International Tourism Management BA(Hons)

Course in brief

Tourism is recognised as one of the world’s biggest industries, accounting for nearly 10% of global GDP and one in every 11 jobs. Developing sustainable tourism requires effective planning, marketing, human resources and financial management to succeed.

Informed by the active research of the course team, the programme covers the environmental, sociocultural and economic impacts of tourism in both developed and developing destinations alongside contemporary issues in the highly globalised tourism industry. The course has an international perspective, and focuses on ideas of mobility, planning models and globalisation, giving you practical and transferable skills in attraction management, communication and market research.

The optional placement year allows you to build sector experience and management skills in the UK or abroad and gain a competitive edge in the graduate jobs market. Previous placements include with British Airways, Walt Disney World, Cosmos Holidays and Park Plaza Hotel Group. Your learning will also be enhanced by field trips, industry guest speakers and opportunities to work on consultancy projects with local attractions.

We are an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which helps to inform our teaching and your learning. We are also accredited by the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT).

Specialist pathways

This course offers two specialist pathways:

International Tourism Management with Marketing BA(Hons)
International Tourism Management with Travel Business BA(Hons)

You can choose to follow either of these pathways at the end of your first year. Alternatively, you can continue to study for the single-honours International Tourism Management BA(Hons) award.

Key facts

Location Eastbourne

UCAS code N840

Full-time 3 years
With placement year 4 years

Book your open day place

Applying for 2018: read our guide

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BCC–CCC (104–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non–academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
27 points, including English at Standard level 5 or Higher level 4, and Maths at Standard level 4.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Level 3 units in business or management preferred. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 18 credits at merit or above.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least three GCSEs, including English language and maths (or equivalent).

Foundation degree/HND/HNC
May enable you to start the course in year 2 or 3. Check with the course team for specific requirements.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

Course in detail

Course structure

The course will take either three or four years to complete, depending on whether you opt for a placement year. It is designed to cover everything you might need for a career in tourism management.

If you specialise in marketing or travel business, you will take a specialist module in your second year and choose from a different selection of optional modules in your third year. Otherwise, the curriculum is the same.

The style of teaching will differ according to module, but it will variously involve lectures, seminars, group exercises, case studies and student presentations. Your contact hours will gradually reduce over the three years as you learn to work more independently.

Although you will in part be assessed by essays and exams, we will also test your ability to work in teams, make presentations and appraise the work of fellow students. These methods of assessment are intended to reflect real-life management practices.

Tourism course news

Find out all the latest tourism course, student, staff and research news.

Features

We offer a range of course features to enhance your learning experience

Field trips
Throughout your course we include field trips that take your classroom learning into the real-world. Previous students have visited:

the World Travel Market
National Trust properties
Wimbledon
theme parks in the UK and abroad
Gatwick Airport, airside
visits to villages and communities, including in The Gambia, to research the impacts of tourism.

Guest speakers
Our modules include visiting guest speakers from industry who present on a range of current topics and to discuss the skills needed within the wider sector. Speakers have come from organisations in the fields of:

destination management
marketing
tourism consultancy
tour operators.

Consultancy
Embedded into the course is the chance to collaborate on research projects with real clients. Acting as a consultant will apply your learning to live projects, improving your employability skills and enhance your CV. Consultancy opportunities have included with:

Drusillas Park
Eastbourne Council's tourism department.

Year 1

Year 1 focuses on operational issues of the tourism industry and the principles of management.

Modules

The Travel and Tourism Industry
Impacts of Tourism
Resort and Destination Management
Economics and Finance
Marketing, Branding and Consumer Psychology
Organisations, Management and People

Year 2

Year 2 focuses on the application of management techniques and introduce the core theoretical debates of international tourism.

If you follow one of the specialisms, the Tourism Planning and Development module will be replaced by Marketing Planning or by Business Practices for the Travel Industry.

Modules

Tourism Planning and Development
Tourism, Society and Culture
Tourism in Action
Transport, Travel and Mobility
Managerial Accounting
Research Methods

Specialism modules studied instead of Tourism Planning and Development

Marketing Planning (marketing route)
Travel Business Management (travel business route)

Option

Preparation for Placement and Reflective Practice (compulsory for students taking optional work placement)

Placement year

We encourage you to take a placement year between years 2 and 3 because it is an excellent opportunity to gain contacts, professional experience and an advantage in the job market.

Most placements are paid, with many students managing to save money for their final year of study. Students who take a placement are usually among the first to find jobs after graduating.

Our students have worked with companies including:

Civil Aviation Authority
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Park Plaza Hotel Group
TUI
Sandele Eco Lodge
Amadeus
Cosmos Holidays
Sea Pines Resorts
Sportif Travel
British Airways
Disney and Universal Studios
Gatwick Airport
Destination Management Organisations (eg with local Councils).

