Master FAQs

The CIBD is the established, trusted expert in developing education in the sciences of brewing, distillation and associated other areas within the industry.

The CIBD understand the changes that our industry is going through and recognises that leaders working in brewing and distilling require a qualification that both reinforces their expertise alongside new assessment methods to gauge a candidate’s skills, knowledge, and overall readiness to lead within the workplace. 

To reflect these changes, we have developed a new Master syllabus with the support of ‘unique contributors’ who are leading experts in their fields to write specialist content, supplemented with CIBD brewing and distilling expertise and a peer review process led by senior industry professionals and academics. 

The new syllabus includes modules that test application and leadership, electives that reinforce their expertise and a new assessment method that helps examiners’ gauge candidate’s skills, knowledge, and overall readiness for the workplace.

The primary feedback identified the necessity of a qualification to guarantee that candidates who successfully completed it possessed proficient knowledge of end-to-end value chain processes within the brewing and distilling industries. This knowledge was deemed essential for its practical application in the workplace. Additionally, other feedback emphasised the significance of digital and artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, and supply chain management. Furthermore, the connections between these aspects and commercial activities, such as new product development, were highlighted. Critical thinking skills were also underscored as a crucial component of the qualification.

The revised syllabi content has been developed through extensive consultation with diverse key stakeholders, including a customer reference group (CRG) comprising representatives from organisations of all sizes and locations globally, and senior members of the CIBD Examination Board. The final syllabus is formally approved by the CIBD Examination Board on behalf of the CIBD Board of Trustees.

The CIBD Master qualification distinguishes you by demonstrating your comprehensive understanding and ability to apply the technical, scientific, and operational aspects of brewing and distilling. It also underpins the collective knowledge of these areas at the highest levels for the benefit of the industry.

 The CIBD Master qualification demonstrates and instils confidence in your employer that you possess the leadership understanding of the sciences and operational practices of brewing and distilling necessary to comprehensively understand end-to-end value chain processes and continuously improve them within your brewing or distilling company, particularly in the context of ongoing change and technological advancement. 

The key modifications are the shift in focus to encompass the entire value chain and, crucially, the provision of candidates with the autonomy to select their Advanced electives. This enables individuals to customise their qualifications to align with their career aspirations.

The assessment methodology has been modified to enable examiners to best gauge candidate’s skills, knowledge, and overall readiness for the workplace. The new assessments include assessments, an examination, preparation of a portfolio and a Viva Voce.

Congratulations! You will still be a Master qualified CIBD Brewer or Distiller.

Congratulations on completing your Diploma! You can read all about our revised Master Brewer qualification and Master Distiller qualification, the mandatory and suggested pre-requisites. Please contact us directly if you would like to have a chat about the new Master qualification: examinationboard@cibd.org.uk

You will have a choice as to how you wish to proceed.

1. Transfer over to the revised qualification for the four remaining modules or

2.  Complete the original Master qualification, which will run in parallel for 3 years i.e. assessments in 2026, 2027 & 2028. It will cease at this point so you will need to complete more than one module in at least one of the years.

The CIBD Examination Board recommendation is that you transfer over to the revised qualification.

You will have a choice as to how you wish to proceed.

1. Transfer over to the revised qualification for the three remaining modules or

2. Complete the original Master qualification, which will run in parallel for 3 years i.e. assessments in 2026, 2027 & 2028. It will cease at this point.

The CIBD Examination Board recommendation is that you transfer over to the revised qualification.

As a candidate who has already completed 3 modules of the current syllabus, you should continue with the version of the original Master program and complete the remaining modules. 

• The current syllabus will remain valid for the next 3 years (2026,2027 and 2028), allowing you time to complete the remaining module.
• After this time, the current syllabus will be retired.

This ensures you can build on the work you’ve already done and continue your path to Master certification.

Please note that the value of the CIBD Master qualification remains unchanged. We are only making changes to the content of the syllabus and how it is examined.

As a candidate who has already completed 4 modules of the current syllabus, you should continue with the version of the original Master program and complete your fifth module. 

