Sonoma State University is now accepting applications for its new Global Wine MBA program, set to begin in fall 2015. The program is a full-time, one-year accelerated Wine MBA program focused on global wine business professionals who desire to further their wine industry knowledge.
"SSU changed the direction of my life," said Sonoma State alumnus and Master Sommelier, Ian Cauble. "There were so many great resources, I was located near the greatest wineries of California, and had the opportunity to work for those wineries while going to school." Cauble, star of the movie SOMM, recently co-founded SommSelect.com.
For students coming from abroad, Sonoma State has an English language immersion program, offered through the Sonoma State American Language Institute.
Vicente Johnson, an independent winemaker and board member of Casas del Toqui Winery in Chile who received his Executive MBA from SSU, said, "I developed my English proficiency in SSU's American Language Institute (SSALI) where I studied almost five months before starting the EMBA program. In the SSALI program I met and worked with professionals from different areas, experiences and cultures."
In the global wine format, students will learn from leading experts and world-renowned faculty, while having the opportunity to get hands-on experience at first-class wineries located just down the road from Sonoma State's campus. Containing all the content from SSU's two-year Wine MBA, the Global Wine MBA accelerates the class schedule and program requirements, permitting students to graduate in one calendar year. In addition, weeknight classes allow students to work on projects or internships while in the program.
Sonoma State recognizes that as the global wine industry continues to evolve, wine industry professionals must learn new ways to solve problems. "Sonoma State has a rigorous Wine MBA program taught by internationally distinguished faculty," said Jingmei Su, who moved from Zhangjiang, China, to study in the Wine MBA program.
To learn more or apply for the Global Wine MBA visit http://sonoma.edu/mba/programs/evening-global-wine-mba.html.