The Graduate Certificate Program is designed to prepare students for successful career entry in the malting, brewing, and distilling industries, while the Master of Science Program provides additional in-dept study for advanced placement in the craft brewing industry. Eligible students have the option of enrolling on either program with all credits from the Graduate Certificate Program (18 in total) counting towards the Master of Science Program (33 credit hours in total).

Both programs are entirely online. This distance education format marries traditional educational approaches with real world application leading to a state-of-the-art interactive learning experience – the Brewing Practicum. To this end, the program has partnered with Oskar Blues Brewing, the Alabama Brewing Industry, and Craft Brewers nationally, to showcase best practices in all aspects of the brewing process and brewing industry. The program is also proud to partner with Oskar Blues on the award of a few targeted scholarship opportunities.

Upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate Program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling’s (IBD) General Certificate (GC) examinations. Located in the United Kingdom, the IBD is the world’s leading organization dedicated to the education and training needs of brewers and distillers. Following an extensive review of our program, the IBD has provided us with a memorandum of understanding, which establishes that our graduates are eligible to sit for this examination. The program is currently in discussions with the IBD in relation to its next level program offerings including (1) The Diploma in Brewing, (2) The Master Brewer Program, and Auburn student eligibility for both upon successful completion of either the IBD General Certificate in Brewing Program and/or Auburn’s MS in Brewing Science and Operations. The desire is that students who successfully complete the GC and MS Program at Auburn will be able to bypass the IBD Diploma Examination and move directly to the Master Brewer Examination.