Program Overview

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International Hospitality and Tourism Management

BA (Hons) Top-up

This course is subject to validation and approval.

Award

BA (Hons)

Duration

1 year FT

UCAS Code

N920

Entry

September, February

Fees

View Fees

Department

Department of Hospitality and Tourism

Overview

The hospitality sector is becoming increasingly reliant on international visitors and partnering with the tourism industry. If you already have a background within these areas, our International Hospitality and Tourism Management top-up degree will sharpen your business skills and help you become an expert in tailoring hospitality services for visitors from around the world.

Designed for anyone who has already studied a relevant subject (up to Level 5), this hospitality and tourism top-up course will extend your knowledge by examining how businesses in these sectors work together, taking a strategic look at the future of the industries and how to develop a business that can respond to change. You will also have the opportunity to develop a specialism relevant to your interests and career aims through our variety of optional modules, exploring areas ranging from change management to global expansion.

University College Birmingham has outstanding links with the tourism and hospitality industries to support and enrich your studies. We are a recognised Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) Centre of Excellence, while this top-up course is also accredited by the Institute of Hospitality.

Why should I choose this course?

• SPECIALISE YOUR STUDIES – Develop specialist knowledge through your own research project and a variety of optional modules
• INDUSTRY APPROVED – Gain professional recognition with a degree accredited by the Institute of Hospitality
• AWARD-WINNING UNIVERSITY – Study at the highest-ranking university in the region according to student choice (Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023)

Our facilities

Our learning spaces at University College Birmingham ensure you have the right environments to build your knowledge, from lecture theatres to interactive group working spaces and extensive library resources.

• Our library facilities offer more than 50,000 print resources and over 60 million digital resources, with expert support from qualified library professionals and research specialists
• Our £44 million Moss House campus includes an exhibition space to showcase your work to assessors and prospective employers
• Our campus buildings feature lecture theatres equipped with the latest technology, as well as comfortable tutorial and seminar rooms and private meeting rooms
• Located in our McIntyre House campus, ThinkSpace features glazed study pods to discuss group projects and glass wipe boards to mind-map your ideas

Course breakdown

Modules

Core Modules

Independent Research Project

This module provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities in researching, planning and delivering an industry-related macro or micro-based project independently. You can either self-select your own topic or choose from a list of contemporary industry projects. This project focuses on cultivating the desired graduate attributes of professionalism, critical enquiry, problem solving, enterprise, creativity and innovation and in enhancing your professional profile to enrich and facilitate independent learning and development for graduate career opportunities.

Strategic Financial Management

In this module, you will build upon both practical and theoretical financial concepts developed through earlier modules. You will gain commercial awareness and understanding of strategic organisational finance and will learn how to synthesise and evaluate business performance and strategy.

Plus two options from:

Strategic Change Management

Hospitality and tourism will always be affected by external elements. This exciting module identifies how risk and uncertainty are understood to change throughout the strategic process in the key areas of technology, finance, human resources, markets, and organisations. It also examines how the industry responds to change through a range of strategies, especially the harvesting of knowledge.

Business Process Improvement

This module provides you with the ability to identify how a process within the business can be improved. A process is a sequence of activities that takes an input and transforms it into an output. Activities consume time and other resources. One way to improve performance is to redesign processes so that they consume less time and resources.

Tourism Trends and Futures

This module will review tourism trends and strategic challenges facing destinations as they strive for sustainable competitive advantage and future-proofing their offer. Various macro forces continue to influence the strategic direction of destinations with new risks and opportunities arising. Destinations are implementing more inclusive and sustainable strategies to navigate their way through a more turbulent environment. But the question remains, can they successfully future-proof themselves? You will develop your professional skills and knowledge in destination management, trend/data analysis and strategic management of destinations.

Global Expansion Strategies

This module complements the international dimension of the programme and aims to promote the complexities and issues hospitality and tourism organisations face when attempting to enter overseas markets to seek growth globally. Hospitality and tourism organisations increasingly seek to operate outside of their own boundaries in diverse and less understood market environments. Management skills are required to successfully exploit new overseas market opportunities through the use of both traditional channels and new media opportunities to deliver integrated marketing strategies offered by the latest innovative technological developments.

