Yes, a craft-beer certificate is a thing and you can get it at UNC Charlotte
I feel like both my undergraduate and graduate schools let me down. At no point in my education did either program teach me an appreciation for craft beer. If anything, they taught me to look at beer more from an economical perspective — the more I can buy for the least amount of money, the better.
Of course, that was almost 20 years ago when the brewery count in the US hovered around a thousand versus the 5,562 breweries reported in June 2016 by the Brewers Association. From the looks of it, those numbers don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon, with almost 3,000 more in the planning stages. At the end of 2016, the Brewers Association also reported that the sector employed 128,768 employees. That number was up 5.7 percent from the year before.
With such strong growth potential, it’s no wonder that UNC Charlotte is doubling down on the economic impact of craft beer by offering a Craft Beer Business Essentials Certificate.
“We look for growing industries in the region,” said Karri Hahn, program director of continuing education department at UNC Charlotte. “Obviously, craft beer is booming.”
How the program works
The seven-week program consists of four courses, each covering a unique and essential topic on the craft beer industry — Legal Bootcamp for Craft Beer Business, Creating and Financing Your Business Plan, Identity Development & Marketing Strategies, and Brewery Management Fundamentals.
Each course is taught by instructors with direct craft beer experience under the topic of choice. For example, one of the instructors for Creating and Financing Your Business Plan is Audra Gaiziunas, owner of Brewed for Her Ledger, a craft beer management consulting firm.
Legal Bootcamp for Craft Beer Business is taught by Christian Staples, an attorney specializing in consulting breweries with legal matters.
Because there are no prerequisites for the program, the content is designed for students of all backgrounds, from MBAs looking to learn the brewery industry to taproom bartenders looking for a crash course on management.
The courses can be taken individually or together to earn the Craft Beer Business Essentials Certificate. Hahn does caution on picking up the courses piece-meal.
“Students are getting info that is up-to-date on local regulations and easily digestible,” Hahn said. “This is information that wouldn’t be covered elsewhere.”
The format is a hybrid of self-paced online content and one in-person Saturday for each course.
“We looked nationally at any similar program in the country,” Hahn said. “They were either all online, which is great for working professionals, or face to-face, which is great for networking. We wanted to merge the two. I expect some connections might be made in the program that results in opening a brewery together.”
How to enroll
Craft Beer Business Essentials starts on April 8 and runs until June 2. Students can enroll up until the day before the program begins. Please note that the program is capped at 40. That means don’t wait until the last minute.
If Craft Beer Business Essentials sounds like a bit much for you, yet you still have an interest in learning more about beer, then consider enrolling in Beer Basics: Crash Course in Craft. The one-day course takes place on March 24 and is taught by Charlotte’s own Daniel Hartis, current editor at All About Beer Magazine.
Photo: Charlotte Observer file
This story was originally published January 11, 2018 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Yes, a craft-beer certificate is a thing and you can get it at UNC Charlotte."