Close up of wine glasses filled with wine.

CIA ONLINE MASTER’S IN
WINE AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT

Carlton McCoy '06, Master Sommelier and CIA graduate.
CIA Master's Degree in Wine Management student tasting wine.
Close up of wine grapes in a vineyard.

 

Raise a Glass and Cheers to Your Future

Did you know that a restaurant’s beverage program is a major driver of its profits? That’s just one of many reasons to advance your career with our online master’s degree in wine and beverage management. The program is unique in how it takes you from marketing to distribution and from restaurants to retail, emphasizes wine and food pairing, and explores the global wine and beverage business.

 

Overview

  • Delivered in the “Executive Format,” this program allows students to earn their degrees without disrupting their work and personal lives, made possible with the development of custom tasting kits that are shipped to students to support instructor-led tastings even while remote.
  • Take part in interactive tastings and sensory analyses—with samples delivered to your home—so you can examine the synergies between food and wine during residencies and with tasting kits delivered to your home.
  • Hone your beverage management skills and focus on key processes once the wine is in the bottle, including marketing, inventory management, distribution, and retail.
  • Gain valuable insights from some of the top wine and beverage authorities of our time—a faculty with impeccable industry credentials, plus connect with vintners, distillers, distributors, and retailers during your residencies.
  • Go beyond wine to study mixology, distilled spirits, and fermented and non-alcoholic beverages.
  • Meet your classmates, participate in intensive tastings, and explore the Napa Valley during short residencies designed to augment your online learning with hands-on and field experience.

Ready to get started? Apply Today!

 

Uncork Your Career Opportunities with a CIA Master’s Degree

The CIA Master of Professional Studies in Wine and Beverage Management is designed for professionals who aspire to advance or transition into the world of wine and beverage. Wine experts are sought-after in high-end restaurants, hotels and resorts, wineries, retail, and media all over the world, in positions including:

Wine and Spirits Director
Wine Retailer
Distributor
Consultant
Wine Tour Operator
Food and Beverage Manager
Director of Hospitality
Restaurant General Manager
Wine Writer
Beverage Concierge
Special Events Manager

Curriculum

The two-year, 30-credit Wine and Beverage Management master’s degree program includes:

  • 24 credits in asynchronous online courses covering subjects such as global wine business operations, entrepreneurial innovation, spirits, fermented, and non-alcoholic beverage, and advanced beverage management, as well as a 2-credit online capstone project developed with input from faculty advisors and mentors.
  • 4 credits consisting of three short residencies at the California and New York campuses held before the start of your first semester, after the completion of your second semester, and as your final semester concludes.

See catalog for curriculum and course details.

Curriculum chart for the CIA master's degree in wine and beverage management.

Download the full curriculum chart (PDF)

Rows of wine grapes in a vineyard.

Residencies

In the CIA’s Wine and Beverage Management master’s program, your online learning is augmented with in-person residencies at CIA’s California campus. You’ll get hands-on learning and real-world experience in the heart of Napa Valley. There’s no better place to learn the intricacies of the wine industry.

  • Visit world-renowned wineries where you’ll participate in interactive tastings and get hands-on field experience.
  • Network with the industry’s leading vintners, winemakers, and distributors.
  • Teambuilding and collaboration with classmates from diverse backgrounds.
  • Take part in educational programs such as creative beverage and sensory seminars.
  • Immerse yourself in the Napa Valley, the heart of wine country.

From the vineyard and winery field trips, and educational tasting sessions, to meeting and interacting with some of the wine and beverage industry’s most respected professionals, I feel that this residency experience was one of the most valuable components of the program.
—Jeffry Wiesinger, Wine and Beverage Management master’s student

Online Learning

The Wine and Beverage Management master’s degree at the CIA offers online learning via premium wine tasting kits delivered to your door, allowing you to participate in class from wherever you are.

Carefully curated by our expert faculty and reflecting the excellency standards synonymous with the CIA, tasting kits are comprised of 24–36 global wines per semester. You’ll learn the complexities of wine identification, sensory analyses, and master the intricacies of food and wine pairings.

CIA online Master's Degree in Wine and Beverage Management wine kit to study from home.

Sommelier sitting at a table in front of wine racks.

CIA Advantage

Choosing the CIA for your Wine and Beverage Management master’s degree makes perfect sense. We’ve been educating successful wine, beverage, and hospitality professionals for decades, helping to launch and advance thousands of careers of wine and beverage leaders. The CIA’s Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the CIA’s Greystone campus—where you’ll visit during your residencies—is a state-of-the art wine education center. Home to innovative educational offerings, it boasts sensory classrooms designed for analyzing wines and beverages, wireless keypad response systems, built-in light boxes, and expectoration stations.

As a graduate of the CIA, you’ll instantly become a member of a 50,000-strong influential professional network of CIA alumni, paving the way for unparalleled career opportunity. You’ll also have lifelong access to career resources—including job listings, and Career Fair and networking events.

Related Links:

Illustration of 3 chefs. Faculty and Industry Experts
Illustration of a chef with network nodes. The CIA Network
Illustration of a tuition bill with dollar sign and college graduation cap. Tuition and Financial Aid
Illustration of a pen and a student application. How to Apply

 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

“The CIA’s Wine and Beverage Management master’s degree is helping me grow my career in the wine industry. I’m making connections, learning about the hospitality industry, and being challenged in unexpected ways. I am thankful for the online option, as it has allowed me to continue to work full-time while obtaining my master’s degree.”
—Emilie Lariviere, master’s in Wine and Beverage Management

Emilie Lariviere, CIA student in the online Master's Degree in Wine and Beverage Management program.

“Finding the CIA’s Wine and Beverage Management program gave me the opportunity to change my career in a way I never thought possible. Enrolling at the CIA was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
—Jennifer Weiss, master’s in Wine and Beverage Management

Jennifer Weiss, CIA student in the online Master's Degree in Wine and Beverage Management program.

“Choosing to invest in my professional development with the Wine and Beverage Management master’s program was easy. Online classes let me maintain my career while furthering my education, and I’m applying this new knowledge directly to my job.”
—Lauren Balak, master’s in Wine and Beverage Management

Lauren Balak, CIA student in the online Master's Degree in Wine and Beverage Management program.

Frequently Asked Questions

You must be at least 21 years of age. You must be able to receive shipments of alcoholic tasting kits. International students will need US shipping address that allows for alcohol delivery. You must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. institution or hold an international equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
No—the CIA does not require GMAT or GRE submittals for master’s degree program applicants.
No—the online master’s degree program has been designed for distance delivery. Other than the required short residencies (four to six days), students should be able to complete the program from any location with an internet connection.
While the academic rigor of the online master’s degree program does require commitment, we believe the workload and pacing will allow most students to achieve a reasonable work/life/study balance. Students will be enrolled in in two, 3-credit hour courses per 15-week semester. Study time is flexible; students can spread class work across multiple short study sessions or fewer blocks of longer duration to make their schedule needs. Assignments and associated timelines will vary by course and will be clearly outlined in the syllabus provided at the start of each course.
No—Food industry experience is always a plus, but is not required as long as your application coveys more than a casual interest in the food business.
The CIA online master’s in wine and beverage management has been intentionally designed to be delivered in an environment where students bond and develop into a learning community over the two years. While extraordinary circumstances will be treated on a case-by-case basis, serious candidates are expected to make every effort to stay on pace and progress with their original cohort. 

Contact US

Robert Tremblay ’10, Associate Director—Admissions
Robert Tremblay ’10
Associate Director—Graduate Admissions
Robert.Tremblay@culinary.edu
845-451-1564

Specializes in assisting master’s programs students

 

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