Brewing and Distilling with Entrepreneurship

Overview of Programme MSc Brewing and Distilling with Entrepreneurship provides you with the unique blend of a high-level education in brewing and distilling and key transferable professional skills, to enable you to enter careers in these industries, including private entrepreneurial ventures upon your graduation. The programme will give you the skills to assess and address both technical and entrepreneurial challenges as they arise in the malting, brewing and distilling industries.

You’ll learn a broad range of subjects, from malting, brewing and distilling science and chemical engineering to optional units in business studies and production management, to set you up for a variety of careers including malting, brewing, and distilling production, sales, marketing, and technical sales. You'll explore the underlying principles, relevant defining concepts, theories, and methods of the malting, brewing and distilling industries whilst understanding the current and emerging characteristics of and problems faced by industry. You’ll explore the global, regional, and local contexts and structure of industry, and be made aware of the political, legal, ethical, health and safety issues in producing, selling, and marketing alcoholic drinks and beverages.

During the masters programme, you’ll develop a broad spectrum of expertise, covering topics in cereal science and technology, yeast science, microbiology, biochemistry, process technology, business strategies, management, food safety, quality control and quality assurance, flavour assessment, and analytical chemistry. You’ll explore policy, legislation, ethical, health and safety issues of concern as they relate to the design, manufacture, marketing, and sale of alcoholic drinks within the brewing and distilling industry.

Our Expertise Teaching in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt began in 1903, which led to the establishment of the highly reputable International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) in 1989. The International Centre for Brewing and Distilling is a unique teaching and research facility which meets the needs of the brewing, distilling and malting industries worldwide. You will learn directly from academics involved in this world leading research.

Your learning environment During your studies, you’ll benefit from our specialist equipment, software and laboratories used by industry, including our on-site nano-brewery (2 HL), distillery, and rectification laboratory. You will have the opportunity to work on research addressing real-world problems, and work across disciplines to deliver practical solutions with global impact.

Graduates of the programme will become members of their own branch of The Watt Club, known as The Watt Club: Brewing and Distilling. This group of alumni were established in 1958 as Heriot-Watt University Former Brewing Students Association, and still gather annually in Edinburgh to network and to meet with new students providing an excellent but informal opportunity to meet alumni working in the industry.

Industry We work closely with industry through our Industrial Advisory Board which contains members of the malting, brewing, distilling, and allied industries. This helps us to ensure our course content is up-to-date and reflects the current and emerging needs of industry and employers. We also offer research projects which are carried out in collaboration with industrial partners such as the highly successful Natural Selection Brewing project with local brewery Stewart Brewing. Throughout the year you will have the opportunity to hear from and meet guest speakers from various parts of the industry through our ICBD After Hours lecture series.

Accreditation The Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD) offer MSc graduates the opportunity for exemption from the Diploma in Brewing, or Diploma in Distilling should they wish to undertake the IBD Master Brewer or Master Distiller qualification.