International Tourism and Hospitality Management

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Why choose the Graduate School of Business

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Our business and management courses rank 4th overall in their subject field in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2024, with top 3 rankings for teaching, engagement, learning community and course organisation.

We are a member of the Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE), demonstrating our high standing, esteem and commitment to supporting the subject field.

Flexible learning options with block delivery, year-round entry points and intermediate qualifications, helping you fit study around your other commitments.

About the course

The international tourism industry continues to expand, driving the demand for skilled senior planners and managers capable of addressing a wide array of global management issues. Our MSc in International Tourism and Hospitality Management equips you with a critical understanding of international tourism developments and their positive reflections in management practices. The course covers the interconnectedness of international tourism and its impacts across various contexts, including economic, commercial, environmental, technological, socio-cultural, heritage, psychological and political.

For further course information, contact Sanaz Vatankhah at sanaz.vatankhah@beds.ac.uk

Facilities and specialist equipment

State-of-the-art business suite with industry-standard hardware and software
Access to Opera Hotel software, the industry-standard property management system, as well as other simulation software
Access to international learning resources from Harvard Business Publishing
Business pods, boardroom areas and IT suites designed to simulate a professional office environment

Your student experience

Learn from highly qualified academics actively engaged in research, conferences, and consultancy, ensuring you are exposed to the latest industry developments.

Our faculty's ongoing industry interactions shape course delivery, ensuring you stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in tourism and hospitality management.

Benefit from a practice-led curriculum using case studies, live projects and industry collaborations to prepare you to tackle real-world challenges.

Receive free hands-on training with Opera Hotel Software, the industry-standard property management system, with the opportunity to earn a certification that will boost your practical skills in hotel operations and enhance your employability.

Solve real-life business problems with our Research and Innovation Service (RIS), which assists businesses from start-ups to established corporations to up-skill and innovate.

Develop key career-focused, transferable skills such as critical evaluation, initiative, enterprise, effective communication, and decision making.

Engage with our Global Guest Speaker series featuring high-profile experts and business leaders from organisations such as TUI, the European Commission, and the Association of Project Management (APM).

Participate in field visits to subject-relevant sites and exhibitions, and attend masterclasses with industry professionals to gain deeper insights into the field.

Course Leader - Dr Sanaz Vatankhah

I am a Senior Lecturer in Business Management and Strategy, focusing on the service industries within the Graduate School of Business (GSB). I lead the Tourism, International Business, and Marketing Research (TIBAM) centre, highlighting my role in academic leadership and research excellence. I have published extensively in respected journals on topics spanning tourism, service marketing, and sustainable business practices. My work also emphasises the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and innovative business models in driving sustainable development. With my expertise, I contribute significantly to shaping the strategic direction of business education and research, particularly in the evolving service industries field.

Find out more about Dr Sanaz Vatankhah

What will you study?

Studying our International Tourism and Hospitality Management MSc course will equip you with the knowledge and skills in the combined areas of international tourism, business, and strategic management. You will explore current trends and issues in the constantly changing nature of tourism in our Sociocultural Dimensions of Tourism unit to understand how this impacts the relationship between tourism, culture, and society. This will allow you to apply tourism theories and current trends to analyse tourism policies, as well as the role of tourism in representing public culture, heritage, and the nature of places in a postmodern era.

Furthermore, Approaches in Sustainable Travel and Tourism will allow you to develop insights into socio-economic and environmental challenges in travel and tourism industries. You will explore planning frameworks for sustainable tourism development that can be used to integrate economic equality, environmental conservation, and community participation while using tourism as a medium for poverty reduction and alleviation. In areas of business, Marketing in the Digital Era will allow you to explore elements of devising digital marketing strategies, conducting online market research, and preparing a digital marketing plan. You will gain a critical awareness of the role of digital marketing in business success while learning to apply digital marketing techniques with a focus on digital platforms, new business models, and social interaction.

To further enhance your industry skills, we offer complimentary access to Opera software – a leading tool in hospitality management, providing hands-on experience for students to excel in the global hospitality industry. Additionally, you will develop a critical and informed understanding of business environments and the business opportunities within them in our Strategy unit. Here, you will be introduced to a range of tools and concepts for strategic analysis and business modelling that will allow you to assess the strategic position of business organisations, formulate strategies, evaluate options, and implement strategic decisions. Finally, you will complete our Capstone unit, which will allow you to bring theory and practice together and research a topic of your interest relevant to your field of study. To help you with this, you will be introduced to the processes and techniques of research methods while working with a research supervisor to develop your ideas.

How will you be assessed?

A number of different assessment methods will contribute to your development and will enhance your employability. We consider it essential that comprehensive feedback is provided in due time so it is integrated in your learning process.

When group work is required the marks given will be individual following the University of Bedfordshire's regulatory scheme. The intensive character of this courses delivery is consistent with the need for graduates to accumulate knowledge fast and express the outcome of this process in a way that is meaningful and comprehensive.

Welcome and induction activities will be followed immediately by a week of intensive direct contact time followed by your own contribution through individual learning which will take you to your first assessment point. At the end of your six-week block your final assessment will be due. You are required to submit the assessment identified for each unit of study.

Details of the core learning outcomes threshold standards assessment criteria and M-Level criteria are identified in the Course Handbook and/or unit handbook. The assessment you complete will depend on the units you choose. As far as possible assessment across units has been designed to give you experience of a wide range of assessment tools.

There are two assessments across most units. The first assessments usually require you to carry out a presentation or submit a report at an early stage of the unit and carry a lower weighting than the final assessment. The second assessments are usually longer and involve elements such as further reflection critical review of a body of literature critical analysis of any data sought reference to wide ranging policies engagement with current debates analysis of weaknesses and identification of solutions.

The course provides you with a carefully planned and coherent sequence of learning opportunities that facilitates your development via formative and summative assessments. In order to support student learning monitor performance and provide appropriate feedback formative (0 weighted or non-graded) tasks are designed such as in class discussion debate group work and case study presentation.

The provision of formative feedbacks is on-going along the week where the formative assessment has been set. The provision of formative feedback is therefore built into the learning experience. Summative feedback on assessments will be provided within 10 days of the submission date. Finally Referrals will take place during the examination week of the next block with the assessment tasks being available no later than week 3. Retakes will be taken at the next available opportunity when the required unit is running.

Careers

On successfully completing this Master's you will gain the knowledge and skills to understand the role of critical-evaluation techniques and decision-making strategies in establishing yourself and thriving in a senior management role. You will have the skills to find career opportunities in industries such as travel management; hospitality management; food and beverage management; public relations; and marketing.

You will also be well prepared for further academic study at either MPhil or PhD level.

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Entry Requirements

2.2 honours degree or equivalent in a related subject area

Fees for this course

UK

The full-time standard fee for a taught Master's degree for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £10,000 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees and living costs. Visit www.gov.uk/postgraduate-loan

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk