World Tea Diploma
Your access to an internationally recognised tea qualification. Learn through origin stories, cultivation and processing with insights into tea history and culture. UKTA Tea Specialists guide you through a professional evaluation of high grade, representative teas in the Live Tasting Tutorials.
Outline
This World Tea Diploma typically takes 100–120 hours to complete (not including Tea Essentials or Tea Guide). You’ll spend around 30–35 hours with the online content, including reading and quizzes. The remaining time is spent on tasting activities, Live Tasting Tutorials, note-taking, MCQs and developing your Final Project. It’s a flexible qualification designed to fit around your schedule.
Assessment
Your Final Project is a piece of work to connect your learning across all regions. You will decide on the topic, your approach and how you deliver the presentation, but the UKTA will provide plenty of guidance. Your Final Project is marked by a UKTA assessor and externally moderated by OCN London.
The World Tea Diploma unlocks access to the Specialist Tea Diploma. By also completing the Tea Sommelier Award you could progress to the Professional Tea Sommelier Diploma.
Snapshot
- 39 Speciality teas sent to you
- 18 hours of Live Tasting Tutorials
- Assessment: MCQ's & Final Project
- Achievement: 7 credits at Level 3
- World Tea Diploma Bundle: £2960
- Bundle includes Tea Essentials and Tea Guide
Qualification Bundle
If you’re starting your UKTA tea journey you can choose the units one by one and work towards a qualification – World Tea Diploma or Tea Sommelier Award. However, if you already know which qualification you want to achieve, you can buy a Qualification Bundle.
The Qualification Bundle includes every unit you need to meet the full requirements for that qualification – so you’re up and running.
Choose the one bundle that has your preferred option.
Bundle WTD 1: Core units + Tea and Health: the evidence
Bundle WTD 2: Core units + Matcha Power: How to Harness it
Bundle WTD 3: Core units + Botanical Infusions
World Tea Diploma Core Units
Trace the journey of tea through China’s dynasties and regions. Taste the representative teas of the region and understand how terroir, craft and cultivar shape the teas you drink.
- 11 speciality teas sent to you
- 4 hours live tasting tutorial
- Self-guided study online
Taiwan makes some of the world’s most aromatic and complex teas. Discover floral, high mountain oolongs, the iconic bug-bitten Oriental Beauty and Ruby 18 black – a study in craft, innovation and terroir.
- 6 speciality teas sent to you
- 2 hours live tasting tutorial
- Self-guided study online
Follow India’s tea journey from colonial control to contemporary artisan gardens. Learn how terroir, cultivars and processing create some of the world’s most desirable teas.
- 6 speciality teas sent to you
- 2 hour live tasting tutorial
- Self-guided study online
Discover how this diverse continent of mountains and plains produces so much of the world’s black tea and how innovation means new styles are now gaining recognition.
- 6 speciality teas sent to you
- 2 hour live tasting tutorial
- Self-guided study online
Explore the island of Sri Lanka through its teas. Distinguish the distinctive characteristics between high and low-grown teas and understand the elements that influence the distinctive aroma and flavour of the leaves.
- 6 speciality teas sent to you
- 2 hour live tasting tutorial
- Self-guided study online
Discover Japan’s tea history and tea styles from hojicha to wakocha. Learn about the importance of cultivars and taste rare artisan teas to help understand the value of culture and craft.
- 4 speciality teas sent to you
- 2 hour live tasting tutorial
- Self-guided study online
Placing the focus on three under-recognised but highly significant tea regions, this is an exploration of resilience and craft, taking in wild trees, artisan revival and quiet rituals.
- Self-guided study online
The Final Project to achieve the World Tea Diploma draws your learning from the course together. You decide on the topic, your approach and how you deliver the presentation, but the UKTA will provide plenty of guidance.
- UKTA study and research guidance
- Self-directed Project
World Tea Diploma Optional Units
Tea and Health: the evidence
An exploration of the research on the science behind tea’s health claims. Learn how the evidence stacks up about the effects of tea compounds on heart health and metabolism – without the hype or half-truths.
- Self-guided study online
Matcha is a power-packed, powdered tea that has spread from its Zen roots and reverential status in Japan to fast-moving cafés around the world. A look at modern creative preparation to show matcha’s versatilty in a contemporary hospitality environment.
- Self-guided study online
- 1 hour live Q&A
Beyond the tea bush, there are millions of plant parts used for flavour, scent, medicinal use and therapeutic purposes. We explore some favourites, taking a practical approach to extracting flavour from from roots, berries, seeds and leaves for inspirational infusions.
- Self-guided study online
Next Steps
After completing World Tea Diploma you are eligible for the following Qualifications
This award builds the basis for full-spectrum tea sommelier skills. You’ll develop a tea sensory language, customer confidence, service insight and storytelling power. You’ll get behind Afternoon Tea, around Tea and Food Pairing, and into Sustainability, Mixology and the evidence of Tea and Health. Designed for those working in hospitality, retail, events or education, the Tea Sommelier Award is a practical qualification which combines technical knowledge with creative and service-focused skills – supported by live Q&A sessions with Specialist Experts.
This is the price including ALL qualifications to achieve Tea Sommelier Award.
- 7 Speciality teas sent to you
- Live Q&A sessions
£1585
The Professional Tea Sommelier Diploma marks the culmination of your structured tea education. As the highest-level UKTA award, it challenges you to bring together your learning from both the Tea Sommelier Award and the World Tea Diploma in an independent final project that demonstrates your leadership, insight and originality.
- Independent study and research Project
- Mentor Support
- Application required
from £1500
This qualification is a self-directed research project. For tea professionals who want to contribute something thoughtful, personal and new to the world of tea. It invites you to identify a challenge, theme or opportunity in tea and respond to it through a project, demonstrating rigour, creativity and independent thinking with a real-world application.
- Independent study and research Project
- Mentor support
- Application required
from £1500
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