Wine Studies, Bachelor of Science (BS)


Program Description

This Interdisciplinary Program provides students with a broad understanding of the wine industry. The program prepares graduates for careers in wine marketing, direct-to-consumer sales, distribution, compliance, and consulting. Students can select the Global Wine Studies Specialization or the Wine Industry Management Specialization.

Likely Career Paths

Wine distribution sales, Winery tasting room manager, Restaurant Sommelier, Wine Marketing Manager, Winery Direct to consumer sales manager. 

Key Considerations

Cost: University-wide costs (Visit the CWU Financial Aid site for more information). Some courses have lab fees to cover additional costs.  The wine studies major includes a study abroad opportunity for students.  The cost varies from year to year and averages $2,000-$4,000.  This is a 10-14 day intensive tour of European wine country. 

Location: Ellensburg

Primary contact: Jill Perillo Clark | Jill.PerilloClark@cwu.eduCWU Wine Studies

Course Planning


1st and 2nd Year Courses or Areas of Study

CWU Course # Transfer Course #
*CHEM 111 & CHEM 111 Lab CHEM& 121
*GEOG 101 GEOG 102

*For Global Wine Studies Specialization Only

The Transfer Equivalency Site (TES) provides CWU equivalencies for courses offered at other colleges and universities.

Advising Notes

  • Students must be 18 years of age to apply for the major. It should be understood that all classroom courses involving tasting will require students to taste and spit (Washington State legislation RCW 66.20.010 (12) a-f).
  • Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.7 in the wine studies core courses.
  • Wine Studies (WINE) course tuition is the same as the regular CWU tuition for undergraduates.
  • Prior coursework in the field of hospitality and/or business and marketing is helpful for all incoming students, however, it is not required. 
  • Students are encouraged to complete a DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement) before admission to the degree.
  • Any Washington state DTA (Direct Transfer Agreement) degree will satisfy all general education requirements.
  • Major requirements may change over time; students will be expected to meet the catalog requirements in place at the time they are admitted to the major.
Current Catalog

Other Resources

Admissions: 509-963-1211 | admissions@cwu.edu

Financial Aid: 509-963-1611 | FinancialAid@cwu.edu

Scholarship Information: 509-963-1611 | Scholarships@cwu.edu

Transfer Center: 509-963-1390 | transfer@cwu.edu

Veterans: 509-963-3028 | VA@cwu.edu

International: +1-509-963-3612 | intladm@cwu.edu

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