Bachelor in International Wine Business

Bachelor in International Wine Business is one of 9 English-taught Business Administration programmes at bachelor’s level in the register, offered by 8 institutions. 7 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 727 a year.

International Wine Business at IMC Krems is a full-time bachelor's degree taught entirely in English. It is the only bachelor's programme at an Austrian university of applied sciences with an exclusive focus on the wine business. You study in Krems, in the heart of an Austrian wine region, about an hour from Vienna.

What you study

The programme combines business administration with viticulture and oenology. In the first four semesters you cover management essentials, accounting, economics, finance, investment and mathematics, marketing and marketing research, data and decision making, and the legal environment. Wine-specific courses run through all six semesters: Wine Production I to IV, Wines of the World I to IV, and sensory assessment of wine. You also take Future Skills, which includes wine and gastronomy basics, and a course on digital wine marketing. In the final semester you take Applied Wine Marketing and Sales, Business Models and Business Planning, and Current Issues: Wine Master Classes. You write a bachelor thesis and sit a bachelor exam.

How the programme is organised

The degree is built on three pillars: business basics, wine-related courses, and practical experience. Semester 5 is the internship semester. You work for at least 22 weeks in your chosen specialism, and the programme recommends doing it abroad. You can complete the internship in viticulture, oenology, sales, marketing, e-commerce, purchasing, administration or wine tourism, or in a related sector such as HoReCa, or with a supplier or service provider. You can also combine focuses, for example viticulture and oenology, or marketing and sales. Semester 4 can be spent abroad at one of the programme's partner universities. Practical elements appear in other semesters too: courses at the viticulture colleges in Krems and Klosterneuburg, group work that includes producing your own vintage, and excursions and company visits. You can choose the topic of your bachelor paper, for example organic wine production and natural wine, e-commerce and digital wine marketing, wine tourism, or specific wine markets such as the UK, China or France. The programme also offers a Founders Lab for students with start-up ideas.

Who it suits

This programme suits you if you want a business degree with wine at the centre, not as an add-on. You should be ready to study in English with classmates from around the world, and to spend a semester abroad and an internship semester, possibly in another country. It fits people who want to work in the wine and beverage industry in Austria or internationally, in management, marketing, sales or production. The programme has close contacts to wineries, wine producers, Austrian research institutes and people in the international wine business.

Admission, language and next steps

To apply you need an Austrian school-leaving certificate or an equivalent qualification. If your certificate was issued outside Austria, the institution checks equivalence under section 4 of the University of Applied Sciences Studies Act (FHG) once you have sent all documents through its online application tool. If it is not equivalent, you will be told which supplementary examinations you need; you can complete a summer school and the examinations at IMC Krems or with an external provider. English proficiency is assessed at your interview, so no separate certificate is required. The application includes a statement of motivation, which forms the basis for an application interview held in English, online via Microsoft Teams or in person. The interview is usually conducted by the degree programme director. There is no central application portal: you apply directly to IMC Krems, and its programme page gives the application period. The teaching language is English. The degree is 180 ECTS over six semesters. As a university of applied sciences, IMC Krems sets its own fees; EU/EEA and Swiss students at public universities pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters, but this rule does not apply here, so check the fee information on the institution's page.

Wine and the wine industry are the centre of attention of the programme in International Wine Business at the IMC Krems. This is the only bachelor’s degree with an exclusive focus on wine business offered at an Austrian university of applied sciences. Courses in various business administration and economic disciplines form the basis of the programme. This will give you an insight into company and departmental structures and processes. And this wide-ranging expertise allows you to take on a host of different duties in your day-to-day work. The programme is also characterised by a strong international focus. You will be studying with fellow students from all over the world and you will have the opportunity to spend the fourth semester abroad at one of our partner universities. You can also do your internship in the fifth semester in a foreign country.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences. Universities of applied sciences set their own application periods and admission procedures, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Online application and admission interview in the language of instruction (English). Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.