This course is still open for entry in September 2024 – please visit our Clearing and Late Application page.

Undergraduate

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

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

The experiential nature of this course will equip you with excellent management skills and the practical expertise needed to succeed in these vibrant industries, which will put you at the forefront of graduates, and open doors to a wealth of career opportunities.

Our location in Edinburgh is sure to enrich your learning experience: Known as “the festival city” and one of the world’s top tourist destinations, you have an abundance of hospitality and events venues right at your doorstep, which provide numerous opportunities for internships, field trips to distilleries and a wide range of other attractions, as well as part-time work and graduate career opportunities. You will also benefit from guest lectures from some of Scotland’s major tourism, hospitality, and events players.

The hospitality, tourism and events sector has experienced significant growth in recent decades, emerging as a significant contributor to both the Scottish and global economy, accounting for 1 in 10 jobs worldwide and supporting a substantial number of enterprises. The events sector in particular has undergone remarkable expansion over the last 20 years, encompassing everything from pop-up food fairs to high profile corporate events, trade shows and our own world-famous Edinburgh festivals. While Hospitality, Tourism and Events can be viewed as separate industries in some ways, they are also deeply interlinked in others, and throughout your course you will deepen your understanding of this through experiential learning, enabling you to put theory into practice. This involves the creative planning, delivery, and execution of live events, participating in a group walking tour, leading live business consultancy, and various others. Moreover, your 20-week paid industry internship will equip you with real-life experience that is sure to boost your employability.

 

Why QMU?

  • Be part of a Business School that aims to provide you with an exceptional teaching and learning experience designed to help you succeed: QMU’s Business School courses provides students with hands-on experiential learning (placements), provides the optimum balance of theoretical and practical approaches, and has strong industry links. We recognise the need for ethical, social and ecological responsibility in business, and our courses also offer an entrepreneurial focus. Our Business School is a member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools and we are a signatory member of The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).
  • 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.
  • Industry links: We have strong links with industry in Edinburgh and further afield. We regularly host guest lectures, either physically on campus or virtually, featuring experts from across the UK and even as far as the Caribbean. This not only enhances our teaching by offering you a well-rounded learning experience, but also provides you with networking and career opportunities.

Why study this course?

Queen Margaret Business School - Hands on Experiential Learning:

International Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management - 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 (internship)

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.

In the past, our students have undertaken internships in a diverse range of roles and with a multitude of businesses. Examples include acting as front of house at the Balmoral Hotel's One restaurant, contributing to the events departments of the Renaissance private member's golf club in Archerfield, adopting the role of an events planner for the tourism, events, and cultural department of the city of Vannes in France, and engaging in various responsibilities within HR departments across the UK, Europe, and the USA. These internships can be transformative experiences for our students, as exemplified in these testimonials:

 “I'm very grateful for this experience, I have learnt so much, met some amazing people and gained connections within the industry I want to work in, which opens up a lot of opportunities for me for the future.”

“I'm very happy with my internship and what I've learned and I'm still in contact with them. It also confirmed my career choice and that I'd really like to work in events/tourism and marketing.”

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 (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

Other costs

The additional costs associated with placement travel
and accommodation are the responsibility of the student. Students who receive SAAS funding may be able to claim for some of these expenses to be reimbursed. Several bursaries and scholarships are available to help with costs, such as the Moffat Trust, the Santander Universities Mobility Fund, the Vice-Chancellor’s & Student Development Fund or the Susan Smith IHTEM Student Development Fund.

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, HR, accommodation services etc.
Other graduates may choose to pursue careers in tourism management, either with tour operators, in national or local tourism bodies or at a variety of attractions.

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.

Our students are in demand, with many securing employment directly through their internships, campus networking opportunities, and independently with the excellent support of our on-campus career services. Our previous graduates have achieved remarkable success, now holding positions with global brands, which include:

  • Team Leader, Walt Disney World, Florida
  • Assistant Manager, Marriott Hotel, Hong Kong
  • HR Director, Dakota Hotels
  • Various roles at Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh
  • Event Sales Manager, The Dome, Edinburgh
  • Research Assistant, VisitScotland
  • Three Chimneys, Skye
  • Assistant Manager, Camera Obscura
  • Mercat Tours, Edinburgh

Additionally, some have pursued postgraduate studies at QMU and other universities.

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

Awarding body

QMU

Hospitality and Management expert commentator, Andrew McPherson

Course Overview

Delivery
On campus
Duration
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

Engage with the Team

Opportunities to meet us: open days and more

As well as open days, we offer campus tours and online events throughout the year to help you find out more about student life and studying at QMU.

Open days and other ways of meeting us: more information