Global Wine Studies

Who is it for?

The Global Wine Studies degree is for anyone with an interest in pursuing a career in the wine industry. The program prepares graduates for careers in wine merchandising, wholesale, retail, distribution, marketing, import/export, hospitality, consulting, and more.

Benefits

The Global Wine Sudies degree provides you with unmatched knowledge of professional wine analysis, wine business issues, and the global wine industry, enabling you to imediately enter the wine industry with an understanding of the trade, not only with a local prespective, but with a national and global one as well.

As a graduate of the program, you will have strong wine business skills and global wine knowledge, including:

Professional tasting techniques for assessment and evaluation of wine
The fundamentals of viticulture and winemaking
An understanding of climate, soils, grape varieties, wines, and regulations of the world's wine regions
Knowledge of the costs and price structures of wine from the field to the marketplace
A grasp of global trade structures in the wine industry
Wine merchandising, brands, marketing, and public relations skills

A Unique Degree

Central's Clobal Wine Studies degree is unlike any other in the nation, and we're confident it will become a flagship program, internationally recognized for its excellence.

Major: A wide range of classes are offered as part of this major. Some of those classes are:

Major wine regions of the world
Marketing and branding
International wine trade
Professional wine analysis
Wine faults
Viticulture and enology

Minor: The program also reuires a minor. Eight different minors are available to personalize your degree program and complement your career interest area:

International studies
Foreign languages
Spanish
Tourism management
Communications
Organizational communications
Administrative management
Retail management and technology

International Field Experience: You will participate in an international field experience in one of the world's great wine producing regions.

Internship: You will gain valuable industry experience in a requred internship with a wine-related business.

Program Coordinator

Amy Mumma, curriculum coordinator for Central's World Wine Program, is also an instructor and advisor for the Global Wine Studies major. She holds an MBA in wine studies from the Bordeaux Business School in France and a bachelor's degree in foreign languages and international affairs from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. A highly sought-after speaker and lecturer, Mumma, who won the prestigious Professional Wine Woman Award in 2005, is internationally recognized for her wine expertise and expansive knowledge of the worldwide wine industry.

Growing Demand

The United States is experiencing its largest wine boom in history, as is Washington State. The second largest wine producer in the United States, Washington State needs qualified professionals in order to keep pace with the rapidly growing industry where experts say a new winery opens every six days. Washington's wine industry accounts for more than 11,000 full-time jobs with another 4,600 new hires estimated in the next few years.

CWU's World Wine Program, with its new four-year major—Global Wine Studies, is helping meet those demands.

Since its inception in 2003, Central's World Wine Program has seen a dramatic increase in enrollment. Its educational programs for students, consumers, and industry professiionals have reached thousands of people from around the world.

Application Process

Students must apply and be formally admitted to the major. Applications may be picked up in Boullion 206. To have an application packet mailed to you, call 509-963-1754 or 800-720-4503

Eligibility for the Major

Complete the pre-admission course reuirements
Have a minimum, overall grade point average of 2.5
Write an essay of your motivation and goals to submit with your completed application
Take part in a one-on-one interview with an advisor from the major
You must be 21 years old before enrolling in courses that involve tasting wine

Because Global Wine Studies is a self-support program, no tuition waiver programs apply. Additional course fees and continuing education tuition apply.