Academic Programmes
MSc Tourism and Hospitality (top-up)
Introduction
Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world. The MSc International Tourism and Hospitality aims to provide with an opportunity at an advance level to explore issues and problems relation to a wide range of situations and problems likely to face by tourism and hospitality professionals.
The programme applied a social scientific approach to both tourism and hospitality studies through a focus on the context of globalization, commercialization and consumption. Programme will encourage developing skills in relation to practical research and decision making in a tourism and hospitality business environment to ensure a balance between the acquisition of conceptual and practical knowledge
Assessment Methods:
Dissertation Only
What are the career prospects?
According to Guardian League Tables 2011, University of Sunderland was ranked 2nd in for its tourism courses. The qualification will prepare you for a good head-start in your chosen career. Our previous students have gone on to a range of management careers in Tourism and Hospitality sector such as Hotel Management, Tourism development, Tour marketing, and Travel Consultancy.
You may also choose to set up a tourist or hospitality business or go on to research and lecturing.
Entry Requirements
Applicant must be at least 21 years of age AND
A good first degree or appropriate professional qualification
AND
Level 7 PG Diploma from a recognised awarding body in relevant subjects
AND
6 or more months of appropriate work experience or completed major research project on industry at first degree level
AND
Good English skills, equivalent to IELTS 6.0
Duration
Fees
Start Dates
Course Units
MSc Hospitality and Tourism Dissertation (MSCHTDIS)
Introduction
The actual content of this work will vary with each student's proposal but a minimum of 450 hours is required by everyone to be spent in undertaking it. The proposal must be formally approved by the module leader (Sunderland) to ensure that it is manageable and of acceptable academic worth. The final report will be approximately 15,000 to 20,000 words in length but the student is expected to prepare a plan and to demonstrate management skills throughout the duration of the dissertation. There are various stages for a dissertation and it is recommended that you plan you time accordingly to ensure you do not miss any of the disciplines involved or any of the deadlines. Guidance will be given by your tutor.
The dissertation undertaken will be one of the following:
- A work based project in which the student will be working in a consultative capacity with a specific organisation. This type of dissertation will involve analysing and evaluating substantive strategic problems or issues within the organisation and formulating appropriate solutions and/or recommendations.
- A project which will involve analysing and evaluating substantive strategic problems in a specific business sector and formulating perspectives on how the problems might be tackled and making an assessment of the future changes that will affect developments in the sector.
- Whichever dissertation you choose you will be expected to address how your recommendations could be implemented given the studies you have undertaken and your prior experience of the organisation or business sector. You will be expected to include within the recommendations an outline plan detailing the timescales, management interventions and resources that would need to be available to implement the recommendations. You must reflect upon the development of your skills and competences derived from your experience of undertaking the project and within your wider management experience to date. This latter requirement must be included as a specific subsection of the research methods review.
- In undertaking the dissertation you must draw upon and integrate, as necessary, perspectives from across the programme and support your investigations with appropriate reference to theoretical and conceptual analysis.
Learning outcomes:
- Identify specific substantive problem/issues/tasks within an organisation/business sector placing them into a strategic context in your research investigations.
- Formulate a related research question viaa] a review of the related academic literatureb] a critical review of the activities and operations of the organisation/business sector and the environment within which it operates.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of different research methodologies and their limitations, and be able to explain when one might be more appropriate than another in the context of the chosen research topic.
- Apply appropriate qualitative and quantitative research methods including action research as necessary to analyse organisation/business sector strategic problems.
- Critically review your own personal development as a manager and set actionable objectives.
- Demonstrate appropriate skills in recording, interpreting, and analysing qualitative and quantitative data relating to the research topic.
- Demonstrate that the project findings have been logically derived and that conclusions, solutions/recommendations are fully supported by the foregoing evidence.
- Derive strategic recommendations for changes in an organization’s or business sector’s activities and strategies and articulate these in a concise and coherent manner for implementation by the management.
