This is a capstone-level, experiential, study-away program geared specifically for FSB students (although it can work for non-business students as well). The idea is to do an extensive, deep dive into an industry to experience how it works and apply all the concepts you have learned during your time at Miami.

The brewing industry is an ideal context for this because it is..

• Extremely Diverse: The variety of firms in terms of size, function, place in the supply chain, markets they serve, etc is incredibly broad.
• Extremely Dynamic: This industry has been marked by constant change since the advent of the craft beer revolution in the late 80s and early 90s. Not only do new companies and products enter and leave the industry all the time, but the industry itself is constantly evolving and being shaped and reshaped.

It’s also a lot of fun. The trip is filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and you will discover some of the best breweries and most interesting beers being made in America today.

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for this program:

• You must be at least 21 years old by January 2, 2024.
• You must be in good standing academically (and in terms of disciplinary history) and have a minimum GPA of 2.5
• To get capstone credit from this program, you must have completed at least 96 credit hours by the end of the Fall 2023 semester.

Not old enough? Don’t have enough credits yet? Don’t worry. We run this program every year. SIGN UP TO GET PROGRAM UPDATES now you’ll be on the early notification list for next year.

We will be traveling to multiple locations (Cincinnati, Dayton, Denver, CO and Asheville, NC areas) to do the following activities…

• Field Work –visits to breweries, distributors, retailers, hop farms, yeast labs, malt houses, industry groups, etc. We will make planned visits to roughly 40 companies as a group, and there will also be lots of time for you to visit roughly 20 additional companies exploring on your own with your classmates.
• Discipline-specific Classroom and Project Work – roughly 30% of the program will be spent working specifically within the disciplines of the two courses you choose to take (Strategy/Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Supply Chain).
• Lab Work – we will be getting our hands dirty doing a lot of the actual work professionals in this field do (making beer, new product design, packaging, sensory analysis, etc.) Much of this lab work will happen in the Fall semester sessions before we leave for our trip.
• Having Fun! – Most evenings, you will be free for you to explore the cities we are visiting.

The program includes three 3 credit hour, 400-level business courses. You will choose any combination of two of these courses that meets your interests and needs (for a total of 6 credit hours).

MGT495/ESP490– Prof Conger teaches this course which is cross-listed as MGT495 which is the strategy capstone and ESP490 which is an entrepreneurship elective.

• The MGT495 version can satisfy the capstone requirement for most FSB students (NOTE: There are cases where this is NOT true, most notably, this course does NOT satisfy the capstone requirement for a major in Marketing. See the note in red below).
• The ESP 490 version can count as an elective for students in the Entrepreneurship co-major. With additional work and deliverables, students can complete their ESP 401 requirement which can apply to the ESP co-major, minor and some certificate programs.

MKT415 – Prof Stenstrom teaches this course which is the “Marketing to Organizations” course.

• This can satisfy a 400-level elective for Marketing students

MGT490 – Prof Salzarulo teaches this course which is the “Special Topics in Supply Chain” course.

• This can satisfy a 400-level elective and substitute for MKT412 for Supply Chain majors/minors.

IMPORTANT:

Information listed on this website is NOT comprehensive.  You should refer to Miami’s course catalog and consult with your academic advisor to make sure you have all the necessary details about these courses.

Which requirements each of these classes fulfill for you WILL vary. You should consult your academic advisor to figure out what combination of courses is best for you.

Also, Ben Palmer (palmerba@miamioh.edu), who is an advisor in the main FSB advising office is very familiar with the program and is available to help you (and/or help your advisor help you).

We will meet for pre-program sessions roughly one evening per week between Oct-Dec 2023. We will also have opportunities on some weekends to have some unique brewing experiences, so you’ll want to plan for these.

We will be traveling together, and working all day, every day throughout the 2024 J-Term (roughly 3 full weeks).  Every day will be very full.  You should not plan on taking other courses (not even online courses), working part-time jobs, taking breaks/side-trips, etc during this time period.  This trip will take 100% of your time.

There are two basic costs of the program.

Tuition – this is the Winter term tuition rate for the 6 total credit hours you will get through this program. This cost varies based on cohort year and in/out of state status (in all cases, the FSB surcharge also applies).

You can consult OneStop to find out the details…

1. Go to OneStop: https://www.miamioh.edu/onestop/paying-for-college/costs/oxford-campus/undergrad-fall-2016
2. Choose your cohort from the menu on the left
3. Choose “Winter/Summer Term Per Credit Hour)

Program Fee – this fee covers all the additional costs of the program including…

• All travel costs (This includes all airfare and ground transportation for the entire trip.)
• All housing costs while outside of Oxford (We will stay together in hotels for the entire trip. You will have a roommate.)
• Roughly 1/2 of Meals (Breakfast will be included every day at our hotels. Roughly half of our lunches/dinners will be at host companies on our tour – these will be paid for by the program.)
• Other program costs such as tour fees, apparel, membership to the Brewers Association, etc.

