(USATODAY) -- For of-age college students, the desire for a cold brew can only be fulfilled at licensed establishments, outside the classroom. One university however, is strongly encouraging students to bring that thirst to class, making beer is part of the curriculum.
Set to launch this August, The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USciences) is now accepting applications for its new Brewing Science Certificate program. The craft brew-oriented, 18-credit postgraduate program is designed for working professionals, with classes taking place in the evenings and on weekends. The course takes approximately one year to complete, not including an internship.
"We recognized that there was a thirst for education," says Dr. Matthew Farber, Teaching Postdoctoral Fellow in the department of biology at USciences . "It was a good chance to develop this kind of programming to continue research and provide a resource for industry."
Farber, a home brewer for six years, was sure there were others interested in the field.
"I think there's a few 18 or 19-year-olds that want to know what the brew market is, and might want to get involved with it," Farber says.
After the federal government legalized home brewing in 1978, the craft beer industry has gone through several phases of growth, says Staff Economist for the Brewer's Association Dr. Bart Watson. Key periods of growth in the industry occurred in the late 1990s and the mid-2000s.
"Last year, in 2014," Watson says, "we estimated that [the craft-brew industry] produced 22.2 million barrels. Of that, a little less than 400,000 were exported."
According to the Brewer's Association website, the organization bridges the gap between over 2,300 U.S. brewery members and 43,000 members of the American Homebrewers Association, with allied trade, wholesalers and retail individuals.
The organization, says Watson, calculated that in 2014, the total effect that craft brewing had on the economy was $19.6 billion, 19.3% of the total $101.5 billion by the beer industry. In 2014 alone, 115,000 jobs were created in the industry.
"I think this speaks to the relevance of the [USciences'] program," says Director of Quality Assurance for Yard's Brewing Company (Penn.) Franklin Winslow. "If there isn't a market, then training people isn't valuable."
Winslow says that the availability for advanced training is a great thing for people to have, as the hands on experience provided in a laboratory will provide for a better understanding of the processes to not only be a resource for the company certificate holders might work for, but if they wish to start their own company.
With courses now being offered in the fundamentals of brewing science, brewing engineering and quality control, microbiology in beer and a project in brewing science, Farber believes that the pairing of research and industry will be positive.
"Breweries have concerns with those who are ill-equipped," Farber said. "Better trained students, who have been personally interacting with breweries, makes sure everyone knows what our programming is about. We're really trying to bridge industry and education in the area."
Winslow also sees the benefits of such a research-driven partnership.
"In the field of microbiology, there really is a lot that has changed and a lot more tools that we can apply in answering questions," Winslow says. "Having more institutions who can sit down and ask questions and look at concerns will help."
Of course, beer and college are things that pop culture has paired together as reliant upon each other. Films like Animal House, Neighbors and Superbad reflect a college culture of binge drinking.
Every year, news reports of incidents at colleges across the prove that the culture is still alive and well. The certification program hopes to begin the process of addressing those concerns.
"We will not be drinking any beer on campus," says Dr. Farber. "We will be licensed as an experimental brewery, to brew enough that we won't be selling. It can be sampled to some affects, but everything will be dumped."
Farber also said that the program is not affiliated with undergraduate programs, and that part of the curriculum will be to educate students about responsibility and moderation.
"As you get an appreciation for the craft, it becomes more about tasting and less about chugging," Farber said.
Winslow says that the entire alcoholic beverage industry is involved with the consequences of consuming too much of the substance, and that the craft brew industry has a unique perspective on the issue, especially when it comes to small-scale breweries.
"I think the fact that the beers are coming from community minded companies is an important aspect of that," Winslow said. "There's an onus on the company that people make it home ok."
The program will accept 20 applicants in its first year — they had 11 as of May 4.
USciences has created a partnership with local breweries to make internships available to students. This summer, the school will install two half-barrel brewing systems, which students will use to conduct projects on next summer.
Ethan Stoetzer is a summer 2015 Collegiate Correspondent
