BUILD YOUR COFFEE CAREER WITH
SCA EDUCATION
SCA Education brings structure to how you learn coffee. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to advance, you can move forward step by step, building knowledge, confidence, and expertise at your own pace.
Advance your career with SCA Diplomas
SCA Diplomas are built for real roles in the coffee industry. By combining certificates across different areas, they help you develop the skills needed to succeed in specific careers, whether that’s managing a café, working in roasting, or sourcing green coffee.
SCA Diplomas
Diplomas are not single courses. They are earned over time, as you intentionally build and apply a portfolio of skills. SCA Diplomas are:
Cumulative
Combining certificates across disciplines and levels
Valuable
Reflecting real-world role requirements
Certified
Signaling readiness for advanced responsibility
“The Café Skills Diploma gave me the language and the confidence to train my whole team. Six months after completing it, we doubled our revenue and opened a second site.”
James N.,
Head Barista & Trainer
Café Skills Graduate,
Copenhagen, Denmark
“The Café Skills Diploma gave me the language and the confidence to train my whole team. Six months after completing it, we doubled our revenue and opened a second site.”
James N.,
Head Barista & Trainer
Café Skills Graduate,
Copenhagen, Denmark
“The Café Skills Diploma gave me the language and the confidence to train my whole team. Six months after completing it, we doubled our revenue and opened a second site.”
James N.,
Head Barista & Trainer
Café Skills Graduate,
Copenhagen, Denmark
Explore SCA Diploma Pathways
Each SCA Diploma aligns with key roles across the specialty coffee value chain. All diplomas meet the same global standards for rigor, relevance, and impact.
Café Diploma
For those working in cafés or managing day-to-day service. Focuses on coffee preparation, workflow, and maintaining consistent quality in a service environment.
Builds advanced skills in profile development, quality control, and roastery operations, preparing you for professional roasting roles.
Roastery Diploma
For those working in roasting and production. Focuses on building consistency, managing quality, and understanding the full roasting process from green coffee to final profile.
Builds advanced skills in profile development, quality control, and roastery operations, preparing you for professional roasting roles.
Trade Diploma
For professionals sourcing and evaluating green coffee. Designed for those making buying decisions, assessing quality, and working closely with producers and importers.
Builds advanced skills in coffee selection, quality control, and trade, preparing you for roles such as coffee buyer or trader across the green coffee supply chain.
Sustainable Coffee Diploma
For those working on sustainability across the coffee value chain. Covers the knowledge needed to understand, implement, and evaluate sustainability practices.
Builds the expertise needed to design and implement effective sustainability programs. Combines knowledge across the coffee value chain, preparing you to take on leadership roles and drive meaningful change in one of the industry’s most critical areas.
How to earn your SCA Diploma
1
Choose Your Pathway
Select from certificates across brewing, roasting, green coffee, and sustainability. Choose a diploma pathway based on your interests, or start with individual courses that count toward a diploma as you progress.
2
Complete Your Training
Take part in a mix of hands-on and remote learning, delivered by Authorized SCA Trainers. The delivery method of your course will depend on your location and module, either in-person, online, or a mix of both.
The cost of your individual courses is also based on your region.
3
Pass Your Assessment(s)
Demonstrate your knowledge and skills through practical and written assessments. Once you pass, you'll earn a globally recognized certificate and make progress toward an SCA Skills Diploma.
To get started, view the diploma pathways and log in or create an account a to track your completion status.
View Diploma PathwaysBrowse SCA courses
The Diploma is made up of SCA courses across different areas of coffee. By completing courses at different levels, you build the knowledge and skills required to progress and earn points toward the Diploma.
If you're looking to build skills in a specific area, you can also choose to start with individual courses.