Brewing and Beverage Technology (Master of Science)
Tradition or innovation? The good news is that you do not have to choose. Here at the TUM Campus in Weihenstephan, you can combine both! In the Master's program in Brewing and Beverage Technology, we will accompany you on your way to becoming an expert in the industry. The fields of process engineering, process automation, and brewing and beverage technology are the focus of the course. Develop your profile with a variety of elective modules: Whether industrial beer and beverage production, research and development, or the optimization of production methods and planning of supply facilities. The course is rounded off by courses in law and economics. Deepen the scientific side of beer brewing and beverage production and develop it further in the digital age – start with your Master's program in Brewing and Beverage Technology at Weihenstephan.
Studying Brewing and Beverage Technology successfully: What can you expect?
Key data
Type of study: full time
Standard period of study, credits : 4 semesters, 120 ECTS
Start of degree program: winter semester
Admission category: Aptitude Assessment for Master
Language of instruction: German
Main location: Freising-Weihenstephan (Greater Munich Area)
Tuition fees: none (information about the semester fee)
Why study this particular degree program?
The art of brewing beer has been taught at Weihenstephan for over 150 years. This traditional knowledge makes our graduates sought-after experts in their field worldwide. The special feature of the Master's program in Brewing and Beverage Technology is the combination of this in-depth knowledge of beer production with modern, innovative processes and the enrichment through interdisciplinary knowledge.
The degree program has two focuses: on the one hand, process engineering and process automation, and on the other hand, subject-specific specialization, in this case brewing technology, on a scientific basis. Starting from a wide range of electives, you can follow your interests and identify an individual focus for your studies. Whether international brewing processes, renewable energies, or comprehensive business management knowledge – develop your profile in the areas that inspire you! You can also choose your Master's thesis to complement the subject matter.
What are your career opportunities?
After completing your Master's degree, a global job market with excellent career prospects is open to you. You will find interesting jobs primarily in the brewing and beverage industry, but also the food industry, plant engineering, and construction or chemical and pharmaceutical companies. Thanks to their broad-based education, graduates can be employed in a wide variety of fields. The following fields of activity are possible for you:
- Development of new, innovative, sustainable products and processes
- Planning and development of new production facilities and manufacturing processes
- The organization, monitoring, and optimization of production processes
- Quality assurance during ongoing production operations
- Monitoring of beverage production processes
- Operational control, production management or technical management in beverage and food manufacturing companies
- University or industrial research and development
- Purchase and evaluation of raw materials
- Logistics and warehouse management
You can also continue your academic career with a doctorate after your studies.
What is this study program about?
Compulsory modules in engineering include rheology, hygienic processing, and scientific-technical computing. The scientific specialization deals, for example, with beverage bottling plants, beverage process engineering, and selected chapters of brewing technology. This is where the process engineering and beverage technology content crystallizes as a combination.
29 of your 120 credits can be earned through elective modules – this allows you to develop your interests. These credits can be earned not only through lectures, but also from a wide range of lab practices to gain a practical understanding of the theory.
Besides this, your internship, which is also a prerequisite for admission, gives you valuable insights into possible future fields of activity. It is part of your practical training and contributes to your individual profile development. You will gain deep insights into the food industry and get to know different work processes.
At the end of your studies, you will write your Master's thesis on a topic of your choice.
Interest aroused? Just take a look at an exemplary curriculum!
What competences and skills will you acquire?
The Master's program in Brewing and Beverage Technology follows directly on from the Bachelor's program in the same subject at the TU Munich, enabling you to expand and deepen the scientific and beverage technology foundation gained in the Bachelor's program or to specialize in a particular subject area. For example, you will learn how to develop new production processes and to optimize existing production methods. You will also learn how to introduce and control quality assurance methods. The analytical control of product properties also plays an important role. Knowledge of product properties and production processes will help you to develop innovative products, processes, and technologies independently. Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important in the brewing and beverage industry.
With your Bachelor's degree, you already have a sound mathematical and scientific education and knowledge in the field of process engineering and brewing and beverage technology. In the Master's program, engineering science and process engineering play a large part. You will learn essential process engineering operations such as the supplied equipment of industrial companies as well as the planning and implementation of brewery plants. You systematically go through the individual process steps – from beverage production to filling and packaging, and look at how the product can be protected from environmental influences.
At the same time, you will deepen your specialist knowledge in the field of brewing and beverage technology in the Master's degree program. In brewing technology, the initial focus is on the characterization and production of beverages. Seminars and practical courses will give you practice in the microbiological, chemical-technical, and sensory evaluation of products. You will apply different fermentation technologies and monitor the brewing process. The production processes aren’t the only focus here, but also how economical certain beverage production processes are.
Through elective modules, you can enrich your study profile with further knowledge from areas such as biotechnology, energy supply, or economics.
These modules will also strengthen your knowledge of scientific work so that you are well prepared for a future career in research and science.
How do you apply for a place of study?
During the application period, you can easily apply for a place in the winter semester via the application portal TUMonline. You simply upload your documents for admission to the Brewing and Beverage Technology degree program directly to the portal.
To apply, you must have a qualified bachelor's degree of at least six semesters or an at least equivalent degree in the fields of Brewing and Beverage Technology, Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering, Food Technology, or a comparable course of study at a German or foreign university.
In a subsequent aptitude assessment, we will check whether you have the necessary prerequisites and motivation for the program.
