For more details, please contact: apponline@wset.co.uk

ISSUE SEVEN • APRIL 2017 E&OE

Level 4 Diploma OnlineWSET® Level 4 Diploma Minimum age requirement 18 at time of booking

Entry requirements Students should hold the Level 3 Award. It will be assumed that students have basic computer literacy, internet navigation skills and a good level of English.

Study Programme The Diploma consists of 6 units which need to be successfully completed and exams passed, for the student to achieve the WSET Diploma. Unit 2 has to be studied first and the exam sat before the student can continue to the next units. The recommended time to complete the full Diploma is 2 years so please allow your students enough time to complete each unit. The list of dates for each unit can be booked as and when you need. The full Diploma programme needs to be supplemented with attended tasting tutorial days before the students start units 3-5.

The individual units follow a weekly structure but it allows the student to work ahead or catch up on the activities and forums. There are no set times to log into the course as there are no live chats or webinars.

Method of Study The online course prepares the student for our qualifications and they are guided by a WSET educator. The student can contact the educator any time for the duration of the scheduled course, should they have any questions. Each unit includes a series of independent and/or group activities that require students to look in depth at the wine industry, applying subject knowledge and professional skills to analyse key issues and make recommendations.

Course Preparation Revision of Level 3 Materials.

Unit 1: (7 weeks of guided study) Acquire personal research skills and use these to study the global and UK drinks markets and theGlobal Business of marketing of alcoholic drinks.Alcoholic Beverages

Unit 2: (9 weeks of guided study) A detailed theoretical study of viticulture, vinification, maturation, treatments and packaging.Wine Production

Unit 3: (4 x 7 weeks of guided study) Acquire specialist product knowledge and commercial understanding for the major light wineLight Wines of the World producing regions.

Split into 4 elements studied at different points during the course:Element 1 (6 weeks) - Northern France, Germany and UKElement 2 (6 weeks) - Southern France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Central & South-East EuropeElement 3 (6 weeks) - Africa, Australasia and AsiaElement 4 (6 weeks) - The Americas

Unit 4: (7 weeks of guided study) Study the production methods and acquire in-depth product knowledge and commercial Spirits of the World understanding for the following spirit categories:

Brandy, Whisky, Rum, Tequila and Mezcal, Vodka, Flavoured Spirits and Fruit Spirits.

Unit 5: (5 weeks of guided study) Study the production methods and acquire in-depth product knowledge and commercial Sparkling Wines of the Worldunderstanding for the major sparkling wines of: France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the New World.

Unit 6: (5 weeks of guided study) Study the production methods and acquire in-depth product knowledge and commercial Fortified Wines of the World understanding for the major fortified wines of: Spain, Portugal, France and the New World.

Study Materials APPs to provide the relevant and current WSET study materials for this course.

Recommended It should be noted the Diploma course requires substantial commitment from students toPrivate Study complete the required private study. Students are advised to schedule a minimum of 15 hours for

their study each week. Regular access and participation in the course online activities is essential for this mode of study.

Tastings Students are advised to taste a range of wines and spirits during their studies. A list of recommended tasting samples can be found in the specification. Students can post their tasting notes in the Online Classroom for review by the educator.

Tutorial Day Attended tutorials introducing the Diploma level tasting technique for the relevant product typesshould be included by the APP for all students prior to the start of units 3-6. Powerpoint slides, session plans and handouts will be made available to registered APPs via the Online Classroom.

Examination Days The exam dates (except unit 2 which is arranged by the APP) are fixed yearly by WSET Awards. APPs should register students and book examinations with WSET Awards for the advertised fees as usual.

System Requirements As this course is taught online, students will require access to a computer and/or HTML5 compatible mobile or tablet with the following minimum requirements: Internet Explorer 9 (Version 10 is required for drag-and-drop upload of content outside the browser into the Online Classroom), Firefox 25.0, Safari 6, Chrome 30.0 or other HTML5 compatible web browser with Javascript and cookies** enabled.Adobe Reader XI or equivalentInternet access (broadband recommended)

** For details of the cookies used by our Online Classroom site please see http://www.wsetonlineclassroom.com/help.php?component=moodle&identifier=cookiesenabled

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