Course description
Key facts
-The UK Midlands region has strong historic links to brewing and our campus is situated just a short drive away from the famous brewing centre of Burton-upon-Trent.
-The Postgraduate Diploma in Brewing Science is the first of its kind in England and is delivered to brewers and maltsters globally via state-of-the-art e-learning technology.
-The School of Biosciences is one of the largest and strongest Schools of its kind in the UK.
-It has consistently achieved high ratings in independent UK assessments of both research and teaching quality, receiving an RAE grade of 5A and 23/24 in the latest Teaching Quality Assessment.
-The Sutton Bonington Campus is a self-contained, 16-hectare site in the beautiful countryside of South Nottinghamshire and it offers a number of dedicated facilities applicable to this course.
Course Content
The modules currently offered on this course are listed below:
-Raw Materials for Brewing
-Brewhouse Processes
-Brewery Yeast Management
-Fermentation and Yeast Handling
-Beer Maturation and Filtration
-Brewery Waste Management and Environmental Issues
-Brewing Microbiology
-Sensory and Instrumental Analysis of Beer
-Beer Flavour Development
-Beer Quality Development
Please note that all module details are subject to change.
Course Structure
The Postgraduate Diploma in Brewing Science is delivered on a part-time basis over two to four years to fit around your work commitments.
For Brewers in full-time employment, we recommend that the course is studied at the rate of 40 credits per year, with completion of the Postgraduate Diploma over a three-year period. However, the rate at which you progress through the course is flexible, according to preference and circumstances.
The Postgraduate Diploma consists of ten taught modules (worth 120 Credits in total).
All Brewing Science taught modules consist of an e-learning component (studied via distance learning), followed by an intensive residential course held at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington Campus.
Typically, a formal assessment (usually a written exam) is taken on completion of the residential course. The overall mark awarded for a module is calculated from a weighted average of the examination mark, together with the marks awarded for any coursework assignments that have been undertaken.
75 % of course materials are delivered by distance learning, designed to be studied part-time and to fit around your work. The latest innovations in web-based learning are used to ensure an interactive feel to the course and promote deeper learning of the scientific principles of brewing – these innovations include:
-E-lectures, featuring streamed video presentations by Brewing Science academics on key subjects; the slide presentation and a written transcript of the lecture can also be downloaded.
-Structured learning through a combination of virtual directed reading, self tests of understanding, animations and video footage of processes and a virtual library.
-Group work and directed discussion events via dedicated chat rooms.
-One week per semester (based on 20 credits of module study) is spent at an intensive residential course held at The University of Nottingham. This provides the opportunity to develop theories and practice through traditional face-to face teaching techniques such as lectures, seminars, workshops, laboratory practicals, industrial visits and tutorials.
We also offer an MSc in Brewing Science, which has the same taught modules as the Postgraduate Diploma but also includes a 60-credit Brewing research project.
