BREWCP Requirements

The Certificate of Proficiency in Brewing Science Program is comprised of six credit hours of required courses, three hours of internship or special problems work, and six hours of electives left up to the student. Students should see the BREWCP checksheet (PDF) to see determine which electives best suit their academic or professional goals. 

Required Courses

FDSC 45203/55203. Brewing Science. 3 Hours.

The class is designed to give a thorough review of the biological and chemical processes involved in brewing beer and an appreciation for beer styles and flavors. Students will be introduced to industry professionals as well as employment opportunities that support the brewing industry from raw materials to packaged beer. Although not required, this course will be designed as a preparation course for students who may want to take an internationally recognized brewing exam/ certificate such as the General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling (https://www.ibd.org.uk/ibd-qualifications/brewing-qualifications/general-certificate-in-brewing/ ). Typically offered in the Fall semester.

Prerequisite:  (CHEM 14203 or CHEM 12103) and (BIOL 10104 or BIOL 10004).

BREW 45703/55703 Production Design and Analysis of Beer. 3 Hours.

The goal of course is to introduce students to the production design of different beer and beverage styles. Students will become comfortable with the theoretical foundation and hands-on application of brewing science as well as be exposed to the broad range of physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory analyses utilized by the brewing community as well as associated industries to asses raw material and beer quality.  Through hands-on laboratory exercises students will become competent with how to analyze beer and beverage quality as well as the quality of relevant raw materials (i.e. hops, malt, and yeast). During the course students will be exposed to the brewing process over a variety of different ways such as laboratory exercises/ surveys of historical and current commercial beers, tours of local breweries, and seminars from industry experts. Additionally, students will design beers under preassigned guidelines to become intricately familiar with the different steps of the brewing process and how each might impact quality. Typically offered in the Spring semester.

Prerequisite: FDSC 45203 and BIOL 20003 & BIOL 20001 and (CHEM 26103 & CHEM 26101) or (CHEM 36053 & CHEM 36051 and CHEM 36203 & CHEM 36203)

Required Internship or Special Programs/Research Hours

Internship

Students could participate in an approved three credit hour internship with a brewing industry partner. A three credit hour internship should involve approximately 120-130 hours of work with the partner. The internship need not be completed in a single semester, although that is acceptable. At the end of the final semester of the internship, students would have to present a written and oral report of the work performed and lessons learned.

Special Problems or Research Hours

Students could complete three credit hours working on a practical research problem under the supervision of a faculty member in FDSC, BISC, CHEM, BENG, or CHEG. The topic of this work should be approved for relevance to the certificate before the work begins and reviewed if it changes substantially during the course of the work. Work that involves industry partners is particularly encouraged. At the end of the final semester of the work, students would have to present a written and oral report of the work performed and lessons learned. Credit hours and work done for an honors degree can satisfy this requirement, but if honors work is used, it must include at least one credit hour in three different semesters.