Brewing and Distilling and Diploma in Industrial Training

Brewing and distilling are among the oldest applied sciences, combining chemistry, biology, and engineering to transform raw agricultural materials into fermented and distilled products. The precision required is considerable: fermentation involves the complex biochemistry of yeast and other microorganisms, and distillation demands an understanding of thermodynamics, separation processes, and the way different compounds behave under heat. The Scottish whisky industry and the global craft beer movement have made these disciplines commercially significant once more, and the science underpinning high-quality production is genuinely sophisticated.

At Heriot-Watt University, this five-year full-time programme is one of the very few undergraduate courses in the world dedicated to brewing and distilling, and it is taught by academics and practitioners with direct industry expertise. You will study the science of fermentation, the chemistry of flavour, raw material processing, quality control, plant engineering, and the management of production operations. The programme includes a diploma in industrial training, integrating an extended period of professional placement into the degree, where you will apply the theory and techniques you have studied in a real production environment.

This combination of academic rigour and genuine industry experience is what makes the programme distinctive.

Graduates are prepared for technical and managerial roles across the drinks production industry, including brewing, distilling, cider making, and other fermentation-based manufacturing. Career paths include production management, quality assurance, flavour science, process engineering, new product development, and supply chain roles within breweries, distilleries, and drinks companies of every scale, from artisan producers to multinational corporations. The technical expertise developed in this programme is also applicable in food and biotechnology more broadly, and some graduates pursue postgraduate research in fermentation science or food technology.