The admissions process is described in the appendix to the Academic and Examination Regulations of the program.
Studying beer? Brewing & Beverage Technology at the TUM
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Already in the middle of your master's degree in Brewing and Beverage Technology? Everything you need!
Degree program documentation, module catalog
Curriculum
- Curriculum:
The degree chart gives you an overview and recommendation, which modules you should take in which semester according to academic and examination regulations (FPSO).
- Timetable (TUM ID required for login):
This timetable is intended to give you an overview of the planned compulsory and elective modules of a semester. It is for orientation purposes only and will not be updated during the semester!
Via TUMonline you can have a timetable created for each semester according to FSPO.
You can also create your own individual timetable, which can contain not only the dates of the selected courses but also your personal appointments.
First steps with TUMonline
Examination matters
- General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
- Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)
- Examination dates & registration via TUMonline
In TUMonline you can register for the module examinations that accompany your studies.
Important: You can only take most of the exams if you have actively registered yourself via TUMonline within the registration period. The registration and deregistration period will be displayed at the exam date.
- Further examination matters
- Board of Examination
The board of examination is a committee consisting of university professors and lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the board of examination of your degree program is Prof. Dr. Ing. Thomas Becker. Applications to the board of examination are received by the secretary and submitted to the board of examination for decision. You can reach the secretary by sending an email to recognition.wzw[at]tum.de.
Internships & excursions
Professional Internship
For the successful completion of your studies, you must complete 18 weeks of work experience. Of these, at least 12 weeks must be proved to have taken place before the start of your studies.
If you have already completed your Bachelor’s program in Brewing and Beverage Technology at the TUM School of Life Sciences, you will already have completed 12 weeks of internship and will only have to provide evidence of another 6 weeks during your Master's degree.
If you have not completed your Bachelor's degree here, you will have to provide evidence that you completed an internship of at least 18 weeks, of which at least 12 weeks were a pre-study internship completed by 31.10.
Please send us your internship/training certificate as early as possible, but no later than 31.10. of the current year, to praktikum.sfbl[at]tum.de – even if you already submitted it with your application. Please note that the job reference cannot be handed in person. As soon as we have received the internship certificate, you will receive an automatic confirmation from us that we have received the documents. NB: This is not a recognition of the internship. The processing of your internship certificate may take some time. Please be patient and refrain from asking about your application status. We will confirm the recognition separately as soon as the documents have been processed. You can also check the status in your TUMonline account (marked with a green P).
A fundamental component of this course is the independent search for an internship. In addition to postings at the university, you can also find other internships in our Careers section.
A prerequisite for the recognition of a professional internship is thematic proximity to brewing or beverage technology as well as a sufficient technical reference. Internships in the areas of production, laboratory work, quality assurance, research and development, and related areas in companies in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries are generally eligible for recognition. This applies analogously to the relevant supplier companies (mechanical engineering, chemical industry, automation technology, etc.). Professional relevant vocational training that has already been completed before the commencement of studies is recognized as an internship. Internships in one's own or parental/relative companies are only recognized in exceptional cases and must be clarified in advance.
Internships in companies whose fields of activity are not relevant to the respective degree program are not eligible for recognition. Internships at universities in Germany and abroad are also not recognized. Please be aware of this. No recognition is possible for internships in canteens, restaurants, mail order companies, online trade, warehouses, logistics, vehicle fleets, sales, distribution, administration, marketing or pharmacies. Internships connected with online research, literature reviews or the management of brewing courses cannot be recognized either.
Example of non-recognition:
"I would like to do an internship at a bakery in sales. Will this be recognized?"
No, an internship in sales or distribution does not meet the requirements of a professional internship and therefore cannot be recognized, even if it is a food production company.
Example of recognition:
"I would like to do an internship in a bakery in the field of pasta production. Will this internship be recognized?"
This internship can be recognized because it takes place in the food production sector.
The formal requirement for the recognition of internship achievements is the internship certificate, which is issued by the company in the same way as a work certificate. This certificate must contain at least the following information: Duration of the employment with the start and end dates of the internship, exact description of the activities, and evaluation of the work performed.
An internship report is generally not required, but if the internship certificate does not clearly indicate the nature and scope of the activity, an internship report must be prepared as a substitute. The accuracy of the contents must be confirmed in writing by the company.
Generally, professional internships are to be completed in consecutive periods. Internships shorter than three weeks cannot be recognized. Longer periods of absence (e.g. illness) during an internship must be made up for. Furthermore, the company's holiday arrangements should be included in the employment contract.
Please note that in the case of international companies the certificate must be issued or translated into German or English for recognition.
If you have found an offer for an internship position that suits you, but you are not sure whether recognition is possible, you are welcome to have the possibility of recognition checked in advance by the study office (brew-food-bpt.co[at]ls.tum.de).
The conclusion of internship or employment contracts is the responsibility of the students, i.e. there are no sample contracts offered by the Office of Student Affairs and there is no examination of the contracts. The contracts should be issued directly by the respective company’s internship office.
The completion of internships during the lecture period is generally not recommended, but sometimes it cannot be avoided. An internship completed during the lecture period can also be recognized without any problems.
More information on practical experience during studies
Graduation
Detailed, degree program - specific information about graduation can be found in the
Wiki Life Sciences – Study and Teaching - Graduation (TUM ID required for login)