Press Release „New Master Study Program for Enology“
Geisenheim on the Rhine, a small town and hardly to be noticed in the neighborhood of the tourist attraction Rüdesheim, enjoys an almost magic reputation in the world of wine.
To call oneself a “Geisenheimer” is almost equal to receiving a knighthood. Why?
For 133 years now, Geisenheim hosts a research and education center that is unmatched. Founded in 1872 by the former Prussian government and with a substantial financial support from the Geisenheim citizen Eduard von Lade it has created a unique research and education model that is unparalleled until today. The former so-called „Preußische Lehr und Forschungsanstalt“ on the one hand had to ensure the scientific foundation in viticulture and horticulture and on the other hand with its knowledge and scientific staff provide a solid basis for future managers in viticulture, enology and horticulture.
This unique educational principle has survived all ups and downs and all fancies of curriculum, as well as all legislative and reform trends in policy of education and academia. Certainly, the administrative shape of this model has undergone various changes. The core idea, however, that research staff approaches students straightforward to convey the latest findings in each scientific discipline is essentially the same. As a result, graduates show a high level of education and the close contact to the scientific work flow adds to their good judgment. Since 1972 the Geisenheim study programs have been integral part of the University of Applied Sciences Wiesbaden. Graduates receive the degree Dipl.Ing. (FH).
At all times, Geisenheim graduates have taken over important positions in the wine business and they have always ventured to leap in the dark. Many have gone abroad – USA, South Africa, France, Australia – and have taken over responsible positions in the wine business. In this respect, the alumni association VEG can refer to an efficient network counting more than 2000 members and likewise it maintains a close contact to its roots in Geisenheim.
Almost all branches of the food industry recruit their future management personnel from universities where the subjects viticulture and enology had no access. Lectures in viticulture and enology were often optional courses in the curriculum for agriculture, horticulture or brewery. They should enable to take over managerial positions in the respective branches. Today, however, we know that this could not be realized this way. For this reason, Geisenheim Research Institute and Justus Liebig University Gießen already decided in 1980 to implement a joint post-graduate study program allowing Geisenheim graduates to qualify for a university degree. Geisenheim graduates availed in this offering to a large extent. Today, many management positions in the administration as well as in the wine and beverage industries are occupied with “Diplom-Oenologen”. Some of the graduates took advantage of the offer of a further academic qualification and complemented their education with a Ph.D. dissertation. The development in the European educational system aiming at establishing B.Sc. and M.Sc. as standard degrees by 2010, have induced Geisenheim Research Institute, the University of Applied Sciences Wiesbaden and Justus Liebig University Gießen to convert the post-graduate study program Enology into a master program. The accreditation of the master study course Enology with the disciplines Wine Business & Economics and Viticulture & Wine Technology was accomplished in 2004. The first students have enrolled already.
New for this program is that it offers the opportunity to graduate with a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree, that it allows specializing into two sub-disciplines, that it is downright structured in modules, and that it
offers the opportunity to study abroad. An absolute novelty is the fact that foreign students with a comparable qualification can enroll into the master program. Graduates from other disciplines can also apply. They have to prove their knowledge
and if necessary attend additional modules from the B.Sc. program to obtain an adequate standard of knowledge to be admitted to the master program. ECTS-points earned at foreign universities can be acknowledged.
The new master study course is innovative. With its course program on the one hand it offers an outstanding opportunity for managerial positions in enology and its related industries and on the other hand it offers an excellent basis for an academic career. The enclosed brochure offers an overview of the structure and implementation of the program.
Professor Dr. K. Schaller
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