IWC offers the WSET® Intermediate Certificate, WSET® Advanced Certificate and WSET® Diploma courses in an online setting. Students register through IWC, take classes in a digital, global classroom under the leadership of an instructor from WSET®, and then sit their exam(s) at our center in New York City. For the Advanced Certificate and Diploma courses, students also attend in-class Course Days in New York City for hands-on instruction in tasting. The Diploma Program is available only to Advanced Certificate holders.

The courses are structured, interactive learning programs, but with the freedom of flexible scheduling. Students log-in whenever they like (at least once a week or at least once every two weeks, depending on the course), review the summary of weekly or biweekly topics, study, complete activities and tasting exercises, post responses and participate in online class discussion.

Upon registration, you receive course materials from International Wine Center by FedEx, and an e-mail from WSET® with instructions on logging into the online classroom. Once in the classroom site, you will find a course calendar listing the topics covered for each week, the background reading required, activities relevant to each topic, tasting assignments (students must purchase their own wine) and quizzes. The activities and tasting assignments require you to post responses on the site. You can view other students’ responses and the online exchange with the instructor only if you yourself post a response; interaction is critical to success in this course. One or more practice exams are part of your study, depending on the course.

The Intermediate Certificate course includes five interactive classes over a five-week period. The Advanced Certificate course includes eight interactive classes over a 16-week period. The Diploma course has a varied program ranging from four to 24 weeks per Unit, over six Units. Each course — and each Unit of Diploma study — has specific start dates and exam dates, as well as registration deadlines.

Before enrolling you should establish a reliable Internet connection and download software to access PDFs, as many assignments and attachments are posted as PDFs.

Each online class has a specific start date. After the registration deadline for your class, you may not transfer to another class without facing a significant penalty: $125 for the Intermediate Certificate Online, $225 for the Advanced Certificate Online and higher fees for the various Diploma Units.

Each class also has a specific exam date, and the fee for each online course includes the exam. The exam — and the Course Day for the Advanced Certificate and Diploma — takes place at International Wine Center in New York City.

You may withdraw from a scheduled exam without penalty if you give International Wine Center sufficient notice. To change an Intermediate or Advanced exam date, you must notify IWC within 15 business days of the normal, scheduled exam date. After this cut-off date, fees will apply. To schedule an alternate exam date for those courses, consult the Exams page and contact us to register at least 15 business days prior to the desired date. For Intermediate and Advanced Certificate courses, you have a period of 12 months from the start date of the course to sit the exam. Exams for Units of Diploma study have more rigid cut-off deadlines (we will tell you the deadline when you register).

If you cancel your place in an online course before the registration deadline you will receive a refund of the tuition fee, less a 10% cancellation fee. If we have sent out the materials kit to you, you must return it complete and unused. Registration and shipping fees are not refundable.

If you cancel after the registration deadline, no refunds apply.