International Tourism and Hospitality Management MSc

About the course

This innovative course prepares you for management within various sectors of the worldwide tourism industry. The continued growth of this industry has brought about an increasing need for flexible and skilled managers able to operate at a global, as well as national and local level. In a rapidly changing tourism environment, you are grounded in the skills necessary for strategic analysis and the knowledge necessary for informed and flexible decision-making.

The course is designed to cater for local and international professionals within the industry who wish to gain the necessary qualifications and theoretical awareness to enabling you to advance your careers or operations. It will also appeal to recent international and home graduates who wish to acquire the specialist knowledge and qualifications necessary in order to manage tourism operations.

This programme has been running for the sixth year. We strived to keep up with the changes and demand of the external environment and student demand and expectations. Therefore, we have reviewed the programme recently based on a survey conducted with Staff and students (past and current) for their opinions about what changes might be made and in what direction those changes might be taken forward.

The proposed reviewed programme will again have a core set of modules, this time with all of the functional business management modules delivered in Stage 1: People Management and Development, Decision Making for Managers (Finance and Accounting) and International Tourism Marketing. In addition, a Research Method module is added to clearly contextualising research in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management. In doing so, this will enable the students to benefit from the growing research expertise of the subject group to assure a sound transition to Stage 2 where students will be required to evolve understanding into new spheres or deploy knowledge in more practical context.

It is proposed to replace the ‘Dynamics’ module in Semester A with a ‘Research Methods’ module, both addressing the gap left by the decision to move research methods from Business School-wide deployment to programme-centric but also, crucially, from a zero-credit module to a 15-credit module. This will reinforce the importance of research methods to students while clearly contextualising research in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management. In doing so, this will enable the students to benefit from the growing research expertise of the subject group.

At Stage 2, the core module ‘Contemporary themes: Tourism/Hospitality/Event Management provide students with the opportunity to explore current trends and issues affecting an industry of their interest. Students are also given the flexibility to create their curriculum by choosing three out of five optional modules. The ‘Live Projects’, ‘Project Management’ and ‘Residential Field Trip’ modules are created to enhance practical skills at networking and applying theories to practice. The ‘Ethical Dimensions of Tourism’ and ‘Crisis and Risk Management in Events’ are developed to address the increasing concern for businesses in the areas of ethics and crisis management.

At Stage 3, students complete a research dissertation in the specialist area you have chosen. This provides the opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and evaluate the complex nature, structure and functional areas of the tourism, hospitality and event industries, and their global trends and implications in different geographical, economical and socio-cultural contexts.

This course provides a contemporary, critical, and international programme of study which guides students through the main debates, research, and techniques of the area of study. It provides the students with qualities, skills and qualifications thereby enhancing their employment opportunities and their career advancement. The programme team is committed to a philosophy of rigour and the provision of guided choice in the programme of study. A richness of approach will emerge not just from the teaching, but also from the international student cohort.

*A supplementary fee applies to the residential field trip.

Why choose this course?

• Develop the skills and knowledge to build a career in the fast-paced tourism industry.
• Benefit from the skills and experience of the dedicated staff team.
• Gain an international perspective by studying with different cultures.

Study routes

• Part Time, 2 Years
• Full Time, 1 Years

Locations

• University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Careers

We are preparing graduates for successful careers in the hospitality, recreation or tourism industries or in an associated government agency with an international, national or local focus. Graduates from the programme are employed by international hotel chains (Four Seasons Hotel, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, The Ritz Carlton, Starwood Hotel Group) in China, India Macau, Thailand and Great Britain, as well as working for independent hotels and Event Management companies in Great Britain. Other careers pursued by our Graduates include Recruitment Agents, Lecturers and entrepreneurs (travel company, import and export trading company).

Teaching methods

We offer a varied programme of teaching that includes facilitated seminars, practical workshops, projects for companies, web-based learning, case study analysis and traditional lectures. We also provide sessions by visiting staff, practitioners and consultants to give a varied perspective of the topics covered. You will be assessed through a variety of coursework including presentations, reports and projects. You will also be required to complete a dissertation and will be supported by a dissertation supervisor.

Structure

Year 1

Core Modules

• Contemporary Themes: Tourism/Hospitality/Event Management

  This module provides students with the opportunity to explore the nature and structure of the tourism, hospitality and event industries. By considering how these industries operate, students will analyse current trends within a variety of contexts such as: - geographical: human and natural resources; trends and flows; - economic: the importance of the tourism, hospitality and event industries to the economy; - socio-cultural: an appreciation of the impacts that these industries have on the social and cultural fabric of the destinations; - technology: the advancement and impacts on consumer and organisational behaviour; - global outlook: dynamic change and implications for the tourism, hospitality and event industries; - research techniques and academic writing.

• Decision Making for Managers (ITH)

  The emphasis of this module will be on teaching practical techniques.The examples and assessment will be hospitality and event industries but the techniques which will be taught, such as standard costing, variance analysis and ratio analysis, are applicable across other industries. The module will also examine financial statements, company accounts and budgeting.

