Posts Tagged ‘viticulture’

Useful Degrees Series: Degree in Viticulture & Enology at Cornell University

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

Photo Courtesy of Cornell.EDU

Who Doesn’t Love a Little Wine?

Are you looking for a truly interesting and unusual college degree program?  Do you want a program that will make you the envy of your friends? There are plenty of programs that can help you stand out in the crowd and one of them is certainly undergraduate degree program in viticulture and enology at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.  If you are wondering what viticulture and enology are, don’t worry, as you are certainly not alone!  Viticulture and enology involve the millennia-old process of growing great grapes and making great wine!  Now we have your attention, right?

A Rapidly Growing Field with Job Openings

The program in viticulture and enology teaches students what they need to know to work in the wine business in a variety of different capacities.  Few people realize that the wine business is a growing one.  In fact, it is growing quite rapidly and there are not enough people for the jobs!  While most would think that there would be ample people studying grape growing and wine making, the bottom line is that this just isn’t what is currently happening.

Is this program right for you?  If you don’t drink wine, then the answer is of course, probably not.  However, if you like wine and are open to a truly unusual, but growing profession, then a degree in viticulture and enology could be perfect for you.

A Diverse Program

The program isn’t one dimensional either, as students are expected and encouraged to combine their study of viticulture and enology with other courses to help make them more employable and well rounded.  Students in the program are thus encouraged to take business classes as part of their electives.

Picking a Specialization

Once in the program you will need to specialize either in viticulture or in enology.  The topics covered are surprisingly diverse and include everything from pest control to organic grape and wine production to wine microbiology and even beer!

Lots of Interesting Internship Positions Available

Another excellent aspect to this program is that there is a good deal of hands on work, just as one would hope in wine making.  Students in the program will have access to a comprehensive internship program that provides real, hands on experience.  There are roughly 1,400 vineyards and wineries in New York, and Cornell has relationships with many of these vineyards and wineries.  All of this means that those who complete the program will know what it takes to work at a vineyard and/or winery on Day One after graduation.

Get Your Hands Dirty, All Over the World

If the idea of spending all of your time behind of desk scares you a bit and you love wine, then you might just have a perfect match.  A degree in viticulture and enology means that you can get out of the office and “get your hands dirty.”  The fact is that students with a degree in viticulture and enology can find employment opportunities anywhere that wine is produced, and that means opportunities across the entire globe!

5 Unique College Majors (and the Cool Jobs They Can Land You)

Monday, December 7th, 2009

800px-Golf_player_Hawaii_2002If you’re planning to attend college in the next couple of years, you’re probably still wondering about what to major in. There’s nothing wrong with that—you have two years at college before you need to make a final decision. A major in biology could set you up for further studies at medical school, and a pre-law degree will help you master the basics of tort and criminal law if you’d like to become an attorney one day, but if you’re not sure where your path will take you, why not consider some of the more unique majors available? Here are some fascinating college majors from American universities that you’ve probably never heard of—and the cool jobs they can lead to.

Viticulture. You may be too young to drink wine, but that doesn’t mean you’re too young to make it! Cal Poly, in San Luis Obispo, California, offers a hands-on Wine and Viticulture major, where students will learn all the basics about growing grapes and turning them into high-quality wine, using the school’s own 100-acre vineyard as a testing ground. Once you’ve finished the program, you’ll finally be old enough to try out your own wine—and will be prepared to launch your very own winery. Check out the program details here. http://cafes.calpoly.edu/departmentsAndMajors/majors/wineAndViticulture.asp

Professional Golf Management. If you’re a golf nut, but aren’t quite qualified to go pro, maybe you should consider running your own golf course. A degree in Professional Golf Management from Penn State University will teach you how to do just that, with courses in subjects like Turf Grass Management, Analysis of the Swing, and Golf Car Fleet Management. And perfecting your swing is part of the program: students must pass a golfing proficiency test out on the green before being awarded with a diploma and a membership to the PGA. Sounds like a good excuse to spend plenty of time out on the course (as scholarly research).

Food Science. Have you always loved both chemistry and cooking? A degree in Food Science from Cornell University provides a chance to combine these two passions, teaching you about engineering, microbiology, chemistry and other scientific fields as applied to everything that ends up on your plate. This is definitely not a lightweight major—you’ll need to take a series of courses in calculus, organic chemistry, and microbiology to even begin the program—but it’s a fascinating and rewarding field. If you think coming up with Ben and Jerry’s next flavor would be a dream job, this is your way in.

Bagpipes. In tribute to founder Andrew Carnegie’s Scottish roots, Carnegie Mellon University offers America’s only bagpipes major, complete with its very own scholarship. The program focuses on both the history of bagpiping and the performance itself—though bagpipes students are given a separate building to practice their craft in, as the instrument is incredibly loud. The university has only graduated a handful of bagpipes scholars so far, but if you’re a fan of the infamous instrument, this might be just the trick for you to score a scholarship to a great school—and receive plenty of high-paid invitations to perform at weddings after graduation. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09127/968364-298.stm

Criminology. If you’re addicted to TV shows like America’s Most Wanted and Criminal Minds, a degree in criminology (available at many colleges, including the University of Southern Maine) might be the best way to get into the fascinating and high-paying field of criminal profiling. Criminology courses in an undergraduate program typically include a mix of psychology and sociology classes focusing on the American criminal justice system, as well as an internship with a police department or government agency. Though you’ll need to complete a master’s degree in criminology to become eligible for most jobs in the field, a B.A. in this fascinating field is your first step on the way to a high-level profiling career with a police department, the FBI, or even the CIA.