Applications Are Now Open for the 2025/2026 Intake of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence

The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) has opened registration for the 2025/2026 graduate certificate program intake of the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence, in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).

Developed by researchers at ZHAW’s Coffee Excellence Center, the postgraduate CAS in Coffee Excellence is an online learning course designed to provide coffee professionals with a multidisciplinary overview of applied sciences within the academic world of specialty coffee. BWT, HACO Swiss, and Probat support this program and its content as research partners.

The program is comprised of three academic modules which cover green coffee, transformation and composition of the bean, and extraction and sensory. Previously a hybrid course, the program is now delivered exclusively via distance learning and includes virtual classrooms with recognized experts, a self-learning research project for assessment, and new interactive virtual lab sessions where instructors invite students to their labs for hands-on virtual experiments. Each module takes 21 weeks with a workload of 125 hours (6-7 hours per week). Successful applicants earn 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and are awarded a “Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence” from ZHAW.

The course is available to people with a university degree and at least two years of professional coffee or related field experience. Persons without a university degree but who have at least three years of professional experience in the coffee industry or related areas may also apply. Good written and oral skills in English are required.

Registration is open until 31st of August 2025 with a start date of 29th of September 2025. Learn more about the CAS in Coffee Excellence at zhaw.ch.