International Event Management MSc

Program Overview

The International Event Management MSc program at Ulster University equips students with the skills to plan, manage, and evaluate large-scale events. Through a combination of online and on-campus learning, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the event industry, including strategic marketing, leadership, and sustainability. The program's innovative teaching methods, including case studies and guest speakers, prepare graduates for leadership roles in the diverse event sector worldwide.

Program Outline

International Event Management - MSc

Degree Overview

They gain the skills and confidence to successfully manage events anywhere in the world.

• Benefits: Ulster University is ranked 2nd in the UK for Hospitality, Event Management and Tourism by the Guardian University Guide 2024.
Accredited by the Institute of Hospitality, this qualification prepares students for international employment. This program can equip graduates for leadership roles in the diverse event sector from business and non-profits to cultural events or festivals to hospitality.
• Impact: The local event industry is transforming and needs innovative, creative, and professional individuals to drive it forward.
This program aims to equip students with these qualities.

Outline

• Course structure:
• Two and a half years of part-time study.
• Up to 90 credits per academic year.
• Most students complete two modules per semester in 3-day blocks (usually Wednesday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
• Modules:
• Semester 1:
• Event Management:
Introduces students to the nature and scope of the events industry, covering the event planning process and providing a basis for planning, managing, and evaluating events.
• Strategic Marketing: Examines and applies the principles, concepts, and theories of strategic marketing management, including managing the marketing mix, strategy formulation, strategic decision making, and evaluation of marketing performance.
It explores analytical models and tools for marketing planning, implementation, and control.
• Managing & Leading People: Examines the key concepts of management and leadership, with a focus on the role of the Line Manager and effective leadership.
It also delves into the role of the HR Function and Line Management in managing people within relevant industries.
• Semester 2:
• Critical Event Studies:
Examines the impact of events and external factors that event organizers must consider. Encourages students to look beyond the operational aspect of event management, developing a more balanced understanding and identifying good and bad practices for effective event management.
• Business Sustainability & Innovation: Examines theoretical and practical topics related to business sustainability and innovation.
Uses case studies to apply business models and understand key business concepts like entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, value creation, and value capture. Student teams develop business models using relevant methods, fostering innovation and value propositions for future managers and entrepreneurs.
• Research Methods: Equips students with the ability to design appropriate research, propose suitable methodologies, and evaluate research philosophy, researcher positionality, and research ethics.
Develops technical skills for collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data using ICT packages, as a basis for the MSc research dissertation.
• Semester 3:
• Dissertation:
Completion of a Master's-level dissertation building on knowledge and skills gained throughout the course, particularly those developed in the Research Methods module.

Assessment

• No formal examinations
• Assessment includes:
• Written essays
• Short synopses
• Personal reflections and peer reviews
• Case studies
• Objective tests
• Business reports
• Computer modeling
• Individual and group presentations
• Assessment methods vary depending on the module.

• The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Teaching

• Teaching methods: Lectures, case studies, business simulation gaming, one-to-one tutorial videos.
• Field trips: To hospitality and tourism venues and live events.
• Guest speakers: Invited from the industry.
• No traditional lectures, textbooks, or exams.

• Program content delivered through:
• 9 modules
• 132 taught credit hours
• 34 learning weeks