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International Hotel and Tourism Management

MSc

Key facts
Overview
How to apply
Tuition fees
Learning and assessment
Research
After you graduate
Our Staff

Key facts

Start dates

January 2023 / September 2023

Location

Headington

Course length

Full time: 1 year or 2 years in sandwich mode which includes one year's full-time paid supervised work experience (a work placement).

Part time: 24 months for UK and EU students (teaching normally provided on one day or two half days each week during semesters.)

Department

Oxford School of Hospitality Management

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Overview

Our MSc International Hotel and Tourism Management will develop your ability to think strategically across core management disciplines. You will build on your previous studies and work experience and can specialise in a chosen area.  

Our teaching staff are recognised experts in their fields. Many of them write the books that support your learning. You will engage with industry experts through a range of events and international visiting speakers. And develop your networking skills while gaining useful, global contacts for the future.

Our unique Bacchus Mentoring Programme gives you one-to-one support from a senior professional. They will help to develop your professional skills and advise you on your future career.
   
You will have support with your graduate jobs and placements from our Careers Centre.  And leading hospitality employers visit the campus and recruit students. 

The sandwich mode includes a one-year paid work placement, after completing the taught part of the course.

group in a museum

How to apply

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

Normally a minimum of a second-class honours degree or equivalent in any subject. Entry will be subject to two satisfactory references (one of these must be an academic reference). Please note that although useful, prior work experience in the hospitality and tourism industry is not a requirement for this course.

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language you will need to satisfy the university's 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

Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.

International qualifications and equivalences

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English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about 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.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Application process

Apply now

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£10,200
Home (UK) part time
£5,100
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000
International full time
£16,200
International sandwich (placement)
£2,000
Home (UK) full time
£10,600
Home (UK) part time
£5,300
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000
International full time
£16,800
International sandwich (placement)
£2,000

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2022 / 23
Home (UK) full time
£10,200
Home (UK) part time
£5,100
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000
International full time
£16,200
International sandwich (placement)
£2,000
2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£10,600
Home (UK) part time
£5,300
Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£2,000
International full time
£16,800
International sandwich (placement)
£2,000

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 483088

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

The full-time fees quoted are for the taught Year 1. Fees will be charged for the placement year in Year 2 and are available on request from finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk. For approximate fee levels of the placement year see the placement fee above.

Financial support and scholarships

For more information, please go to our Fees and Funding page

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.

We offer an International Business in Practice Study Trip module. This study trip is voluntary and all costs associated with the trip will need to be funded by you.

The International Study Trip modules allow 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. These study trips are voluntary and you will need to fund most of the costs associated with the trip. We have run study trips to Boston, Chengdu, Kuala Lumpur and Budapest.

As an example of costs, the fees in 2020 varied between £350 - £1500 and included: accommodation for seven nights, insurance, company visits and group transportation for all activities. This fee did not include international airfare, visa application fee (if relevant), dinners and activities during your free time.

Learning and assessment

You will study modules which build on your previous learning and work experience. And develop a deeper understanding of the complexity of international hotel management in today's turbulent environment.

Students discussing subject

Start this course in January

You have the option to start this course in January. You will study a range of modules between January and May. During the summer months of June, July and August you will study further modules and begin work on your dissertation. Between September and December you will complete your final modules and focus on your dissertation.

Find out more about January entry

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

Strategic Financial Management

You will focus on the use of financial information for managerial decision making in the international hotel, events and tourism industries. You will study the key financial issues impacting on managerial decision-making in planning for profit and managing assets. You will explore the financial implications of current developments affecting the management of hotels, events and tourism businesses.

Managing People Across Cultures

You will become familiar with a range of practical approaches for the management of people in contemporary service organisations. You will learn how to assess the international hotel and tourism environment, and how to make judgements about the most appropriate human resource management approaches to adopt in different situations. You will increase your awareness of issues that need to be considered when companies decide to expand beyond their domestic market. You will learn how to develop a human resource strategy for a hospitality company's expansion into a new country.

Marketing Across Cultures

You will look at the concept of marketing within an international hotel and tourism context. You will analyse the strategies of international hotel and tourism companies. The emphasis is on the cultural differences and similarities that international hospitality/tourism operators have to understand to develop effective global marketing strategies. The assessment may involve a country market analysis, designing your own brand and developing market entry strategies for an international expansion programme.

Corporate Risk Governance

You will learn about good corporate governance and risk management in a dynamic tourism environment. In a group you will research the historic and current business context and corporate governance of a company of your choice in the international hospitality and tourism industry. You will assess its governance and performance, evaluate the risks it faces in a global context and make recommendations on the strategies the company should follow to achieve its business objectives. You will become a more global strategic thinker and able to identify and respond to factors that threaten the achievement of a company's strategic objectives.

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.

Professional development (compulsory for those on sandwich mode)

This supervised work experience module is part of the two-year sandwich mode for international students, who joined their MSc Programme in September or January. The module offers MSc students paid supervised work experience in one of a range of hospitality, tourism and event organizations in the UK for up to 52 weeks (40 weeks minimum).

Tourism Digital Distribution Strategies

The main aim of this module is to enable you to critically evaluate current and emerging developments in electronic distribution systems. You will explore the impact of global distribution systems and social media from both a consumer and an organisational perspective.

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.

Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Tourism innovation and entrepreneurship are fundamental to the development of tourism products and services that contribute to sustainable local, regional and national development strategies. You will consider the process of innovation, including the role of key tourism stakeholders such as government, the private sector, NGOs and local communities.

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.

Placement

Optional modules

Sandwich mode / 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.

Final project - choose one of:

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

The dissertation is an opportunity for you to investigate a topic in depth from multiple perspectives, working independently and supervised by a specialist tutor. You choose the hospitality, events or tourism management topic which you wish to study. This can be the same topic as in your Contemporary Issues module or a different subject area.

By writing the dissertation you will develop your ability to critically review literature, identify the gaps in current knowledge and practise relevant research skills to facilitate data collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation.

Client Project

You have the opportunity to link theory to practice by analysing a real organisational issue. Having identified a project (with the approval of both the client company and the Module Leader) you investigate a particular issue, one that can be supported through the relevant literature and by conducting primary research with the client. This module is not an internship but can be taken in conjunction with an internship you have identified and are participating in. The 'issue' in question may be a current management problem for the client organisation or related to future strategic choices. The Client Project provides you with a significant learning and personal development experience.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from that shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Download course structure chart

Learning and teaching

We use a range of teaching methods, including: 

  • multicultural group work
  • case studies 
  • workshops 
  • seminars 
  • lectures 
  • events 
  • one-to-one tutorials.

Your learning experience will be innovative, student-centred and interactive. 
Alumni and senior industry professionals contribute to the programme through guest lectures. You will have the opportunity to be mentored by an industry leader. 

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 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 field trips 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.

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

Assessment is based predominantly on individual coursework and the dissertation.

Research

96% of the research conducted by The Oxford School of Hospitality Management is internationally recognised. Our aim is to conduct research that advances academics' understanding of hospitality management.

Researcher using a laptop in a quiet space

After you graduate

Career prospects

After graduation from this course you will have excellent career prospects in hospitality and tourism – especially in the international hotel industry. Our graduates go on to work for the leading hotel brands in a wide range of roles either in the UK or internationally with companies including:

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

 Depending upon their prior experience, graduates have obtained supervisory/junior management positions and operational roles.

The optional one-year work placement is a great opportunity for those who would like to gain work experience in the hospitality industry after the course.

By doing a work placement you will receive:

  • paid, full-time work experience
  • practical experience with a top employer in the hospitality, events and tourism industry
  • a dedicated service to guide your placement search
  • tailored placement skills development workshops
  • continual support from the school
  • improved graduate employability
  • the chance of a firm offer of employment.

Some students choose an academic career by studying for a PhD with us, or in other universities. Our programme provides students with excellent preparation for doctoral studies and careers in teaching in universities.

Our Staff

Professor Levent Altinay

Levent is the Research Lead of Oxford School of Hospitality Management and Director of the Centre for International Tourism and Events Management Research. Levent’s research interests are in entrepreneurship, strategic alliance and international business.

Read more about Levent

Dr Rebecca Hawkins

Rebecca is a researcher and consultant in Hospitality, focusing on developing strategies for sustainable tourism and has been involved in the practical implementation of sustainability projects.

Read more about Rebecca
Left
Right

Professor Levent Altinay

Levent is the Research Lead of Oxford School of Hospitality Management and Director of the Centre for International Tourism and Events Management Research. Levent’s research interests are in entrepreneurship, strategic alliance and international business.

Read more about Levent

Dr Rebecca Hawkins

Rebecca is a researcher and consultant in Hospitality, focusing on developing strategies for sustainable tourism and has been involved in the practical implementation of sustainability projects.

Read more about Rebecca

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.