Course details
This course will provide you with the scientific skills to develop, assess and use sustainable organic growing techniques. It will also give you practical experience in a range of horticultural skills.
Training in the organic methods of growing, soil management, disease and pest management, water and nutrient management is complimented and enhanced by presenting the scientific principles behind these methods.
You will also be trained to conduct your own research project in the area of organic horticulture.
Course Details
The aim of this course is to provide you with both the scientific principles and the practical skills of organic horticulture, i.e. the growing of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower crops in a sustainable environmentally protective manner.
A strong scientific foundation to organic horticulture is provided, and this will help you to apply your knowledge to practical effect. For example, an understanding of plant form and function will help you to identify crops which grow synergistically together in inter-crops; this is a mainstay of organic horticulture, and a way of producing better yields.
You will receive training in practical organic growing, both on open ground and in poly tunnels, from experts in the subject. Many different areas are covered, ranging from how to select your own crop varieties to how to erect a poly tunnel. Because one of the factors holding back organic production in Ireland is the lack of targeted research appropriate to this country, this course places great importance on testing new methods, cultivars, etc. in a scientifically rigorous way.
In addition, it is intended to build a body of research knowledge from this course which will be of value to Irish growers in the future.
You will take the following modules:
- Plant Propagation
- Organic Crop Production
- Organic Food Marketing and Business Planning
- Structure and Improvement of Soils
- Nutrient and Water Supply for Organic Crops
- Organic Crop Pest and Pathogen Management
- Research Methods from Crop Science
- Organic Fruit and Flower Production
- Crop Physiology
- Organic Horticulture Research Project
Detailed Entry Requirements
Candidates for the MSc in Organic Horticulture must hold at least a Second Class Honours, Grade II degree or equivalent in a Plant Science/Horticultural/Biological area or a related relevant degree. In addition, NFQ level 8 graduates with relevant professional qualifications or relevant experience, such as in horticulture or organic production, but not the relevant degree classification may also apply for entry and each case will be judged on a case-by-case basis as to their suitability for the programme, subject to the approval of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science.
Updated on 02 April, 2018Course Location
About University College Cork
UCC was established in 1845 as one of three Queen’s Colleges - at Cork, Galway and Belfast. These new colleges theyre established in the reign of Queen Victoria, and named after her.
Queen's College, Cork (QCC) was established to provide access to higher education in the Irish province of Munster. Cork was chosen for the new college due to its place at the centre of transatlantic trade at the time and the presence of existing educational initiatives such as the Royal Cork Institution and a number of private medical schools.
The site chosen for the new college was dramatic and picturesque, on the edge of a limestone bluff overlooking the River Lee. It is associated with the educational activities of a local early Christian saint, Finbarr. It is believed that his monastery and school stood nearby, and his legend inspired UCC’s motto: ‘Where Finbarr Taught, let Munster Learn.’
On 7 November 1849, QCC opened its doors to a small group of students (only 115 students in that first session, 1849-1850) after a glittering inaugural ceremony in the Aula Maxima (Great Hall), which is still the symbolic and ceremonial heart of the University.
The limestone buildings of the Main Quadrangle (as it is now known) are built in a style inspired by the great universities of the Middle Ages, and theyre designed by the gifted architectural partnership of Thomas Deane and Benjamin Woodward. The iconic image of UCC, it is set in landscaped gardens and surrounds the green lawn known to all as the Quad.
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