• Dissertation: BSITH

  The aim of the dissertation is to provide the opportunity for students to develop and apply postgraduate level skills of independent research, analysis, evaluation, writing and presentation, and to deepen students' knowledge and understanding of a specific subject and its location within their academic discipline as a whole. Students on the MSc in International Tourism and Hospitality Management programme will be expected to undertake effective research drawing upon a range of secondary and/or primary data sources in the preparation of coursework. Research skills are therefore of general relevance to all MSc modules. It is important that students are exposed to a range of generic methodological issues, techniques and study skills in order to successfully complete a high quality, rigorous and systematic social and / or management research required for a dissertation.

• International Tourism Marketing

  This module enables students to study marketing theory as it applies to the tourism industry. It focuses on the marketing approaches of public and private sector tourism managers. The module focuses particularly on the tools of communication strategy, the role of image and branding in tourism marketing, and the effective use of segmentation and targeting to promote products to selected tourist markets (domestic and international). The module looks at the role of destination marketing organisations, as well as marketing strategies employed by a range of private sector providers in the tourism industry, including attraction, hotel and airline managers. The module utilises a wide range of international case studies.

• People Management and Development

  Evaluation of the theory and practice of people management and development, the HRM function, and the HRM role of line managers in the tourism, hospitality and event industries. Critical analysis of the role of people management and developmentin the strategic direction of tourism, hospitality and event management organisations Topics include: - Assessing the contribution of people management and development to sustainable business performance. - Overview of key practices, including recruitment and selection, learning and development, performance management and reward, diversity management. - Analysis of the implementation and effectiveness of the Ulrich /business partner model. - Integration between business strategy and HRM. - Organisation structure, restructuring and HRM practices. - Flexibility in work practices, including use of full-time and part-time staff and consultants. - The psychological contract. - Growing importance of employee commitment and employee engagement.

• Research Methods for Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management

  This module explores key tourism, hospitality and event management theory through examination of research in practice. Topics include the structure of the tourism, hospitality and events industry, including the advent of e-commerce and its impact on the sector, as well as corporate responsibility/ethical business practice. Students will critically analyse the research design of authors in the field as they learn the benefits and drawbacks of various primary and secondary research philosophies and methods. As an integral component of the dissertation, this module expects students to undertake effective research drawing upon a range of secondary data sources in preparation of coursework. As well as delivering an underpinning framework for the study of tourism, hospitality and event management, this module is geared towards successful preparation and completion of high quality, rigorous and systematic social and/or management research required for a dissertation and is relevant to the successful completion of coursework.

Optional

• Crisis and Risk Management in Events

  This module will provide students with a clear understanding of the need for careful planning in event management. It will discuss concepts of risk exposure and enable ranking of risk as well as feasibility and contingency planning. Risk in an increasingly litigious environment will be considered, including tools for mitigation such as appropriate contracting, legal and regulatory compliance, and suitable insurance cover. Prediction of risk using standard industry measures such as CARVER will be applied as well as known challenges such as terrorism. Responding to crisis, both natural and man-made, will be explored using best practice in disaster recovery and crisis communications.

• Ethical Dimensions of Tourism

  Students will examine a range of ethical theories and practices applied to tourism. This will be undertaken through an initial study of the concept of ethics and then an overview of the application of ethics to tourism. The various theories and practices relating to the application of tourism will be conceptualised in more depth across a number of fields. In the course of studying such areas and through the use of case studies, the moral dilemmas, whether explicit or unspoken/undeclared, which exist in tourism decision-making will be uncovered and analysed. In particular, the unequal power relationships that is often a feature, as well as the influence of transnational bodies in policy-making. Trends in corporate social responsibility and sustainability application and practice are also uncovered with implications considered in a laissez faire, deregulatory environment.

• Live Project: Tourism/Hospitality/Event Management

  This module is designed to provide students with an insight into and understanding of the nature of tourism, hospitality and event organisations and the critical appreciation of the relevance of theory to practice through immersion in live project research. By using an experiential learning approach, students apply theoretical material covered in Semester A to a live project in the tourism, hospitality and/or event industries. Students will be working in small task groups to fulfil a remit in consultation with a tourism, hospitality and/or event organisation, and design and conduct appropriate research to complete their task. The module enables students to apply knowledge acquired and develop further the skills of research, team working, time management, communication and decision-making introduced in Semester A.

• Residential Field Trip

  This module is designed to provide students with an insight into and understanding of the nature of tourism, hospitality and event organisations and the critical appreciation of the relevance of theory to practice through involvement in field research. Field trips are a critical tool for creating episodic memory and the creation of memory through experience within destinations is a unique feature of the module. This provides the ground level interactions between students and relevant organisations which are useful in giving insights into the operations of tourism, hospitality and event businesses in tourist destinations.

Fees & funding

Fees 2013

UK/EU Students

Full time: £5,250 for the 2013 academic year

International Students

Full time: £10,500 for the 2013 academic year

Discounts are available for International students if payment is made in full at registration

View detailed information about tuition fees

Additional course costs

A residential field trip: £450 (approx.)

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

How to apply