Departments in the School
Cork University Business School brings together the expertise of five business departments coordinated through the Business School Office.
Accounting and Finance
The Department of Accounting & Finance is a leading department in its field. Our diverse faculty, comprising both Irish and international experts, specialises in various aspects of Accounting and Finance. Our research spans a wide range of industry-relevant topics and is regularly published in top-tier Accounting, Finance, Education and Management journals. Ongoing projects focus on the impact of digitalization, sustainability, and inclusivity initiatives on accounting, governance, and financial practices within organizations.
Our faculty members play influential roles in shaping political decisions, advising businesses, and guiding firms’ strategies. The department is well-connected nationally and internationally, with strong links to leading businesses for both teaching and research. Our highly regarded seminar series, featuring topics in Accounting and Finance, attracts top researchers from around the globe. Faculty members also contribute to public discourse through opinion pieces in leading Irish and international media outlets, and our cutting-edge research is frequently cited by media.
Our commitment to theoretically rigorous and practically impactful research enables us to deliver industry-relevant education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We regularly benchmark our programmes against Europe’s top Accounting and Finance degrees, incorporating input from alumni and industry experts in course design. Our programmes are accredited by all the leading professional global accounting and finance bodies (CAI, ACCA, CIMA, CFA), and our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are regularly benchmarked against the best in Europe.
We believe Accounting and Finance are integral to developing financially sound, strategic solutions to complex managerial challenges. Our degree programmes equip students with the skills needed to thrive in today’s dynamic job markets.
Looking ahead, the department aims to expand its influence in both academia and industry. Our strategic priorities include deepening our industry partnerships, enhancing global collaborations, and continuing to address pressing societal challenges through impactful research.
The Department of Accounting and Finance offers two highly successful undergraduate degree programmes:
and a wide range of Master’s degree programmes (both taught and research).
The department also offers Doctorate degree programmes
- 3rd Floor, O’Rahilly Building, University College Cork
- +353 (0)21 490 2506
- accountingandfinance@ucc.ie
Business Information Systems
The Department of Business Information Systems (BIS) at University College Cork (UCC), also known as BIS, is one of the five departments within the Cork University Business School (CUBS). It offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs aimed at equipping students with essential skills in both business and information technology.
The department shares its name with the BSc in Business Information Systems, a four-year degree focused on developing key competencies necessary for professionals in modern information technology and information systems. The program emphasizes education, collaboration with businesses to provide cutting-edge skills, and innovation through teaching, research, and development.
It also proposes a number of Postgraduate Programs, including the MSc in Information Systems for Business Performance (ISBP), a programme designed as a conversion course tailored for individuals without extensive backgrounds in software development, the MSc in Business Analysis, a 12-month intensive program designed to equip students with a comprehensive skill set in business and analytical methods essential for problem-solving and informed decision-making and the MSc in Design and Development of Digital Business, a 12-month, full-time taught master's program designed for creatively minded graduates from non-technical backgrounds.
BIS has a large group of active researchers and PhD students and therefore, research in BIS covers a broad open landscape, with a concentration on a number of areas, including:
Research on Data Analytics, the digital transformation of activities and its impact on society, organisations and on such specific areas as education and healthcare; research on the digital impact on Education and data-driven decision-making techniques in higher education and on the transformative power of emerging information systems on Financial Services.
The impact of AI on Organisations, education and society, aimed at different target areas, including business, education and the broader society, particularly healthcare, is also targeted. Special concerns include Ethical and Operational AI Fluency, AI and Emerging Forms of Cognition and Creativity. This research is carried out in collaboration with industry and with international academic partners.
Research also focuses on Knowledge Representation (KR), Natural Language Processing (NLP) & Applied Ontology in Information Systems, Virtual Teams and the organisation of collaborative work, as well as Project Management for virtual teams. This focuses on the continued emergence of new technologies for facilitating collaboration within decentralised groups of participants.
New streams of research are developing which relate to Innovation and Ethics in IS and Smart City Contexts and the development of Hybrid Systems Optimization for Sustainable Energy. This is focused on hybrid systems, using the nonlinear optimization of power and cost rates for hybrid offshore wind energy and floating solar systems.
In summary, the Department of Business Information Systems at UCC plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between business and technology, offering comprehensive programs and engaging in research that addresses contemporary challenges in the information systems domain.
The Department of Business Information Systems (BIS) delivers the highly successful undergraduate programme
as well as a wide range of Master’s degree programmes (both taught and research). The department also offers Doctorate degree programmes
Research Centres attached to the Department, include:
- Centre for Investment Research
- Centre for Resilience and Business Continuity (CRBC)
- Financial Services Innovation Centre(FSIC)
- Governance, Risk and Compliance Technology centre (GRCTC)
- Health Information Systems Research Centre (HISRC)
- 3rd Floor, O’Rahilly Building, University College Cork
- +353 (0)21 490 3829
- BIS@ucc.ie
Economics
As a fundamental discipline to practice and research in business and policy, the Department of Economics contributes to a range of teaching and research programmes at CUBS. At undergraduate level these include the BComm suite, BSc (Hons) Finance, and BA. In supporting the University’s internationalisation strategy the Department has developed partnerships with many Chinese universities and its international student cohort accounts for over 10% of Economics students.
The teaching and research of the Department is organised around three thematic academic groups.
- Business Economics is the largest group focusing on productivity, innovation and competitiveness.
