other subjects. The six subjects must include Mathematics and either English or Irish grade O6/H7.

*A H5 must be obtained in Home Economics or a laboratory science subject (from Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Agricultural Science, or Physics and Chemistry (joint)).

NOTE 1: Please note the H5 grade in Home Economics or a relevant laboratory science subject can also be used to satisfy one of the H5 entry requirements.

NOTE 2: Vetting by an Garda Síochána is a mandatory requirement for this programme.

 

For Non-EU International Entry Requirements please visit https://www.mtu.ie/international/non-eu/.

Career options

Employment Opportunities

This programme was designed between the Department of Tourism and Hospitality, MTU, and the School of Education, UCC, to allow graduates from the BA (Hons) in Home Economics and Business to seamlessly progress to the Professional Master of Education in UCC.

Having successfully completed third year, graduates will have developed highly diversified skills, which can easily be utilised and adapted to other industries. Students will graduate as well-rounded individuals, with discipline expertise in Home Economics and Business, and excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills, having studied four modules in education. As an example, graduates may wish to embark on a food business related career; such will be their expertise in culinary, food science and legislation, sensory science, nutrition, and business. These graduates will have a unique skillset to work in micro firms, SMEs and multinational organisations

Progression

Further Studies

Graduates who achieve a minimum of second class Honours Grade (H2.2) in MTU’s BA (Honours) in Home Economics and Business will automatically be offered a place on the PME post-primary in the School of Education, University College Cork (UCC) through a ‘protected places pathway’. Completion of both programmes allows graduates to meet all of the Teaching Council requirements to teach both Home Economics and Business to Leaving Certificate level in second-level schools in Ireland.

Detailed information about the Professional Master of Education programme is available at https://www.ucc.ie/en/pec01/

Question Time

You are not qualified to teach until you also complete the Professional Master of Education. However, once you complete both the BA (Hons) in Homes Economics & Business, and the Professional Master of Education (PME), you can then teach both Home Economics & Business to the highest level in Post Primary Schools. You are also qualified to teach both of these discipline areas at Junior Certificate level.

The BA (Hons) programme has a total of 180 ECTS (36 modules x 5 ECTS). 95 ECTS in Home Economics, 60 ECTS in Business, 15 ECTS in Education and 10 ECTS in other.

Yes, you need to have Garda Vetting to be able to complete the school placement component.

No – a H2.2 result in year 3 of the programme is a mandatory requirement.

No, each award is a standalone award i.e. the BA (Hons) in Home Economics & Business is awarded by MTU. The Professional Master of Education is awarded by UCC.

If you would like to enter the teaching profession, a PME is required. However, there are numerous other pathways outside of teaching linked to this programme. You will be highly skilled in several areas and able to enter culinary, food production, business management, or social care areas for example, either in SMEs or larger corporations. Postgraduate study and research is also an option.

Yes – graduates are ideally placed to set up their own business as they will have developed core business skills, and there is an emphasis on entrepreneurship in Year 3 of the programme.

Yes – the details are located in the following CAO webpage https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=fetac_search2

One from each.

Yes, you can apply as a mature applicant through the CAO. Closing date for mature applicants for an academic year expire on the first of May before each academic year.

No

The minimum requirement for Maths is O6/H7.

Yes, but please inform us, so that we can give your place to another student.

Students will source their own school for the School Placement component in year 3. However, students will be supported and guided through this process.

The majority of the schools will be in the greater Cork area but there may be opportunities in nearby counties. A placement co-ordinator will organise placement in consultation with the student.

Approximately 70% Theory; 30% Practical.

There are opportunities to embark on the Erasmus+ programme. Information on MTU Erasmus+ programme is available from the following site https://international.cit.ie/erasmus 

You can apply through exceptional applications from July 3rd if you are currently a student enrolled on another programme in a HEI. If you look at page 21 of the CAO handbook it will outline the full process involved in making an exceptional CAO Application.

Please be aware that should your application be successful you would be starting at year one of this programme. This would mean that you would be liable to pay full tuition fees for your first year with us at MTU, as you have now exhausted your first year of free tuition fees through the Government Free Fees Initiative. This would also have implications on any Grant that you may be in receipt of as you would not be eligible for a grant for the coming year.

If accepted, you can then apply for exemptions. However, you will still need to complete the programme over 3 years, as we only have one delivery of the programme. However, this would also require you to check with the Teaching Council that this is acceptable, as they determine if applicants have the necessary credits for accreditation. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm with the Teaching Council that they meet their requirements, if there is any deviation from this programme.

You can apply through exceptional applications from July 3rd if you are currently a student enrolled on another programme in a HEI. If you look at page 21 of the CAO handbook it will outline the full process involved in making an exceptional CAO Application. Please be aware that should your application be successful you would be starting at year one of our BA (Hons) in Home Economics & Business. This would mean that you would be liable to pay full tuition fees for your first year with us at MTU, as you have now exhausted your first year of free tuition fees through the Government Fee Fees Initiative. This would also have implications on any Grant that you may be in receipt of as you would not be eligible for a grant for the coming year.

MTU has state of the art facilities especially in the Department of Tourism & Hospitality where students will spend the majority of their time when completing their culinary modules, and theoretical modules.

Yes

For Irish/EU citizens, the first three years would be the standard third-level fees of €3,000 per year. 

PME Year 1 = €6,130 & PME Year 2 = €4,930. Please visit https://www.ucc.ie/en/pec01/ 

Yes

MTU has a student assistance fund- information on this is available from this link https://www.mycit.ie/access_disability.student-assistance-fund We also have scholarships; 1916 Bursary & MTU Sanctuary Scholarship - information on this is available here https://www.mtu.ie/access/access-scholarships/

BA (Hons) in Home Economics and Business

No, students do not get paid for teaching placements. 

No, we only have a protected pathway with UCC, but students are free to investigate pathways to other PME programmes which offer Home Economics or Business.

No, this is the only offering at the moment.

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