• The current syllabus will remain valid for the next 3 years (2026, 2027 and 2028), allowing you time to complete the remaining module.
• After this time, the current syllabus will be retired.

This ensures you can build on the work you’ve already done and continue your path to Master certification.

Please note that the value of the CIBD Master qualification remains unchanged. We are only making changes to the content of the syllabus and how it is examined.

No, absolutely not. The value of the CIBD Master Brewer/Distiller qualification as the world's highest level of recognition in the technical leadership/management of brewing and distilling production processes stays unchanged. We are only making changes to the content of the syllabus and how it is examined.

The newly revised Master syllabus has been meticulously crafted with the invaluable contributions of leading experts in their respective fields. These subject matter specialists have collaborated seamlessly with the expertise of CIBD Brewing and Distilling, ensuring that the content is both comprehensive and up to date. The peer review process for the syllabus was conducted by seasoned industry professionals and esteemed academics, ensuring the quality and rigour of the content.

The revised qualification will be available for candidates to register in 2025 for assessments commencing in 2026.

This is recommended, if you do not have a mentor, please contact us for further advice on this.

A mentor is a more experienced or knowledgeable industry professional who provides you with personalised guidance, support, feedback, and encouragement. The role may also include career advice, emotional support, role modelling, skill-building, networking introductions, and help you navigate challenges.

Yes, you require a company sponsor to do the Master qualification.

A sponsor is more than just a mentor, they are a senior, influential advocate who actively uses their position, reputation, and network to help advance your career. It is a requirement that you must have the support of a company sponsor to confirm your readiness to commence your master qualification registration.

It is key that all the CIBD qualification syllabi are kept up to date therefore reviews of the syllabi for our other qualifications are also part of an ongoing syllabus maintenance program.

The syllabus has been revised to reflect the changing needs of the industry.

No. It is anticipated that the qualification can be completed within a period of three years, but candidates may take longer if necessary. (Refer to CIBD Examination Regulations for the maximum duration permitted.)

Visit this page for more information about exemptions: Qualifying Exemptions | Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers

This can be assessed on the IELTS website. Click here for more. 

A Viva Voce is an oral examination on your Master learnings and your collated portfolio.

The Viva will be held remotely using a video call and will last no more than 60 minutes per candidate.

These will be carried out by a panel of two CIBD examiners who will be subject matter experts and senior leaders in the fields of brewing and distilling.

A piece of academic work given to candidates by the CIBD designed to assess their understanding, application, or analysis of specific course content.

It typically requires candidates to research, reflect on, and apply knowledge. Assignments contribute to overall course assessment and are intended to support learning outcomes.

The assessment methodology for the new Master programme has undergone a substantial transformation, incorporating vivas to evaluate students’ comprehension of the curriculum and its practical application. This enhancement has resulted in an incremental cost associated with the programme delivery, but it is considered a more effective method of assessing students against the newly introduced subject areas compared to solely relying on written examinations. The price increase has been kept to a minimum, and we firmly believe that it represents an excellent value proposition in relation to any other comparable Master programmes globally.

No, at Master level, the expectation of industry is that the learning for this qualification is self-directed and is also based on experience. To support the candidates, the CIBD will be providing supporting reference materials to the topics within the syllabus. These will be available to Master candidates post registration for the qualification. Candidates are also expected to do their own study and read around the topics.

All five modules must be completed to become CIBD Master qualified. The culmination of each candidate’s studies will be to prepare and present their portfolio of evidence gathered throughout, to examiners and answer questions about it via a Viva examination.

The new assessment methodology will still include an exam for Module 4. The revised assessments have been designed to enable examiners to best gauge candidate’s skills, knowledge, and overall readiness for the workplace. 

Yes, all assessments will be online including the Viva Voce.

In 2025/26 the fee for each new Master module will be £750.

Completing the CIBD Master qualification is an excellent way of demonstrating your commitment to CPD which is a requirement of CIBD Membership.

We are currently exploring the options around applying for Individual Chartered Status. The formal application process with the Privy Council can only start from 2027. For further developments see https://www.cibd.org.uk/support/chartership-frequently-asked-questions/.