Beer, Wine, and Spirits Laws and Regulations

Course Code: FSC 821

Credits: 3 credits

Photo of generic non-labeled wine, beer, and alcohol bottles and glasses.

This course examines the laws, regulations, and policies that govern alcohol beverages in the United States. The emphasis is on federal laws, specifically regulation by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Among other concepts, this course will cover: industry’s primary regulators, the classification of beverages, the regulation of labeling and advertising, three-tier distribution system, excise taxes, and liability.

The learning objectives of this course are to enable students to:

Recognize the overarching themes of alcohol regulation in the United States
Understand the nature of the regulatory process as it pertains to alcoholic beverages
Identify agencies’ roles in the regulation of alcohol beverages
Understand the classification of alcohol beverages
Introduce the concepts of labeling and excise taxation as applied to alcohol beverages
Explore distribution and sale of alcohol beverages

The course syllabus is subject to change each semester but generally covers the following topics:

Intro to Constitutional and statutory authority to regulate BWS
Labeling, advertising and claims
Formulation and production
Additives and adulteration
Distribution, licensing, three-tiered system, franchise protection
Inspections and compliance
Enforcement and penalties
Permits and taxation
Import/export
State law comparisons

Schedule:

This course is offered each spring semester.

Tips for first time enrollees:

Here is the direct link to apply: https://explore.msu.edu/apply/

Make sure you choose “first-time user” and then “NON-DEGREE” from the dropdown. There is no application fee for our program, so if you get to an area where it asks you to pay an application fee, then you are not in the correct process. Also, DO NOT CLICK THE BOX that asks if you are going to be taking classes in the global food law program. That question is referring to courses through the College of Law and saying “yes” to that question will only delay your application processing."