Entry requirements

Academic

• A relevant HND or a foundation degree in the areas of Hospitality, Tourism or Events, with 240 credits.

If you are unsure if your previous qualification is suitable, please contact us before completing an application.

International students

• European and International qualifications studied in a relevant subject matter will also be considered. Applicants will need to have achieved 120 ECTS or equivalent (European Credit Transfer).

If you are unsure if your previous qualification is suitable, please contact us before completing an application.

Key information

Teaching and assessment

• Teaching
  • Example of a typical teaching week (up to 12 contact hours):
    • Large group teaching – 4 hours
    • Smaller group teaching – 5 hours
    • Tutorials – 2 hours
    • Field trips and visits
  • You will also need to commit around 20 hours per week for individual study time.
• Assessment
  • Estimated breakdown of assessment for this degree course:
    • Coursework – 88%
    • Practical assessment – 12%

Tuition fees for international students

• If you are an international student (or have been fee assessed as an international fee payer) and are enrolling on a full-time bachelor's degree course in 2024/2025, the fee for the academic year will be £14,000. If you complete a placement year, there will be an administration fee of £500 for a full year or £250 for a half-year placement.
• In 2025/26, the tuition fee for [Band 3] courses will be £19,750 per year.

Kick-Start Scheme

• As a new student studying this course full-time, you will receive £300 per year through our Kick-Start Scheme (UK students only, eligibility criteria applies). This scheme will support your studies and future career by contributing to course-related materials, uniform or selected items on campus. You may also qualify for an additional £500 per year.

Career opportunities

• The example roles and salaries below are intended as a guide only.
  • Conference centre manager - Average Salary: £36,000
  • Theme park manager - Average Salary: £31,000
  • Event manager - Average Salary: £33,000
  • Marketing executive (graduate) - Average Salary: £37,500
  • Tourist information centre manager - Average Salary: £30,000
  • Hotel manager (small hotel or deputy of larger hotel) - £27,500 - £31,000
• Want to take your studies to the next level? Completing the BA (Hons) degree will enable you to move onto our postgraduate courses such as Hospitality with Tourism Management MSc/PGDip (Pathway A), International Hospitality Management MSc/PGDip or International Tourism Management MSc/PGDip.

Meet your lecturers

• Ros McAteer - Senior lecturer
• Sasa Bobic - Senior Lecturer
• Ankur Ahuja - Lecturer
• Catherine Yard - Lecturer
• Garrett Edwards - Lecturer
• Hafiza Rasool - Lecturer
• Karla Keating-Nel - Lecturer
• Nancy Mpofu - Lecturer
• Shivaun Caffrey - Lecturer
• Sophie Murphy - Lecturer

Accreditations, endorsements and partnerships

• University College Birmingham works with a wide range of organisations to ensure you receive the best possible training and qualifications recognised by industry.
• Percentage
  • 70 % of graduate employers say relevant experience is essential to getting a job with them

Work experience

• Work experience is vital for learning how to apply your training in the real world and for building your confidence and skills before you finish your course – and it may even lead to a job when you graduate. Our Hired team can help you find suitable work experience.
• We encourage students on our BA International Hospitality and Tourism Management top-up course to gain work experience throughout your studies.
• Work alongside experts in your sector
  • A snapshot of some of the employers we have worked with:
    • Wequassett Resort and Golf Club (Massachusetts)
    • The Savoy (London)
    • The Peninsula (Hong Kong)
    • The Sea Pines Resort (South Carolina)
    • Westin Hilton Head Island Resort and Spa (South Carolina)
    • Ritz Carlton (Naples, Florida and Colorado)
    • Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa (Ireland)
    • Ashford Castle (Ireland)
    • The Greenwich Country Club (Connecticut)
    • Andrew Brownsword Hotels (whole collection)
    • Fairmont St Andrews (Scotland)