After graduation, many students are offered full-time job opportunities with their placement employers.

Final year

The final year blends management theory and practice at a strategic level. You will also be able to choose option modules, which vary according to your chosen pathway.

Modules

Global Issues and Travel and Tourism
Business Strategy
Dissertation or Placement Project

Options*

Leadership
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
International Management
Business Morality
Customer Relationship Marketing
Change Management
Public Relations
Social Media and Marketing Metrics
Management in the Not-For-Profit Sector
Festivals and Events: A Cross-cultural Comparative
The Law Relating to Events
Cruise Management: A Critical Perspective
Aviation in the Twenty-first Century
Sport Tourism
Destination Marketing
Destination Niche Tourism
Destination Niche Tourism: Development and Management
e-Travel
Employability, Enterprise and Innovation
Adventure and Activity Tourism and Society
Competitive Marketing Strategy
Management of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE)

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability

Staff profiles

Dr Nigel Jarvis

Course leader

"Before returning to academia, I worked for six years as a consultant in Toronto, Canada, specialising in tourism, recreation, cultural master plans and feasibility. I have a keen interest in gender and sexuality issues in leisure and tourism.

"I completed my PhD in 2006 at the University of Brighton, which examined the meaning of sport in the lives of Canadian and British men. My research and teaching interests relate to sport tourism; sport and event sponsorship; the economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism; and attractions management."

Graham Shephard

Senior lecturer

"I come from an established travel industry background having worked in both tour operations and the leisure industry in past years. I studied my first degree in International Tourism Management at the University of Brighton and for my MSc in eTourism at the University of Surrey.

"I joined the university as a lecturer in 1995. I am committed to maintaining links with the industry sectors of both travel and tourism and ensuring that these links continue to benefit both students and the courses available."

Dr Clare Weeden

Principal lecturer

"I had extensive experience in the hospitality and tourism industries both in Europe and the USA before beginning my career with the School of Sport and Service Management. I as involved in licensed retail management for a small microbrewery and a range of senior operational roles within a large multinational hotel chain.

"I was awarded my PhD in 2008 from the University of Glasgow, where I explored the influence of personal values on the holiday choice decisions of ethical consumers.

"I teach and research in the following areas: ethical and responsible tourists, CSR in tourism, cruise tourism, destination marketing, and travel and visual culture."

Professor Marina Novelli

Marina is Professor of Tourism and International Development. As a geographer with a background in economics, she is known as an expert in the field of international tourism policy, planning, development and management.

She has advised on numerous international cooperation and research assignments funded by International Development Organisations (IDOs) such as: The World Bank, the European Union, The UN (UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO), the Commonwealth Secretariat, National Ministries and Tourism Boards, Regional Development Agencies and NGOs.

She is known globally for her excellence in leading and collaborating with multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder and multi-cultural teams and for her commitment to generating new knowledge on ways in which tourism can play a key role in sustainable development by stimulating local economies, conserving the environment, developing peoples and changing lives.

Other staff who teach on this course include:

Careers and employability

This course develops the transferable skills needed in the competitive and dynamic tourism industry. We'll help you with business communication, CVs and covering letters to maximise your chances of post-degree employment. Other key skills such as public speaking, research methods, team working, leadership, numeracy, assertiveness and creativity are developed throughout the course.

All teaching takes place on the Eastbourne campus, an excellent location for the study of tourism given its close links to both local and national attractions. This gives you the opportunity to contextualise your learning and gain first-hand experience of a tourism management environment.

Students graduating from this programme find jobs across the tourism and management sectors. Previous graduates have begun their careers with organisations including Virgin Atlantic, Kuoni Destinations, the Civil Aviation Authority, international airports and hotel groups.

Our careers team will support you from your first day at university. They will help you to find your career path, giving advice on the skills you'll need to develop.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 12,660 GBP

If you choose to take the professional placement (sandwich) year offered on this course you will pay a reduced fee during this year. Our fee for the professional placement year is £1,000 for home students and £2,000 for international students. This fee may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Eastbourne

Sunny, friendly and relaxed, there’s lots to do and enjoy in Eastbourne – music and arts festivals, theatre, galleries and sports – and all against the backdrop of the beach and the beautiful South Downs.

Eastbourne hosts some major sporting events, from Eastbourne Extreme – one of the biggest extreme sports festivals in the UK – to Eastbourne International, an annual tennis tournament where some of the world’s finest players prepare for Wimbledon.

Eastbourne has a close-knit community feel. From where ever you are on campus every place you need to go is around 15 minutes away on foot – the beach, the town centre and the South Downs. There is a great selection of clubs, pubs, restaurants and shops and always plenty of student-friendly deals on offer.

Campus where this course is taught

Eastbourne campus

Located in one of the sunniest towns in the UK, our Eastbourne campus sits between the hills of the South Downs National Park and the south coast.

The campus has extensive sporting facilities, including a sports hall, fitness suite, climbing wall, swimming pool, three gyms, a dance studio and an artificial training pitch. For sport and exercise students, there are also exercise physiology labs, a human movement laboratory and an environmental chamber.

Podiatry students gain real-life experience in the Leaf Hospital clinic, with its comprehensive range of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, while physiotherapy students are taught in specialist practical skills rooms. The Culinary Arts Studio allows hospitality students to engage in workplace simulations and consumer research.

Accommodation

Eastbourne

Our Eastbourne hall of residence, Welkin Halls, is in the residential Meads area, next to the Hillbrow and Welkin site and within walking distance of Darley Road. The train station is about 20 minutes away on foot.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Eastbourne accommodation webpages, and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accomeastbourne@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 643810.

Welkin Halls

Welkin bedroom

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Eastbourne campus map

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

Find out more

Hospitality, tourism and events news

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Student views

Michela Spampanato

"The course offers a variety of modules which are applied to tourism but also other business and management areas. I was intrigued to learn about all the micro and macro impacts which affect the tourism industry directly and indirectly, giving me a better insight into contemporary global issues.

“I enjoyed the annual trips to the World Travel Market which allowed me to connect and exchange ideas with industry experts. With support from staff, the course enabled me to explore one of my greatest interests when I conducted research on the Pompeii World Heritage Site in Italy for my dissertation project - this will be an experience I will always treasure.

“The amount of support and passion from lecturers and guest speakers was inspirational. The University of Brighton has given me the confidence and professionalism to approach any task and feel personal fulfilment. It has also helped me to gain a full-time management position prior to my graduation ceremony."

Bernadette Aquino

“When I first visited the Eastbourne campus, the staff were friendly and helpful and they made me feel welcome and at home. Every student would agree it's like a small community - you get to see the same students and get to know them more.

“Studying International Tourism Management has helped me gain transferable skills and given me a wide range of possible industries that I can get into. All the staff have their own professions and experiences in different industries, so there's always somebody that can help and relate their past experiences and provide advice for you.

“After graduation I secured a Human Resource Internship. I took a module related to HR and managing people whilst studying and I became fascinated and eager to learn more. The internship will help me learn more whilst ‘on the job’ and I will be supported and given training. I hope, after the year, to get into a full-time position with the same company I am with now.

“Choosing University of Brighton was the right decision for me.”

Emily Hadfield

"I acquired many skills from the University of Brighton. I learnt how to conduct thorough research on a topic, identifying what information is vital in order to write succinctly and accurately. Management skills enabled me to understand real management issues that could occur and how to deal with them.

"I learnt many presentation skills that enabled my confidence to grow and that are helping me in my current working environment. I always ensured that I put my all into a piece of work, which taught me how to work under pressure and be extremely organised.

"My placement year was at Amadeus, who provide technology and solutions in the travel sector. I acquired an abundance of knowledge regarding the industry and was able to interact with many of Amadeus' partners to discuss marketing opportunities. I was also in close contact with many of their customers, ensuring the relationship was managed in the correct manner.

"I organised weekly events for up to 70 of their customers to ensure they were satisfied with the service we were providing. Overall, the experience taught me how to work independently under extreme pressure and how important attention to detail is.

"I have had a great experience at the university and I am eternally grateful and thankful for everything the staff have taught me, which will help me so much in my career."

Georgios-Istvan Svanias

"One of the best things about studying at Brighton is the level of multiculturalism in the student body, which helps you to develop the intercultural competence that is so important in our field. Other strengths include the teaching, the facilities and the degree of industry contact.

"If you are considering studying tourism at the University of Brighton, I would say - do it! You will learn a lot. With the knowledge I have acquired, I feel able to choose where I want my career to go."

Lizzie Rumens

"I applied to the University of Brighton not only because of its reputation for tourism studies but because of the friendly, welcoming atmosphere I was greeted with when I visited on an open day.

"The course offered a high calibre of teaching and a broad range of subjects to study, and it helped me to gain confidence on a personal level. The placement year was a particular highlight, giving me a chance to develop practical skills and boost my career prospects.

"Although Eastbourne campus is smaller than Brighton, it has a great community atmosphere. I have earned a huge amount of knowledge while being here and also met some great people who I consider to be friends for life."