The program budget will be determined prior to applications opening in the Spring 2023 semester. We estimate the program fee for J-Term 2024 will be approximately $2,500-$3,000.  HOWEVER, THIS NUMBER HAS NOT BEEN FINALIZED YET. The official fee amount will be available when the application site opens.

You will need to put down a $1000 deposit on this program fee upon acceptance to the program.  The remaining balance is due in the Fall semester (see details in the “how do I apply?” section below).  After that point, the program fee is non-refundable (but tuition is refundable) if you have to pull out of the program. The deposit is always non-refundable.

NOTE: Actual costs will vary based on program capacity, fuel costs, etc. It will never go OVER the program fee you agree to upon committing to the program, but any money we do not spend will be refunded to you.

UPDATED: 2/23/2023

Here are the relevant dates you need to know (All are approximate at this time. Watch this space for updates.)..

• Application Site Opens: Late March – Early April, Spring 2023 semester (exact date TBD)
• Priority Application Deadline: Around May 31, 2023 (exact date TBD)
• Final Application Deadline: Early Summer 2022.  Down Payment of $500 will be required immediately upon application acceptance in order to guarantee your seat.
• Final Fee Balance Deadline: Roughly mid-way through the Fall 2023 semester.

PLEASE NOTE: This program tends to be very popular and fills up quickly. Although the application window will be open for several months, we strongly suggest you apply and commit to the program sooner rather than later if you are interested.

SIGN UP NOW – to get program updates and be notified as soon as more information is available.

Spots in this program are limited and there is frequently a long waitlist. In order to maximize the chances of your application being accepted, you should consider the following…

• Be Ready To Act Quickly: Whatever the next potential step is in the process for you (joining our mailing list, submitting your application, putting down your deposit), do everything you can to be ready and take care of it as soon as it is available for you to do. If you wait until we get close to the next deadline, you will probably be out of luck.
• Do something to show us why this program is a fit for you and you are a fit for us: The application will include a required essay telling us why you should be in this program. This is one of the MOST important pieces of the application. I’ve made a short video explaining a bit more about what we are looking for. You can find it here – https://youtu.be/0j4o36afWig. You should not wait until you are ready to submit the application to do this. Start now.
• Start the money conversation early: Your seat in this program is NOT guaranteed until your application has been submitted, reviewed, and accepted, AND you have paid the initial deposit. If your application is accepted, there will be a long waitlist of highly motivated people behind you, so it’s important that you be ready to move quickly to make that deposit as soon as you are accepted.
• Keep your nose clean: Your disciplinary record is another VERY important factor in determining whether you will be accepted to this program. We take safety, responsibility, and professionalism very, VERY seriously in this program. Anything in any person’s history that could negatively affect these things (illegal activity, alcohol/drug-related incidents, and certainly any dangerous/violent behavior would all be a major concern for us.) It is possible to be accepted with an alcohol-related incident on your record, but we will need strong evidence that part of your history is not an ongoing reason for concern that may affect this trip. Current or recent incidents on your record will make it extremely hard for us to accept you. Likewise, if you are accepted and subsequent issues arise between acceptance and when we go on the trip, it is very likely that acceptance would be withdrawn. The bottom line is… be responsible, be safe, and keep your record clean if you want to be a part of this program.

• It is our expectation that we will be able to travel together as a group in the 2024 J-Term without significant restrictions. We were able to travel for the 2022 and 2023 J-Terms, so we have very good reason to believe 2024 will also be a good year for travel. HOWEVER, it is possible that ongoing restrictions will force us to make unforeseen changes. We will do our best to keep all prospective participants informed of any possibilities of change to the program as soon as possible if and when they become necessary. We have built in alternative plans to run the program with travel restrictions or even fully online if absolutely necessary… Students can expect a well-planned and high-quality experience regardless of the format.
• Our first and overriding priority is and always will be to keep all students, staff, and faculty as well as people at the businesses we visit safe. We will be following the guidelines of public health agencies (CDC, Butler/Hamilton County Health, etc.) to determine whether we are able to do any/all program activities in-person. We will follow Miami’s Healthy Together guidelines for an activities we do in-person.

Get in touch with the program director, Prof. Michael Conger (michael.conger@miamioh.edu).