Undergraduate

International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management - BA/BA (Hons)

This BA/BA (Hons) in International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management course will provide you with the business management skills that the best employers in international hospitality, tourism and events are looking for.

Equipping you with excellent management skills and practical expertise, this course will put you at the forefront of these exciting industries and a wealth of career opportunities will await. 

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. You will also complete a 20-week internship that will boost your employability.

Why QMU?

  • Develop real world skills: This exciting new course enables students to develop real world professional skills that hold lasting value in the hospitality, tourism and events industry and beyond
  • Nurturing your soft skills: We celebrate and nurture critical soft skills that are now so highly valued by employers across all sectors, specifically - resilience, teamwork, problem solving, adaptability, work ethic and leadership
  • Range of employment opportunities: In offering a broader range of study areas within one degree, students can begin to future-proof themselves by having flexible graduate attributes applicable to a range of employment sectors.
  • Excellent support from staff: 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.
  • Staff experience and course relevance: You will be taught by active academics who are doing research in their own right. Some colleagues have recently completed their doctoral studies, and others are publishing in mainstream academic journals. Such engagement is key to the relevance of our courses, and helps equip staff and students with the background to make intelligent decisions about their future.
  • Practical experience: The 20-week internship will give you the optimum balance of practical and theoretical learning and boosts your employability.
  • Opportunities, awards and scholarships: Various funds will be available to help individuals take part in extra-curricular activities across the four-years. Funds also enable class 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.
  • Experience: QMU has over 125 years of teaching expertise in hospitality. 
  • Location and employment opportunities: As a capital city and top tourist destination, and one of the most famous events' cities in the world, Edinburgh offers many opportunities for part-time employment as a student and your career beyond graduation. 
  • High ranking: QMU is ranked in the top 4 of Scottish Higher education institutions for Hospitality, Event Management & Tourism in the Guardian University Guide 2024

Why study this course?

Queen Margaret Business School - Hands on Experiential Learning:

International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management - BA/BA (Hons): The course in brief

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

How will I be taught?

Structure

You can study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years. You will complete a range of modules each year as outlined.

Teaching, learning and assessment

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.

Placement

You will complete a 20-week internship in Year Two, in the UK or overseas. Academic staff will help you prepare for this invaluable real-world experience and we will set up interviews on campus to make finding the perfect host organisation as straightforward as possible. Several bursaries are available to help with costs.

Exchange opportunities

In Years Two or Three, you will have the opportunity to study overseas (subject to availability) for one semester. For more information, visit Exchanges and Study Abroad.

Teaching staff, class sizes and timetables

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

For more information, please also visit ‘How we teach and how you’ll learn’.

What will I learn each year?

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;
  • 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;
  • 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 2023) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2024. Please check back here for any updates.

International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management - BA/BA (Hons): Entry requirements and application information

Entry requirements

Scottish Higher: Standard - BBBC, Minimum - BCCC

A Level: BCC

Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H3 H3 H3

International Baccalaureate: 28 points

International: IELTS of 6.0 with no element lower than 5.5

Required subjects: Maths and English at Nat 5/GCSE level are preferred. We can also accept National 5 Application of Maths or Lifeskills at the same grade.

Am I a Widening Access student?: We apply the minimum entry criteria to applicants who meet one or more contextual factor. To see if this would apply to you, please refer to the access and application page.

Mature/Access: We welcome applications from mature students with relevant qualifications or experience. Visit our College Leavers and Mature Students Advice page for more information. 

Direct Entry:

Year Two

  • HNC: HNC in a related subject with B in the graded unit
  • Scottish Higher: BC at Advanced Higher in relevant subjects plus BB at Higher
  • A Level: BBB in relevant subject

Year Three

  • HND in a related subject with CB in the graded unit

For details of related HNC and HND courses, visit our College Leavers and Mature Students Advice page

Disability/health conditions

If you have a disability, long-term physical or mental health condition, or learning disability, it should not stand in the way of your studying at QMU. However, if you are not sure whether your disability might be a barrier in your studies or in relation to the professional standards, please contact the disability service who will be able to have a conversation with you about reasonable adjustments and supports available to you.

Terms and Conditions

The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions set out in our 2024/25 Entry Terms and Conditions (Undergraduate).

Career opportunities

This degree can provide an excellent stepping stone to the management training schemes of multi-national hotel groups, and towards junior management roles in areas such as food and beverage management, sales and marketing, accommodation services etc.

Other graduates may choose to pursue careers in tourism management, either with tour operators, or in national or local tourism bodies.

Those most interested in events will find roles in festival and events management, arts management, event logistics, conference production, sponsorship management and charity fundraising, as well as with hotel groups.

As hospitality, tourism and events are global industries, there are great opportunities for international travel at all career stages.

Awarding body

QMU

Want to be your best you? Study with QMU

Course Overview

Delivery
On campus
Duration
3 or 4 years full-time
Start Date
September 2024
Study Abroad
Yes
School
School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management
Fees & Funding
UCAS Code
N890
SCQF Level
10

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