Program Overview

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International Hotel and Tourism Management

MSc

Overview

A great hotel isn’t just about a clean room and a well-made bed. A successful visitor attraction is more than a good layout and interactive displays. To give guests an incredible experience, there needs to be effective leaders who keep the business profitable and make everything run smoothly. On our MSc International Hotel and Tourism Management course, we will help you acquire the skills and knowledge to be a leader in the sector.

Not many courses can take you from a novice with no prior knowledge in hospitality and tourism to a competent leader in your industry. With the assistance of our experienced academics, and the right attitude and application, it’s possible with this degree.

Our focus on employability means you’ll be exposed to the sort of organisations you want to be working for and immerse you in the industry from day one. You’ll have time to work alongside your study – perhaps as a hotel concierge or supervisor at a visitor attraction. Many of our students who work for hotels and tourism organisations during their studies are offered positions after graduation.

Why Oxford Brookes University?

• Client project: Complete a traditional dissertation or challenge yourself and leave your comfort zone by working closely with an organisation to help address an issue they’re facing.
• Focus on employability: From shadowing professionals to attending field visits and practitioner-led lectures, you’ll experience the industry throughout the course. You’ll expand your network and prepare for your career.
• Learn from leaders: We’re one of the few UK universities to offer a course in hotel and tourism management. Optional modules specialise in these areas.
• Pick your priority: Shape your study throughout the course with optional modules. It’s up to you whether you focus on operations or financial management – a choice you’re unlikely to get elsewhere.
• Be part of The Bacchus Mentoring Scheme: The Bacchus Mentoring Scheme offers Hospitality, Tourism and Events students a range of opportunities such as mentoring, careers advice and industry engagement events, led by experienced professionals who work at some of the leading hotel groups in the world.

Course Details

Course Structure

You will learn everything you need to know about working in international hotel and tourism management. Learn to effectively manage employees in hotels, as well as how digital marketing is shaping hotel and tourism organisations. You will acquire the skills needed to carry out industry-relevant research to draw your own conclusions and make a real difference. Our flexible course gives you the choice of either focusing on responsible financial management or hospitality operations management. You’ll also pick from a range of elective modules covering topics like dark tourism and sustainable events management. Everything you learn will help you complete your final project, which may be a dissertation that explores a topic in depth. You may also choose a live client project where you’ll look at a real-world issue for a business in the sector.

Learning and Teaching

Below is a brief overview of how the IDEAS framework is applied in programme’s teaching and learning:

• Inclusive Learning: We create an environment that supports the learning needs of a diverse range of learners, which includes but is not limited to international students, non-native speakers of English, LGBTQI+ students and students with disabilities.
• Digital Inclusion: We offer support and training in digital technologies used within our learning environments.
• Employability Learning: A practice-focused pedagogy, which includes action-based, risk-embracing, authentic, relevant, experiential teaching and learning.
• Assessment for Learning: Assessment strategies provide a variety of assessment types, including group and individual work.
• Sustainability Mindset: Students are familiarised with standards and relevant codes of practice about subject areas such as the UN Sustainability Goals and the UNWTO’s sustainable tourism development guidelines.

Assessment

Assessment is based predominantly on individual coursework and the dissertation.

Field Trips

The International Business in Practice Study Trip module allows you to experience ideas and practices of global business. During the trip you will have direct interaction with management executives and practices. You will: attend presentations from local management executives and experts; and go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. This study trip is voluntary and you will need to fund all costs associated with the trip. It is not linked to university assessments in any way.

We also run a study trip to Chengdu, China. If you choose the study trip (which runs in July), we will give you all the details by March so that you can make your decisions ahead of the trip in July.

If you successfully complete this non-credit bearing module, it will be recorded on your transcript as P58335 International Business in Practice: Study Trip.

Each year, there are opportunities to go on other field trips as part of your study programme at no extra cost such as visits to:

• attractions
• hotels
• museums
• the corporate office of a leading international hotel company.

Field trips are optional and you will need to cover the cost. Some field trips are subsidised or entirely free.

Study Modules

Taught Modules

Compulsory Modules

• Managing International Hotel Employees: You will explore academic real life business practice as it relates to managing people (employees) within hotels, which includes key understanding how managing people is linked to business strategies, and how to manage people of varying cultural diversity, as well as the aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
• Digital Marketing and Consumer Experience: You will explore the nature of digital marketing in the global visitor economy and how this is transforming the nature of tourism, hospitality and events. You will also develop a digital marketing plan using an omni channel approach for diverse cultures.
• Global Visitor Economy: You will be introduced to the visitor economy and look specifically at the sectors of tourism, hospitality and events. You will develop knowledge and understanding of how these sectors work together in contemporary societies.
• Research Methods in Hospitality, Events and Tourism Management: This module is geared towards the preparation for, and successful completion of, high quality, rigorous and systematic hospitality, events and tourism management research. It underpins the range of capstone modules offered by the Business School and is of general relevance to the successful completion of coursework.
• Mentoring and Leadership Development: You will develop an in-depth understanding of leadership theory and practice. Your understanding of leadership theory will increase by engaging with contemporary debates on leadership in the hospitality, events and tourism industries, with a particular focus on ethical leadership. You will develop your professional competences and understanding of leadership practice through participation in the school's Bacchus Mentoring Programme, which will match you with a mentor from the international hospitality, events or tourism industry.

Optional Modules

• Dark Tourism: This module aims to introduce students to the context and practice of dark tourism within the hospitality, tourism, and events industries. Students are introduced to the conceptual and practical development of dark tourism; its scale and scope, which includes a wide range of international case studies of dark visitor attractions, dark accommodations, and dark festivals and events; as well as the underpinning issues and challenges relating to the management of dark tourism experiences, including ethical concerns, authenticity, and experience design.
• Planning and Delivering the Sustainable Event: The module is based on ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Management; this is a global industry standards framework, and focuses on key principles and concepts of international events management to the delivery of a real world event.
• Global Events and Society: The module focuses on three themes: the social and cultural contexts in which events take place; the various stakeholders who affect and are affected by events; and the social, cultural, environmental, economic and political impacts of events for states, regions, organisations, groups and individuals.
• Revenue Management: This module introduces you to key concepts within Revenue Management such as capacity management, dynamic pricing and forecasting. To fully understand how to apply revenue management within hospitality and tourism businesses, you need to be aware of the relationship between price and value and how this influences customer purchase decisions. Other electives may also be available.

Core Optional Modules

• You can focus your core programme on either the finance or operations and choose one from:
  • Responsible Financial Management: You will be introduced to key concepts, theories and techniques in responsible financial management. You will be given a concise introduction and explanation of financial accounting, management accounting and core elements of responsible financial management.
  • Hospitality Operations Management: You will be introduced to key concepts in financial, human resource, marketing, events and tourism management by developing a deep understanding of operations management in these contexts. You will also work in a group, using a computer-based hotel business simulation exercise, to carry out research and agree recommendations to develop hospitality operations.

Work Placement (Sandwich Mode)

• Enterprise Work Placement: If you decide to take the sandwich mode your year of full-time taught study will be followed by one year of full-time, supervised work experience. The time on supervised work experience is paid and spent with a suitable international hospitality and tourism employer. You carry out an assessed project for the company as part of your academic studies on the placement. You'll expand your enterprise skills in the context of the workplace. The focus will be on building your intrapreneurial mindsets during your placement, helping you to develop the curiosity, creativity, vision and resilience to be successful in a variety of organisations. The placement will enable you to drive innovation in one or more of the following areas: ethical business behaviour, inclusivity, responsible management, sustainability, digitalisation and internationalisation. Drawing on your research skills you'll propose evidence based innovative solutions to your placement organisations’ challenges.

Final Project

• Research Project: This module allows you to demonstrate a wide range of skills such as research, critical thinking, project planning, problem-solving and writing/oral skills. You could choose to complete an extended piece of independent research typically described as a "dissertation". Alternatively you may choose a "client project", which is a piece of research undertaken on behalf of an organisation to solve a real-life problem.

Research

We are recognised as a centre of excellence for research in international hospitality and tourism.

Our aim is to conduct rigorous research that:

• advances academics' understanding of the management of national and international hospitality and tourism organisations and destinations
• addresses the needs of organisations and policy-makers
• informs teaching and learning practices.

Careers

This industry is different. It’s easy to get started and employers are hungry for graduates.

If you see yourself working at management level at a global hotel chain, we’ll help you get there. Your leadership skills are something that will really make you stand out to employers after you graduate.

Our graduates go on to work for leading hotel and tourism brands in a wide range of roles either in the UK or internationally. These include:

• Accor
• Compass
• Carnival
• Four Seasons
• Hilton
• Hyatt
• IHG
• Shangri-La
• Mandarin Oriental
• Marriott
• Radisson
• Sodexho
• Sol Melia
• Starwood
• TUI.

Our optional one-year work placement is a great opportunity for those who would like to gain work experience in the hotel or tourism industry after the course. We’ll help you find a placement and offer you support throughout so you make the most of this opportunity.

Our Staff

• Dr Kate Mingjie Ji: Prior to my academic position, I worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior auditor. My professional expertise is auditing, accounting and applied finance.

Related Courses

• International Hospitality, Events and Tourism Management

Entry Requirements

• A minimum of a second class honours degree (2:2) in any academic discipline, or equivalent overseas degree from a recognised institution.
• This course attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities.
• Applicants who possess a diploma rather than a good degree may be eligible for entry provided they have compensatory work experience and can demonstrate career development.

English Language Requirements

• IELTS minimum level 6.0, (with a minimum of 6.0 in reading and writing, and 5.5 in listening and speaking).
• If you have completed your undergraduate degree in the UK (at least one full year of study) you will automatically meet our English language requirements.

Pathways Courses for International and EU Students

We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.

Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.

If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.

Tuition Fees

• Home (UK) full time: £11,600
• Home (UK) part time: £5,800
• Home (UK) sandwich (placement): £2,200
• International full time: £17,750
• International sandwich (placement): £2,200

How and When to Pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

Financial Support and Scholarships

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional Costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

• Programme changes: On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.