- Financial Economics targets applied research on asset performance and management, leveraging applied econometrics expertise.
- Health Economics offers a health-as-a-business approach to complement expertise in economic evaluation.
The Department provides a range of research-based and practice-oriented Masters programme options. Doctoral study is provided though the PhD and DBA (Business Economics) routes. Across all programmes teaching emphasises transformational learning placing the Department at the frontier of educational development, engaging students in a diverse range of practice that support and enable transitions to and within professional life. Contributions from External Programme Advisors, business practitioners and professionals, contribute to developing students with skills and knowledge of relevance for current organisational needs.
- Áras Na Laoi, University College Cork
- +353 (0)21 490 2574
- EconomicsSSO@ucc.ie
Food Business and Development
The Department of Food Business and Development is a hub of expertise in food business, consumer behaviour, co-operative studies, rural development, international development and food security. Our research tackles societal and well-being issues associated with sustainability challenges, geostrategic shifts and demographic changes, with a focus on sustainable food systems, food product innovation, entrepreneurship, social and co-operative economy, livelihood security in developing economies, food security in developing and developed economies, sustainable rural development, agri-food economics and food policy.
Our faculty are recognised experts in their fields with a high success rate in competitive national and international research funding awards. Close engagement with business and wider stakeholders ensures high impact research and inspires research-based innovative teaching. Faculty actively participate in governance of key institutions and advisory groups such as the Board of Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Development Authority), the Economic and Social Research Institute Council, Department of Finance (e.g. Credit Unions Advisory Committee), Department of Environment (e.g. Steering Committee of the Environmental Pillar and Land Use Review) and Department of Food, Agriculture & Marine (e.g. Agriculture Knowledge Innovation Systems Co-ordination Group and CAP Network). We recognise the value of the ‘third sector’ and have a long tradition of partnership with civic society organisations and NGOs.
Dedicated to creating resilient, equitable, and sustainable food systems, the Department’s practice-based research integrates academic inquiry with practical applications, fostering actionable insights to address real-world challenges. Collaboration with stakeholders, policymakers, and local communities supports the development of inclusive and sustainable economies. Our work influences policies that impact on community well-being, achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), financial resilience, and innovation in the food system.
We are committed to pedagogical research which informs teaching programme design and supports UCC’s strategic aim to create an innovation culture and entrepreneurial campus that aligns with sustainability goals. Faculty lead a range of research projects such as SDGs-driven Entrepreneurship, project-based learning and the implementation of Technology-supported Teaching for Sustainable Entrepreneurship. A strong research-teaching interface supports teaching programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels:
The Department offers MSc by Research and PhD scholarships and Postdoctoral opportunities.
Our programmes future-proof graduates who occupy leading positions in the food industry, co-operatives, social enterprises, government and support agencies, research institutions, UN agencies and NGOs, bringing values of responsible leadership, sustainable practice and ethical behaviour.
- 2nd Floor, O’Rahilly Building, University College Cork
- +353 (0)21 490 2788
- foodbusiness@ucc.ie
Management and Marketing
The Department of Management & Marketing is a leader in its field. Established in 1980 as a Department of Management, it expanded in the early 1990’s to recognise the growing significance of Marketing. The Department plays a key role in the major business programmes of the College of Business and Law and is an anchor contributor to the BComm and Executive MBA programmes. Our diverse faculty, comprising both Irish and international experts, specialises in various aspects of Management and Marketing, striving to providing a dynamic, supportive learning and research environment, which recognises the diverse backgrounds and interests of both students and staff. We aim to strike a balance between applied business skills and academic scholarship blending of reflective, practical and analytical management and marketing skills for those involved in business. As a group we are also particularly committed to developing student understanding of the complex business and organisational environment, fostering ethical and socially responsible professionals and citizens.
The Department is committed to advancing leading-edge research in both mainstream and niche research areas, having developed synergistic research partnerships with universities and companies across Europe and beyond. Our vibrant PhD community and faculty, conduct research on themes from new ways of working (hybrid and gig economy) to consumption and business networks (co-innovation), from leadership within established organisations to enterprise start-up and development, including public, private and third sector environments. Research outputs are regularly published in top-tier, Association of Business School ranked Management and Marketing journals and disseminated through state-of-the-art teaching, as well as seminars for industry and policy makers. While research evolves based on researcher interests, collective effort clusters exist across three complementary areas: 1) People in work, 2) Innovation and enterprise and 3) Markets and consumer behaviour.
Integration of research activities and industry interaction underpins the Department’s ability to deliver industry-relevant education at both undergraduate, postgraduate and Executive Education levels. Our degree programmes not only equip students in theories necessary to analyse today’s business challenges but also cultivate the skills and graduate attributes required to excel in a dynamic job market.
The Department of Management and Marketing co-anchors two highly successful undergraduate degree programmes with the Department of Economics:
and a wide range of Master’s degree programmes (both taught and research).
The department also offers Doctorate degree programmes, nurturing the next generation of global business leaders and researchers.
- 2nd Floor, O’Rahilly Building, University College Cork
- +353 (0)21 490 2940
- +353 (0)21 490 3375
- managementandmarketing@ucc.ie
CUBS Office
The Business School Office is the central administrative office of the school and the principal contact point for queries. A range of administrative teams are managed centrally under the oversight of the School Manager.
Visit our Professional Staff page to contact staff in the office who can support your queries.
Visit our School Leadership page to view our leadership team.
