Through Internships and Special Study Courses, you have the opportunity for a more personalized experience as a student, and develop relationships with faculty or wineries.
Internships
With an internship (also known as experiential education or co-op), you can apply your classroom studies to the real world. Internships can also help you find the right career fit, as well as provide beneficial experience for future resumes and job applications. Nowhere is this more true that in winemaking.
Students in the Department of Viticulture & Enology can also earn units for completing internships after completion of 84 units. This is numbered as VEN 192. Obtain an application form and file the completed form at the Advising Center, 1204 RMI South.
Students use many means to secure their winery and harvest internships. The Department of Viticulture & Enology also compiles Internship opportunities on the VENJobs board. Many faculty have strong relationships with wineries. Students have reported luck with walking into the tasting rooms of their favorite wineries and simply inquiring about opportunities. And every year, many wineries attend the Winter Internship and Career Fair to begin interviewing for their Fall harvest crews.
Special Study
Special study courses (numbered VEN 99 for freshmen or sophomores, and VEN 199 for juniors and senior) are designed for students who find that they share a common research interest with a specific instructor that cannot be accommodated within the traditional structure of the course normally offered by the University. Students may be able to do research of their own design under the supervision of a faculty member or, more often, a student participates in the ongoing research of a faculty member. Students interested in participation in research should contact the appropriate faculty member directly first.
NOTE: Students cannot enroll in more than 5 units of Special study course per quarter, and no more than 20 units of 99, 192, or 199 courses can be used toward the 180 units required for graduation.
Directed Group Study
Directed Group Study course (numbered VEN 198) are designed for two or more students in a small-group setting. These are generally taught in a manner similar to a regularly scheduled class. Frequently, faculty members who are creating a new course will first offer the class as a directed group study course to a small group of students.