International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management

BSc (Hons) International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management

On this course you will learn the business management skills that the best employers in international hospitality, tourism and events are looking for, opening up a wealth of career opportunities. A twenty-week internship boosts your employability.

Why QMU?

• We ranked in the top 20 UK universities for Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation and Tourism in the Times and Sunday Times Good Uni Guide 2022.

• The course has a Student Experience Fund that helps pay for a range of extra-curricular student activities across the four-years. Enjoy, trips to a range of visitor attractions and events and perhaps even taste the produce on a brewery and distillery tour as part of your studies at QMU.

• Smaller class sizes mean you will enjoy more personal engagement with lecturers. We will know you by name and help manage your learning from your first lecture to graduation.

• More people visit Edinburgh than any other UK city after London, and you will study on a campus that is six minutes from the centre of town. It is the perfect place to learn about the hospitality, tourism and events management trade in the world’s leading festival city.

• Our graduates are usually in employment or further training soon after graduating. Many are making names for themselves in highly respected hospitality, tourism and events businesses, in the UK and across the world, including Disney World, Hilton and Visit Scotland.

• At QMU we have a strong commitment to social justice and the environment. The academic team believe passionately that business can be financially successful, maintain a focus on employees and customers and play a positive role in the future of our environment. This ethos is woven throughout the course and the team believe that this approach leaves our graduates in a very strong position to manage businesses in the future.

On this course you will:

• Gain a thorough theoretical understanding of the political, economic and social factors at work in the industry, and what they will mean for you as a manager of the future.

• Learn hands-on how to manage money, resources and talent in the fast-moving hospitality, tourism and events environment.

• Plan and deliver a live event.

• Acquire the skills to work in exciting and vibrant areas of increasing importance and relevance to a modern and socially just society.

The hospitality, tourism and events sector is a significant contributor to the Scottish economy and supports a substantial number of enterprises. The events business has grown exponentially in the last 20 years, from pop-up food fairs to corporate events, fashion shows to our own world-famous Edinburgh festivals. Events are key features within hospitality and tourism, and during your course you will plan, deliver and execute a live event to put theory into practice in a creative way.

As a graduate of our international hospitality, tourism and events management degree with first-class management skills and practical expertise, you will be at the forefront of these exciting industries.

Year One

You will:
Explore the key concepts that are the foundation of hospitality, tourism and events. Additionally, you will undertake a range of introductory modules around business management, for example, marketing and finance. The combination of theoretical concepts and the inclusion of practical and vocational skills prepares students for real-life situations;
Visit sites and venues that will enhance your experience and understanding, and guest lectures by leading industry figures will bring your learning to life; and
Engage with practical and vocational skills including food service and preparation and group leadership to prepare for the planning and delivery of a live event: culminating in a live event with our partner Edinburgh New Town Cookery School.

Modules

Introduction to Hospitality, Tourism and Events
Introduction to Management and Leadership
Marketing and Consumer Behaviour
Global Impacts and Trends in Hospitality, Tourism and Events
Introduction to Finance and Accounting
Producing a Live Food Event

Year Two

You will:
Prepare for a challenging and rewarding paid 20-week internship of your choice, in the UK or overseas, during which time you will be supported by the University;
Develop skills to think critically about hospitality, tourism and events and the consumer experience; and
Focus on management skills, by studying, for example, human resource management.

Modules

Managing Consumer Experiences in Hospitality, Tourism and Events
Digital Marketing and Ecommerce Management
Operations Management
Internship for Hospitality, Tourism and Events
Human Resource Management

Year Three

You will:
Deepen your understanding of a range of management techniques to assist in your chosen profession;
Study specialist modules about the hospitality, tourism and events sector and their contributions to the economy and society in the pursuit of social justice, for example, the subject of sustainability and climate change, and will choose an elective on a subject in this year to support your learning; and
Create and project manage a live event of your choice, with the guidance of your lecturer;
Have the opportunity (subject to availability) to study for one semester at a university overseas. For more information, visit Exchanges and Study Abroad.

Modules

Hospitality, Tourism and Events for Economic and Social Change
People Planet Purpose
Special Interest Hospitality, Tourism and Events or Business Management Electives
Project Managing a Live Event
Research Methods
New Enterprise Startup

Year Four

You will:
Complete a dissertation in an area of your choice and engage with current topics in hospitality, tourism and events;
Critically evaluate a range of contemporary issues such as crisis management within a hospitality, tourism and events context. There will also be an emphasis on the strategic issues and challenges within business management; and
Keep on developing practical skills by engaging in a live consultancy project with a hospitality, tourism or events business.

Modules

Creative Solutions for Live Industry Problems in HTE
Contemporary Issues in HTE
Strategy
Leading and Managing Change
Dissertation

NB The modules listed here are correct at time of posting (Feb 2024) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2025. Please check our website for any updates.

You will be taught in lectures, seminars and practical workshops. Outside these timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning through self-study. You will be assessed by a variety of methods during each semester.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS