Profile of the degree program
| Study model | Dual | Bachelor's degree* + winemaker training (*Bachelor of Science) |
| Duration | 4 years | 6 semesters standard period of study / 24 months vocational training |
| ECTS CREDITS | 210 | |
| Language of instruction | German | C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages |
| Admission | NC-free | |
| Tuition fees | None | Regular semester fee |
| Start of studies Prosemester | August 1 | 13 weeks à 4 blocks |
| Start of studies 1st semester | November | The lecture period deliberately begins in November after the fall phase in order to take into account the work peak in the wineries |
| Application deadline | July 15th | Completion of the application form and submission of application documents |

Veronika Trum
Opening hours registrar's office
Monday to Friday 9:00 - 16:00








Theory and practice - studying and training as a winemaker under one roof
The study plan
Excursion 2024: Wine Campus alumnus Brian Serr explains biological plant protection measures and uses a vine leaf to demonstrate typical infestation characteristics and their importance for wine quality in his vineyard.
Traditional 6th semester barbecue after the last exam of the course on campus (summer, 2024)
Student Madeleine Römer microscopes yeasts as part of the microbiology laboratory in the 3rd semester
Bordeaux Masterclass 2025 with Markus Del Monego and Philippe Castéja in the auditorium: students taste wines
Lecture "Wine and Food", 4th semester, Sensory Science
Density determination to assess the progress of alcoholic fermentation in experimental wines of a practical project in the 4th semester.
South Tyrol excursion 2025: Exciting insights into the Lageder winery, Arunda sparkling wine cellar, Elena Walch winery, Tramin winery, Manincor winery, Unterortl winery and Laimburg provincial winery.
Student Vincent Stiburski checks the must weight of freshly harvested Solaris grapes as part of the oenology exercises in the prosemester.
Student Joscha during his stay abroad in South Africa (2022)
The Wine Campus at ProWein 2024 in Düsseldorf: Bachelor student Moritz Prinz zur Lippe from the Schloss Proschwitz winery in Meissen with Prof. Dr. Dominik Durner during a Talk & Taste session on the topic of cider.
Exercise of the sensory quick method Napping, 4th semester, Sensory
Vine leaf
The student format Wine Campus Talk: students and wine enthusiasts network with wine personalities, winemakers, retailers and marketing companies in a relaxed atmosphere.
Sebastian Hörsch, viticulture assistant, explains the vine training systems and pruning methods to the prosemester students in the experimental vineyard on campus.
4th semester students familiarize themselves with positive aromas and off-flavours in Prof. Dr. Ulrich Fischer's sensory lab
Academic graduation ceremony 2025: Farewell to students after completing their studies
Viticulture assistant Florian Schraut at the Oenological Technology Center.
Students in the tasting booths in the sensory lab
In the oenological technology center.
Marketing lecture: Development of labels for the new PIWI line of St. John State Winery Neustadt
Smell training in sensory analysis
Lecturer Leonard Pfahl during a measurement of vitality data of the vines with a multispectral drone.
Craftsmanship, natural sciences and the product wine
Course language: English
Six professors from three universities in Rhineland-Palatinate and experts from the Rural Area Service Center (DLR) Rhenish Palatinate shape the teaching at the Wine Campus. Through their research projects on climate change, sustainability, fungus-resistant grape varieties, digitalization and non-alcoholic wines, they make science tangible in the lectures.

Teaching area
Viticulture and plant physiology
The aim of viticultural research is to clarify the influence of quality-enhancing cultivation measures on the material composition of the grape, in particular sugars, acids, aroma precursors, anthocyanins and phenols. In their entirety, these form the reservoir from which the valuable ingredients of the wine are formed during wine production. Ongoing research projects are investigating the genetic and environmental influences on the synthesis of aroma substances (monoterpenes) and colorants and flavorings (flavonoids, stilbenes) as well as on the physiology of the berries/clusters (size, number, berry skin firmness). Further research focuses on the optimization of cultivation systems and viticultural measures in order to investigate the necessary adaptations of production systems to climate change and the resulting increase in late frost events and heat waves.

Teaching area
Phytomedicine
With around two thirds of Germany's vineyards, viticulture is a key component of Rhineland-Palatinate's agricultural sector. New tasks and research topics are constantly emerging in plant protection, particularly due to changing conditions. These include, for example, climate change and extreme weather situations, the emergence of invasive species, environmentally friendly and resource-saving control methods for sustainable production, particularly with regard to integrated plant protection, the development of control and regulation methods for organic cultivation and implementation of the legal framework, as well as intensive research support for the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.

Teaching area
Microbiology
Microorganisms play a central role in winemaking, be it in alcoholic fermentation by yeasts or malolactic fermentation by lactic acid bacteria. At the same time, various harmful organisms can negatively influence the ingredients of the wine in almost all phases of production. Students acquire theoretical and practical knowledge of the most important microorganisms that play a role in winemaking. The detection of microorganisms is also an important focus of teaching and research.

Teaching area
Enology, wine analysis and sensory analysis
Enology at the Wine Campus Neustadt deals with a variety of current and practice-oriented issues relating to winemaking, starting with grape reception, through the processing of mash and must, to wine maturation, bottling and storage of the bottled wines. Using state-of-the-art sensory and chemical analysis, the complex relationships between oenological influencing factors and molecular changes in wines are clarified. Through globally networked research collaborations, oenological research at the Wine Campus Neustadt is one of the world's leading institutions in the field of innovative wine technologies, aroma analysis and polyphenol research.

Specialty
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Success in the wine industry is increasingly dependent on professional business management and optimized marketing. Business Administration at the Wine Campus makes a significant contribution to the training of entrepreneurial skills. Practically relevant topics are taken up and explored through globally networked research with an international perspective. The three core research areas include strategy, organization and innovation.

Specialty
Marketing
The field of marketing in wineries has changed significantly in recent years. Not only have new digital possibilities been added, but also new challenges, for example in the presentation of a product and its characteristics. The Marketing research area at the Wine Campus Neustadt is dedicated to these topics.
Off to new horizons
Stays abroad

When studying Viticulture and Enology, you have the opportunity to complete up to six months of practical training abroad. Viticulture and winemaking abroad differ in many ways from those in Germany. Students describe it as very enriching to make wine under different climatic and cultural conditions and to discover new grape varieties and cultivation methods. By getting to know the methods and practices of the wineries, you question your own approach and decision-making processes. You will not only benefit from new professional impulses, but also develop intercultural and linguistic skills and expand your international network. In the companies, you immerse yourself in everyday working life and really get to know the country and its people. International experience is highly sought after by employers.
Students have access to over 200 international cooperation companies in the northern and southern hemisphere. This means that students can experience a total of five vintages in four years. The Wine Campus supports stays abroad with scholarships and funding programs. Let us advise you individually!
The Wine Campus' portfolio of international cooperation companies includes the following countries:
- Argentina - Luxembourg
- Australia - Namibia
- Azores - New Zealand
- Chile - Austria
- Denmark - Portugal
- France - Rwanda
- Georgia - Romania
- Greece - Sweden
- Great Britain - Switzerland
- Israel - Spain
- Italy - South Africa
- Croatia - USA
Time frame for practical projects abroad:
After the 4th semester: 01.07. to 31.10. (Northern Hemisphere)
After the 5th semester: 01.02. to 30.04. (Southern Hemisphere)
Further information on visa requirements, insurance and funding opportunities for an internship abroad can be found on the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society website under International Affairs.
Occupational fields
The demand for graduate winemakers is so high that it cannot be met. Graduates of the Viticulture and Enology degree course usually have a contract in their pocket before their final examination. The subject-specific, topic-specific and interdisciplinary qualification objectives of the course provide graduates with comprehensive skills that enable them to pursue an independent, practice-oriented career in a wide range of fields of activity as well as a further academic career.
The Viticulture and Enology degree program offers a wide range of career prospects in a wide variety of fields, of which the following are examples of many more:
- Winemaker
- Cellar master
- Operations management, CEO or field operations management
- Wine shop manager
- Key account manager
- Wine or beverage editor
- Product developer
- Innovation manager
- Market researcher
- Marketing Manager
- Wine merchant, import/export manager or sales manager
- Tourism manager
- Vine grower
- Laboratory technician
- Research assistant
- Entrepreneur and start-up founder
- Sustainability manager
- Wine and oenology consultant
What our students say
Why I study viticulture and Enology
Image sources: Felix Weyer - Weingut Bassermann-Jordan/Frei; Fabio Fehrenbach - Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg; Julia Furer - Private; Philipp Schindel - Private; Viktor Rapp - Private
Interview Niko Brandner (Griesel Sekt, Bensheim)
Interview Katrin Lang (74th German Wine Queen / Advisor to the Baden Winegrowers' Association)
Interview Lena Singer-Fischer (Singer-Fischer Winery, Ingelheim)
Winemaker training
The on-the-job training phase lasts a total of 24 months. The winemaker training program is audited by the Rhineland-Palatinate Chamber of Agriculture. In the Bachelor's degree program in Viticulture and Enology, the Course language: English and times are deliberately adapted to the viticultural year. This gives you maximum practical experience. The four practical projects focusing on viticulture, Enology, phytomedicine and wine marketing take place in the training companies and are assessed as examination results.
Training companies can be located in any wine-growing region in Germany . Companies in Luxembourg can also be recognized as training companies - contact us for individual advice on the requirements!
If the training company you have selected is not one of our cooperation companies, we will be happy to include it in our network, provided the company is a recognized training company for winegrowers.
With the Dual Match Apprenticeship Finder, the Wine Campus supports you in your search for a suitable company. The aim of the Apprenticeship Finder is to bring prospective students together with suitable winegrowing companies quickly, easily and securely. You create an applicant profile in the portal and present your skills, previous knowledge and interests. If you are interested in an apprenticeship, you can contact one of our many cooperating companies directly. Conversely, it is possible for a cooperating company to draw your attention to a vacant training position.
→ DOWNLOAD AREA
Training contract, remuneration tables + insurance guidelines
DUAL MATCH

DUAL MATCH - FIND THE PERFECT TRAINING COMPANY
Register now and discover over 400 cooperating companies!
Admission requirements
→ GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The Bachelor's degree course in Viticulture and Enology is admission-free . This means that prospective students will always be offered a place if they meet the formal requirements for the degree course (university entrance qualification, language skills, etc.) and apply in the correct form and by the deadline. There is no numerus clausus. You will be offered a place if you meet the admission requirements and apply in due form and time. The course starts at the beginning of August.
Admission requirements for the Viticulture and Enology degree course are
- higher education entrance qualification certificate,
- entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences
- or a professional qualification recognized as equivalent
- and a training contract as a winemaker
You cover the practical part of the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences with the winemaker training.
→ MASTER CRAFTSMAN'S CERTIFICATE OR COMPARABLE ADVANCED TRAINING QUALIFICATIONS
A master craftsman's certificate or comparable advanced training qualifications offer you a direct university entrance qualification.
→ STUDYING WITHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA
In Rhineland-Palatinate, it is possible to study with a vocational qualification ("studying without an Abitur") if you have completed previous vocational training with an overall grade point average of at least 2.5. The grades from the final vocational training examination and the final certificate from the vocational school are taken into account.
We advise prospective students without an Abitur before enrolment. Please make an appointment with our registrar' s office
If documents are not yet available at the time of application, please send us ...
- your last (half-year) school report and submit the final certificate
- the vocational training contract signed by you and your training company. You will then send us the contract signed by the body responsible for the training.
If your previous vocational training is as a winemaker or wine technologist, you can apply directly for the six-semester degree course in Viticulture and Enology (Bachelor of Science).
→ LINKS
University admission correction through further education qualifications
Information on "Studying without A-levels"
State ordinance on the direct university entrance qualification of professionally qualified persons
Application
THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE PROGRAM IN VITICULTURE AND ENOLOGY IS JULY 15
Step 1: Conclude a training contract as a winemaker
Step 2: Fill out and submit the online application form
Step 3: Submit application documents
Note: Enrollment at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) takes place in the winter semester of the following year. Further information on enrollment and re-registration can be found here.

FAQ
Can I be sure that my studies and training are actually compatible?
I don't know whether the Viticulture and Enology degree program really suits me. What interests should I bring with me?
What is the prosemester?
Do I earn money during my training?
What scholarships are available to me?
Is it possible to do an Erasmus+ semester abroad during my studies?
Are there funding opportunities for stays abroad?
Am I covered by social insurance during the dual study program?
How do I find an apartment or shared room in Neustadt? Will the Wine Campus support me in my search?
Are there offers beyond the curriculum that I can use to expand my know-how?
Is it possible to take the exam to become a trainer while studying?
Contact us now!

Prof. Dr. Jochen Bogs

Sabine Delb

Veronika Trum



































