Neustadt wine campus

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Entrance area
Glasshouse
Wine cellar
Classroom

The Weincampus Neustadt is a scientific institution for research and teaching in viticulture and oenology in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse .

On the initiative of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate , Germany's first dual study course in viticulture and oenology was founded at the Neustadt wine campus in 2009. The reason for setting up such a course was the increasing demand in the wine industry for managers with good practical and theoretical training.

The Weincampus Neustadt offers the dual bachelor's degree in viticulture and oenology, the dual Franco-German master's degree in viticulture and oenology, and the Master of Business Administration in Wine, Sustainability and Sales.

history

The wine campus is located in Neustadt in the largest wine-growing region in Germany. The location can look back on a long winemaking tradition. On the grounds of the Neustadt wine campus there is, among other things, the state winery with Johannitergut , which has been used for viticulture since the eighth century.

In the teaching and experimental operation of the state winery , the experiments go back to the 16th century, to the time of Elector Johann Casimir , who issued his own planting ordinance for his favorite variety, "Gänsfüßer" as early as 1584.

In 1899 the “Municipal Wine and Fruit Growing School” was founded in Neustadt, which was nationalized in 1908 and renamed the “Royal Teaching and Research Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture”.

In 1983 the teaching and research institute for agriculture, viticulture and horticulture of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate emerged. In 2003 the last renaming took place in the course of the agricultural administration reform in DLR Rheinpfalz (service center rural area Rheinpfalz) . Here, scientists conduct research in the fields of phytomedicine , viticulture, oenology and microbiology . Further research areas at DLR Rheinpfalz are horticulture and fruit and vegetable growing.

In 2009 the first dual study course in viticulture and oenology in Germany was founded in Neustadt. The three universities in Ludwigshafen , Bingen and Kaiserslautern in cooperation with the Service Center for Rural Areas (DLR) Rheinpfalz are responsible for this course .

In 2012 the scientific institution of the three universities was given its own name: Weincampus Neustadt.

In 2015, the Rhineland-Palatinate Environment Minister Ulrike Höfken opened the new building. The southern wing of the service center for the rural area of ​​the Rhine Palatinate was extended by an extension, in which additional lecture halls, seminar rooms and laboratory practice rooms as well as a new library are available for the students.

The part-time master’s degree in Wine, Sustainability and Sales has been offered since the 2016/17 winter semester. The Oenological Technical Center was opened in 2018. As of July 2018, around 200 prospective oenologists are studying viticulture and oenology at the Neustadt wine campus.

From September 2020, a new course will be launched at the Neustadt wine campus: the dual master's course in viticulture and oenology (Franco-Allemand Viticulture et Oenology, FAVO for short). The range of courses is a joint project of the partner universities HWG Ludwigshafen and the Université de Haute-Alsace in Colmar.

organization

The Neustadt wine campus is a joint scientific institution of the Ludwigshafen am Rhein University of Applied Sciences , the Bingen University of Applied Sciences and the Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Rural Areas Service Center (DLR) Rheinpfalz. The Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences is in charge. The expertise of the three universities together with the industry knowledge and the infrastructure of the DLR Rheinpfalz are intended to ensure the transfer of knowledge from research to practice.

At the Weincampus Neustadt, professors from universities teach and research together with scientists from DLR Rheinpfalz. 340 wineries in Germany and 100 companies abroad are the cooperation partners for the dual training of students.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture is responsible for the vocational training to become a winemaker integrated into the course .

Dual study course in viticulture and oenology

The course is geared towards the special needs of winegrowers and wineries, the seasonality of viticulture and the particularities of winemaking training . The dual study of viticulture and oenology, including the 24-month training as a winemaker, takes four years. The completion of the winemaking apprenticeship (examination by the LWK Rhineland-Palatinate ) and the achievement of the Bachelor degree with 210 ETCS are possible in four years.

Training and studies are interlinked chronologically and in terms of content. While students in other degree programs sit in the lecture hall from mid-September, the dual students in Neustadt are involved in the crucial processes in winemaking from July until the beginning of the lectures in early November. From the beginning of November to the middle of February and from March to the beginning of July, the methodological fundamentals and applied knowledge for wine are imparted in lectures, exercises and laboratory courses.

The aim of the courses is to take up the practical experience of the training sections and to place them in an overarching context. Training company and university are equal learning locations. The contents of the lecture are coordinated with the activities that are central to viticulture. This includes the cultivation of vineyards, plant protection, grape harvest, grape processing, winemaking, viticulture, operational management and wine marketing.

In order to take account of the interlinking between theory and practice, five practical projects are carried out during the course, which means that the students, together with the trainers and the technical assistants of the Neustadt wine campus, scientifically work on practical issues during the training phases.

Between the 4th and 5th as well as the 5th and 6th semester, dual students have the opportunity to complete six months of practical training in two companies abroad. Over 100 cooperation companies are available to students. Around 75% of the students take this opportunity to gain international experience in top companies around the world. The Weincampus Neustadt supports the stays abroad by arranging apprenticeships and scholarships.

Degree course in viticulture and oenology for winemakers who have completed their training

With a completed vocational training as a vintner, viticulture technician, wine coopers or wine technologist to as a "direct entry" to begin the study and the study of six semesters shortened.

