While sitting in class, many students have pictured themselves sitting on a breezy, sandy beach with a cool beer in one hand that hisses crisply as they unscrew its top. Though beaches are difficult to come by in Auburn, students who enjoy a refreshing brew might soon have the chance to create their own concoction for a grade.
On Friday, Feb. 1, the Board of Trustees approved a plan to move ahead with a new brewing sciences program that will educate graduate students on both the business and production side of the craft beer industry. The board unanimously passed the motion proposed by Martin O'Neil, head of the Nutrition Department.
One reason the Board accepted the new program so readily, according to O'Neil, is the enormous economic upside and apparent lack of negatives.
"This program stands to benefit the economy not only locally, but on a national scale as well. There's really no downside," he said. "The tourism industry is on the rise here, and this kind of training will put graduates in a great place to obtain jobs in that sphere."
The boom in this sector has created a demand for craft beers and employees skilled in the art of making them. Though in its early stages, O'Neil hopes the curriculum will help students by training them in this rapidly growing trade.
The graduate certificate program will consist of 18 hours and six classes that cover everything from the business of brewing to manufacturing yeast cultures to the actual process of brewing beer. Classes will cost graduate students $750-$1000 an hour and provide students with the training needed to be competitive with graduates of programs such as University of California--Davis's undergraduate brewing sciences degree.
Initiated in 1991, UC--Davis's curriculum has been the standard for other brewing programs and boasts the only set of undergraduate brewing courses in the country. The program is wildly popular among students at the university and employers, who have snapped up graduates, some of whom have gone on to hold high-level positions at several breweries. Graduates have also had success starting their own craft beer companies.
Students who obtain a master's in brewing sciences at UC--Davis become certified as a "Master Brewer," the highest title bestowed in the world of beer crafting. The same will be true of Auburn's program according to O'Neil, with the courses focusing, in large part, on training students to pass the Institute of Brewing and Distillation Examination.
Because this type of program does not exist in the region, Southeastern brewing companies have traditionally had to look elsewhere for trained professionals. O'Neil believes starting this program will alleviate that inconvenience, create jobs and most importantly, give Auburn students the edge in an extremely competitive job market.
Though approved, the program still has a long journey before it becomes part of the curriculum here, so the possibility of an Auburn micro-brew is, for now, a distant dream.
"I honestly haven't given any thought to that. It's still too early," O'Neil said.
Though perhaps a premature thought, one day students might enjoy the chaos of Panama City Beach during Spring Break with a home-brewed "Tipsy Tiger" in hand.
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