20 July 2004 Name Change for Well-Known Lincoln Grape and Wine Diploma

Like giving a well-known vintage wine a new label, Lincoln University is re-naming its Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology – its best-known grape and wine industry qualification – to better fit the country's national tertiary education framework.

The Postgraduate Diploma now becomes the Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology, following approval from the NZ Vice-Chancellors' Committee's Committee on Academic Programmes.

"Nothing else changes," says Senior Lecturer in Viticulture at Lincoln University, Dr Glen Creasy. "The entry requirements, course fees, course content and the diploma's value in the job market as a professional qualification all remain the same."

"In wine parlance, you could say that the 'appellation' of the qualification remains completely unchanged.

"It is purely to bring things into line with the evolution of the national qualifications framework. Qualifications at this level of study are now defined as 'Graduate Diplomas' rather than 'Postgraduate Diplomas'. It's a technical point outside the University's control, but naturally we want to reassure our prospective students that they will be receiving exactly the same course content and preparation for employment as under the old name.

"And of course the name change in no way affects the value of the qualification held by those who have studied under the Postgraduate Diploma appellation. That's still the name of the qualification they hold."

A huge number of leading winemakers and viticulturists hold the Lincoln University Postgraduate Diploma. They include Alastair Maling, group winemaker for Villa Maria who also holds the prestigious Master of Wine qualification, one of only a handful of New Zealanders with this internationally recognised qualification; Rod McDonald, chief winemaker for Vidals Wines, Hawkes Bay; Simon Nunns, chief winemaker for Coopers Creek, Auckland; Lynette Hudson, co-winemaker for Pegasus Bay Vineyards, Waipara; Paul Petrie, viticulturist (Product Control) with Southcorp Wines, South Australia, Paul is also a former Bragato Wine Competition medal winner with a wine made at Lincoln University; Carol Bunn, chief winemaker for VinPro, Cromwell; Sonia Cox, winemaker at Yamhill Valley Winery, Oregon, USA; Samantha Connew, chief winemaker, Wirra Wirra Estate, South Australia and on the academic side Associate Professor Gary Pickering of Brock University, Canada.

"With diploma holders like these you can see the strong contribution that Lincoln University's diploma course has made to the industry," says Associate Professor of Wine Science David Heatherbell.

Lincoln University's Postgraduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology was grafted from the viticulture and oenology specialisation within the Postgraduate Diploma in Horticultural Science.

It was the first named viticulture and oenology tertiary qualification in New Zealand and it quickly established a winning reputation with employers and with those seeking employment or advancement within the industry. It has regularly attracted 40 or more entrants every intake with many of those coming from overseas because this is definitely an internationally recognised qualification.

The course is one year in duration and is open to candidates who have already graduated from an approved university. If a non-graduate, with significant and appropriate experience in viticulture and/or winemaking, provisional entry is possible until progress can be assessed and full entry granted.

To be awarded the diploma involves the successful completion of eight papers or six papers and a dissertation (substantial written research assignment). A field tour covering the many facets of the New Zealand wine industry is another requirement for the diploma.

The newly named Graduate Diploma in Viticulture & Oenology sits alongside Lincoln's Bachelor of Viticulture & Oenology degree in the University's portfolio of viticulture and wine science qualifications.

"The BV&O is best suited to those coming on to university from school seeking a career in the grape and wine field and for those who want to get into the industry but don't have an undergraduate degree," says Dr Creasy.

"The Graduate Diploma on the other hand is for those who already have a first degree or significant industry experience and want to upskill and lift their involvement with the industry as quickly as possible. It is also an ideal course for those seeking a change of direction from a previous career into the grape and wine industry.

"The three-year BV&O degree programme does give students the opportunity to 'mature' their knowledge and skills in the sciences over three years as well as to add related coursework from others offered at Lincoln University such as food science, marketing, soil science and plant physiology.

"In wine terms I guess it's a full-bodied, slow maturing, well cellared port versus a quickly available, ready-for-the-table Beaujolais. They both have their place, both have distinctive qualities and both satisfy particular palates."

Link to Editorial contribution from Lincoln University for Education the Next Level feature 8 October 2004

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand