The UC Davis Viticulture and Enology graduate group was recently recognized as the first UC Davis program to earn the Professional Science Master’s designation. It joins a growing national list of programs affiliated with the Council of Graduate Schools Professional Science Master's Initiative.

Programs that are considered worthy of the PSM affiliation are grounded in natural science, technology, engineering, mathematics and/or computational sciences. They are also designed to prepare students for a variety of career options in industry, business, government and non-profit organizations. Graduate programs should be multidisciplinary and students must have an understanding of fundamental sciences and the programs must provide professional skills components such as ethics, teamwork and business knowledge.

"This Professional Science Master's affiliation will enable our graduate group to enhance our masters-level training to include economics/business coursework and a research internship in the California wine industry," said Viticulture and Enology Professor David Mills. "This program will allow us to expand the number of master's students we train and uniquely position them for wine industry careers."

"Viticulture and Enology is an ideal program to earn the PSM designation," noted Graduate Studies dean Jeffery Gibeling. "They have a strong connection to industry and there is high demand for graduates trained with a solid combination of scientific and business skills." Gibeling expects that several other UC Davis graduate programs will seek the PSM designation in the near future.

Additional advantages and benefits of having the PSM affiliation include promotional assistance and branding, consultative meetings, and research and advocacy for the program. The special PSM certification appears on the Viticulture and Enology graduate group's web pages and other communication materials. The certification recognizes the program as having met quality assurance criteria established by a national advisory board.