In order to be able to start studying viticulture and oenology directly after completing a winemaking training, credits are required for the subjects "General Business Administration" (ABWL) and "Chemical Basics for Viticulture and Oenology". As a cooper or wine technologist, credits for the subject “Basics of Viticulture” and a three-month, subject-specific viticultural practical phase are required before the start of the course. A university entrance qualification is always required .

Viticulture technicians can have the recognition of study-relevant modules that they have successfully completed checked.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Wine, Sustainability and Sales

Since 2016, the MBA Wine, Sustainability and Sales complements the courses offered at the Neustadt wine campus. The MBA Wine, Sustainability and Sales is a part-time study program for the wine industry in which sustainable management and sales skills are addressed. Problem-solving strategies and business instruments are taught using case studies from practice. In addition to the classic business management content of an MBA , sales, ecological, social and economic sustainability , regulations and trade as well as international wine markets, consumer research and wine sensorics are scientifically updated. The students get to know the world of international wines, their peculiarities and sensory characteristics.

The two-year, international and English-language MBA Wine, Sustainability and Sales requires a total of six times a week of attendance. The rest of the time is covered by digital forms of teaching . The master’s program is aimed at practitioners who want to expand their knowledge. In addition to applicants who have completed their first degree, the course is open to professionally qualified people without a first degree.

Dual German-French master's degree in viticulture and oenology

The wine industry, but also industry as well as teaching and research, have an increasing need for top talent with a scientific background and expertise in the wine and beverage sector. From September 2020, the new dual Franco-German Master’s degree in Viticulture & Oenology will be offered by the Neustadt Wine Campus together with the Université de Haute-Alsace in Colmar. The unique study program also serves to promote and strengthen the Upper Rhine region across borders .

The new range of courses is aimed at Bachelor graduates from the fields of viticulture and oenology, agricultural sciences and natural and engineering sciences, one of the two languages ​​(German or French) at level B2 and the other at least at level B1 of the European Framework of Reference proficiency in languages ​​(CEFR).

Language courses are offered at the beginning of the course in order to prepare for studying in the other country. Since the students are enrolled and study at the two universities (University of Economics and Society Ludwigshafen and Université de Haute-Alsace in Colmar), they receive a double degree (M. Sc.) At the end of the four semesters.

The curriculum includes modules such as statistics, molecular biology, biochemistry of the vine and grape, innovations in oenology, microbiology and wine analysis, ecology, oenology and sensory science, science of terroir, phytopathology, smart viticulture, business management, history and culture of the vine and wine as well Language skills.

The course of the course is divided into face-to-face phases, which are based on the seasonal characteristics of viticulture, and a total of three phases, which are completed in practice. Students can choose from a pool of cooperative companies in Germany, France and Switzerland that have committed to supervise students on the dual master’s course. The close networking between companies, teaching, testing and research thus leads to transfer initiatives from research into practice and from practice into the academic environment of the university. The binational master’s course is an Interreg project funded by the European Union, co-financed by ERDF.

Students and graduates

200 prospective oenologists are studying viticulture and oenology in the dual course. Each of the four years comprises around 50 students, 35% of whom are women. Around 40% of the students come from families with their own winery. The combination of vocational training and studies has given students without a family background in viticulture the opportunity to gain a foothold in the industry for the first time.

The dual students come from all wine-growing and non-wine-growing regions of Germany. The most important catchment regions for the dual study course in viticulture and oenology in Rhineland-Palatinate are the Palatinate , Baden and Württemberg followed by Franconia (region) and the Moselle . But people from beyond the borders of Germany also apply for the dual study program in Neustadt. The quota of international students is currently nine percent.

The industry penetration of the dual graduates is high after six graduation years. Of the 300 alumni of the Viticulture and Oenology course, most of the graduates, in addition to traditional successors in their parents' business, work as cellar masters, external operations managers or technical operations managers. The location of the graduates ranges from wineries in the steep slopes of the Moselle region to New Zealand . Other graduates work in the sales of suppliers or in wine marketing companies, go into specialist journalism or gain a foothold in authorities or scientific institutions. The training at the Weincampus is also recognized abroad. Every fifth graduate goes abroad after completing their studies in order to work there for a short or long term. Around eight percent of the graduates opt for a consecutive master’s degree.

research

The professors conduct research together with scientists from DLR Rheinpfalz in accordance with the goals of a joint strategic plan at the location. All research projects pursue at least one of the following five strategic goals:

Currently, in around 20 individual projects with a volume of almost three million euros, topics from application-oriented research are being processed, ranging from vine physiology to viticulture technology to aroma chemistry and wine market research. In the third-party funded projects i. d. Usually 90% of the work is financed by the public sector, there are currently 15 doctoral students , three post-docs and six technical assistants. The doctoral students at the site form a doctoral college, within the framework of which regular reporting by the doctoral students and scientific seminars take place. All doctoral theses at the site are carried out in cooperation with universities in Germany and abroad.

The results of ongoing research work are published in peer-reviewed journals, in specialist journals and at international science conferences. There is cooperation in teaching and research with the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI), the University of California (UC) Davis , Stellenbosch University , the Bordeaux Sciences Agro , the Université Haute Alsace and the Haute École Spécialisée de Suisse occidentale .

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