University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork
AC-4: Graduate Program

The Master’s Degree in Planning and Sustainable Development (MPlan) is an internationally-recognised, professionally-accredited master’s course in spatial planning and development for cities, regions, towns, rural areas, and neighbourhoods.

As chartered professionals, MPlan graduates tackle real-world sustainability and environmental challenges in public, private and community settings throughout the world. he degree, which has a strong theoretical and ethical foundation, develops a wide range of skills and abilities leading to a strong capacity for making real-world, imaginative and balanced proposals and recommendations about the future of places.
Topics covered in this masters programme include:
- place-making and design
- community engagement
- spatial planning at various different scales
- environmental awareness
- development and growth in rural and urban areas
- legal and political know-how
- technical competence and a deep understanding of the realities of sustainable development.

This MSc course will give participants a deeper understanding of co-operatives, sustainable development and the agri-food system. This is a unique course, with a very strong practical emphasis and will equip participants with the organisational and management skills needed to make innovative contributions to the development of local economies, with particular emphasis on co-operatives, social enterprises and food businesses in Ireland and overseas. It is aimed at graduates from a wide range of disciplines who wish to pursue careers in sustainable development and innovative practice leading to positions in the food sector (ranging from local food enterprises to large multi-nationals), local and international rural development, shared and collaborative economy, NGOs, innovative community businesses including co-operatives and social enterprises, local and regional enterprise development, corporate social responsibility, policy formulation and analysis.

Subjects studied during this masters programme include:
- Sustainable Rural Development
- Contemporary Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues
- Marketing and Communications for Sustainable Food Production and Consumption
- Economics of Agri-Food Markets and Value Chain Analysis (5 credits)
- Sustainable Food Systems
- The Sharing Economy
- Global Food Policy Issues
- Soil Science and Soil/Land Management
- Sustainable Energy

Under the ‘Sustainable Futures’ theme, University College Cork, Maynooth University and Institute of Technology, Sligo have developed a joint Postgraduate Certificate and MSc in Sustainability in Enterprise, in recognition of the growing national and international market for graduates in sustainability.
Focussed on achieving real systems change across enterprise and industry and transitioning to a sustainable economy.

The masters programme includes modules/courses on:
- Sustainability & the Natural Environment
- Introduction to Sustainable Enterprise
- Systems Thinking in Environmental Sustainability
- Responsible Management for Sustainable Enterprise
- Decarbonisation and Pathways to Net Zero
- Applied Research Methods in Sustainability in Enterprise
- Dissertation in Sustainability in Enterprise

Under the ‘Sustainable Futures’ theme, University College Cork, Maynooth University and Institute of Technology, Sligo have developed a joint Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainability in Enterprise, in recognition of the growing national and international market for graduates in sustainability.

This online Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainability in Enterprise is delivered on a part-time basis over 1 year and includes courses (modules) on
- Sustainability & the Natural Environment
- Introduction to Sustainable Enterprise
- Systems Thinking in Environmental Sustainability

The Postgraduate Certificate in Marine Biology (Conversion Programme) is a six month part-time programme running from September to March for graduates from non-biological or environmental disciplines. On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:
- Describe key marine flora and fauna, the marine environment and its biological and physical properties and processes;
- Define the roles of management and conservation across the marine environment;
- Apply the knowledge and skills acquired in this course in the working environment enabling the development of policy

This Postgraduate Diploma will provide existing or future water professionals with the necessary knowledge to design and implement freshwater quality monitoring programmes and to assess water quality. The programme is offered in a part-time, online format that facilitates study in your own time. It will be useful to those already working in the water sector, including government agencies, and to staff in higher level education institutes who wish to gain a specialised postgraduate qualification in surface and groundwater monitoring, quality assurance and control, and data analysis and presentation. Rivers, lakes and groundwaters are covered in detail and there is an option to study biological and ecological methods, the use of particulate material in monitoring and to take part in a field module during the second year of the programme.