Some college students make a hobby out of drinking beer but according to a new report at USA Today, some students are learning to make it too.

Devin Karambelas reports.

Craft brewing renaissance hits college campuses

Of all the places to find beer on a college campus, the classroom may not be the first one to come to mind.

But there are currently about 50 universities in the U.S. that have food science programs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With a handful offering courses in subjects such as enology, viticulture and the fermentation sciences, experts say more students than ever are graduating with a new kind of alcohol education.

“It’s an academic field that is growing like crazy,” says Thomas Shellhammer, a professor in Oregon State University’s food science and technology department.

When OSU’s food science department began in 2001, Shellhammer says there were about 40 students enrolled. Today, that number has more than tripled, and he estimates that it will only grow as time goes on.

“When I was in college, I had no idea there was a degree in food science,” he said. “Now we’re at a point when people in their first year are seeking it out.”

While food science programs in general have been on the rise over the past decade, what has happened in the beer and wine industries may be especially interesting, especially for students seeking work in a lackluster job market. After all, as Shellhammer puts it, alcohol is “relatively recession-proof.”