Brewing with degree Master brewer ('Diplombraumeister')

Practice Meets Science: This unique program combines the highest educational standards with a clear focus on practical experience. If you don’t aspire to an academic research career but are still looking for a highly qualified and practice-oriented education that prepares you optimally for the challenges of the workforce, this is the perfect choice. 

Your journey begins either with an apprenticeship as a brewer and maltster or a 12-month professional internship at a brewery. Building on that, you will deepen your knowledge of scientific fundamentals and the technical, technological, and biological processes involved in beer and beverage production at our TUM Weihenstephan campus.  

From the very beginning, professional practice and the application of modern technologies are at the core. You will learn everything you need to succeed in the world of brewing and beverage technology – from traditional foundations to the latest innovations.

Situated at the intersection of tradition and innovation, Weihenstephan is home to the world’s oldest academic institution for brewing and beverage technology, making it the perfect place to join the TUM family. Here, you will benefit from a world-class education and an inspiring network of researchers, industry professionals, and fellow students. At TUM, one of Europe’s most prestigious universities, you can access a broad range of additional educational opportunities, providing excellent prospects for your future career.

Globally recognized and future-proof: The Brewmaster degree at TUM is not only one of the most prestigious programs in this field but also a guarantee for excellent career opportunities – not only in brewing and beverage industries but also in areas such as mechanical engineering or bioengineering. The combination of tradition and cutting-edge science makes you a highly sought-after expert – both nationally and internationally, as a member of the TUM family, one of the most successful universities in Europe.

The first two semesters are reserved for your professional internship. Your brewery internship lasts 64 weeks – 52 weeks of which must be completed within the first two semesters. Alternatively, a successfully completed apprenticeship will allow you to be recognized as a "Brewer and Maltster".

In the third semester, you will take your preliminary diploma examination, which focuses on essential training in biology, chemistry, physics, and beverage technology. Biology and chemistry lay the foundation for the fields of microbiology and yeast technology. The fields of physics and, later, mathematics form the foundation for the engineering specialization in plant construction and process and control engineering.

From the fourth semester onwards, technical specialization takes place in the field of brewing and food technology. In addition to engineering fundamentals, you will acquire practical analytical methods in various laboratory internships. Within the scope of your diploma thesis in the seventh semester, you will learn how to handle scientific working methods and thus complete your studies.

Interested? Take a look at the curriculum right away.

The focus of your studies is on practice-oriented brewing and beverage technology. However, to acquire the core competencies of this field, you will need a fundamental knowledge of natural sciences and engineering. As a graduate of the degree program in brewing you can fall back on both and are therefore perfectly prepared for your professional future. Your knowledge enables you to uncover connections and apply them in a solution-oriented way. You can give free rein to your innovative spirit in producing new beverages, evaluate products microbiologically, chemically technically, and through sensory testing, and monitor brewing processes. In addition, you will have learned to apply various fermentation technologies and to calculate and assess the economic efficiency of beverage production processes.

In addition, you will have already gained valuable work experience through your professional internship or training.

The degree program has an ISCED 645 classification. Admission to the degree program is possible with a university entrance qualification or a university of applied science entrance qualification; a corresponding regulation can be found in the Bavarian Higher Education Act. With the "Diplom-Braumeister" degree, direct admission to the bachelor's degree program in Brewing and Beverage Technology can be achieved without requiring a general university entrance qualification (Abitur). This ensures permeability at all university levels, as the consecutive master's degree program can be taken up after completion of the bachelor's degree, thus enabling students to pursue an academic career that could even lead to a doctorate.

The TUM website on the application process provides a general overview. The same information applies as for Bachelor's degree programs with unrestricted admission. The following sections contain information specific to this degree program.

Application Requirements and Eligibility

Entrance Qualification

A higher education entrance qualification is the prerequisite for applying for a place in this degree program. This can be either a relevant school-leaving certificate or proof of sufficient professional qualifications. 

Admission Prerequisites

The admission to this degree program is unrestricted.

Verification of Language Skills

The language of instruction in this degree program is German. Therefore, it is necessary to prove sufficient German language skills with your application. Please check whether you need a language certificate and which types are accepted.

Preliminary Documentation (VPD)

Applicants who have obtained their higher education entrance qualification not at a German school require a preliminary documentation (VPD). First, you must apply for the VPD at uni-assist, and second, upload it with your application to your application account (see section “Online application” below). 

Please find further critical information on the TUM website for international applicants.

Application Period and Start of Program

The application period is from 15 May to 15 September each year for the following winter semester. We strongly recommend that international students apply as early as possible. You can start this program only in the winter semester. Please find the semester dates on the TUM website.

Semester fees and tuition fees at TUM

All students pay a semester fee for the Studierendenwerk. Tuition fees are not charged for this degree program.

Online Application 

You can only apply online via our application portal in TUMonline. There, you set up an applicant account (manual). Please upload all required documents to your applicant account by the end of the application period. Documents issued in languages other than German or English must be translated into German or English by a sworn translator. Both the original document and its translation must be uploaded as one PDF file. 

A 52-week internship is scheduled for the first two semesters. Alternatively, vocational training as a brewer and maltster can be recognized. If you have already completed the internship or vocational training, you can apply directly to the 3rd semester. If you have not yet completed your internship, you apply for the 1st semester. Please find detailed information about the internship in the internship guide (available only in German).

Enrollment

As soon as you have received a letter of admission for this degree program, you accept your study place in your applicant account. You then upload the remaining documents for enrollment and pay the semester fees. All relevant steps will be displayed in your TUMonline account. Additionally, you can learn the details of the enrollment procedure.

Questions

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the student advisor (see end of this page).

• Curriculum
  • Curriculum 20221
  • Curriculum 20201 (expiring)
  • Curriculum 20111 (expiring)
    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

• 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
  • Academic progress check
  • Examinations
  • Recognitions
  • Theses
• 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 examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.