The food and beverage industry is a competitive and fascinating field. It seems very niche but actually includes a lot more managerial and business know-how than one might think. Therefore, we wrote this article so that you can have a concrete idea of what you would learn in such programmes and what your career prospects could look like. We also included a list of excellent masters in food and beverage management, for which you can easily ask us questions and receive guidance.
What will you learn in a Food and Beverage master degree?
As you will see in further sections, you will follow traditional courses with a focus on the food and beverage industry. Example of course names are:
- Hospitality Economics and Finance
- Strategic Management
- Food & Beverage Cost Control
Hence, you will acquire interdisciplinary skills in management, finance, sales and marketing while building up an expertise in food and beverage.
In addition, you will be required to take part in an internship to acquire practical experience. Some programmes even include other practical learning opportunities such as Capstone projects. Practice is really important to understand the subtleties of this competitive field. No matter how much theory you know, you will need to experience the high-pressure environment in which you will most likely work. Hence, internships are an incredible opportunity to start acquiring hands-on experience.
Where can you work after a Food and Beverage master degree?
Universities that offer such programmes prepare you to work in agri-food, hospitality management, Restauration, oenology, or any derived fields. For example, you could become a hotel manager, work for small restaurants or even multinational Restoration chains and suppliers.
What salaries a Food and Beverage career has?
The wide variety of roles within this industry implies many different salaries. Additionally, salaries are also affected by the country in which you work. For example, according to salary.com a manager in the food and beverage industry makes GBP29,000 on average in Great Britain and USD76,000 in the US. You will find many different figures to answer this question, but it is important to keep in mind that a higher salary does not necessarily mean a higher purchasing power because you need to take into account the tax system, insurance policies, prices, and other factors of the country.
In general, the average salary of people working in this industry is equivalent to the average salary of the country, but it can quickly increase if you are working in successful businesses, which tend to hire people with a relevant academic background like you.
The Best Masters in Food and Beverage Management:
MSc in Food and Wine International Management at Sup De Luxe (France)
French cuisine is held in high esteem across the globe. Some schools, such as Sup de Luxe, even make it their mission to empower the french culinary culture at an international level. Hence, the goal of the MSc in Food and Wine International Management is to help students to become highly knowledgeable young entrepreneurs and managers in the french gastronomy industry. In other words, if you want to work in hotels, oenology, agrifood or gastronomy based on french culture but located abroad, this programme is for you.
MSc in International Food & Beverage Management at ESCP Business School (France, Italy)
ESCP Business School is an international education institution with campuses in various countries. It offers its 15 months-long MSc in International Food and Beverage Management on its French and Italian campuses.
This programme uses a very hands-on approach based on case-study methods and other interactive activities or projects. Additionally, a large number of industry partners at ESCP enables you to start building your own network whilst opening the doors to careers in very different types of companies, such as multinationals, SMEs or startups. Lastly, you have the option to attend the fourth semester at the Berlin campus of ESCP and be awarded an additional German Master of Science degree.
Master in Food and Wine at Bologna Business School (Italy)
If Italian food means more to you than delicious flavours, then the Master in Food and Wine at Bologna Business School will interest you. Indeed, this programme prepares students to manage and improve the value of Italian products worldwide. Therefore it focuses on the distribution of Italian foods and beverages through intense courses in export finances and sales.
About a third of participants have a business background, and the others come from a wide array of fields (political sciences, law, literature, etc). Each member of this diverse pool of students will spend over a third of its studying hours under the form of an internship. Additionally, you will also follow three company projects to enable you to learn by doing next to your classes.
Note that this programme is taught in Italian. Alternatively, the school offers a Global MBA in Food and Wine in English.
Master in Food & Beverage and Events Management at EUHT StPOL (Spain)
The University College of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts StPol (EUHT StPol) is located in the province of Barcelona. Its master in food, beverage and events management is great for people who want to continue growing in this field as well as for people who want to enter it.
The programme includes two tracks:
- Hotel Management
- Food & Beverage and Restaurant Management
Moreover, you will receive a mixture of theory classes and masterclasses directly taught by leaders in the industry. The degree starts with a personal induction tailored to your needs based on your previous experience and finishes with an internship. The motto of the school is “Learning by doing”.
Master Online in Food and Beverage Management at Rome Business School (Italy)
This Online Master in Food and Beverage Management at the Rome Business School is a specialisation track of a general management degree in the hospitality industry. Concretely, your year will consist of a first management module, then a specialisation module (food and beverage management, food management, sales management, wine and beverage management), and finally an innovation module. The first and last modules will be with students from all hospitality tracks. In other words, this is a great opportunity to share your niche experience with peers from other sections and benefit from theirs. Finally, you will work on a Capstone project during which you will have to solve a problem for a company (real or fictitious).
Conclusion about the Best Masters in Food and Beverage Management
In conclusion, whether you are experienced or new to the industry, there are master’s degrees in food and beverage management to boost your career. Moreover, they always include practical experience through internships or other in-company projects.
You can request information about any master in this list and receive free counselling from our experts. To do so, just click on one of the yellow buttons and we will link you to someone. Until then, you can continue your research on our blog where you will find articles about programmes in tourism management and the best cities to study.
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