Postgraduate Programs in Hospitality & Tourism Management

Postgraduate Degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management

Postgraduate, or graduate, degree programs in hospitality and tourism management provide insight into this thriving industry. These programs will discuss the nature of the industry from a markets and business perspective, as well as provide key competencies for a management role in a hospitality or tourism-related organization. 

Hospitality and tourism industry is among the fastest growing sectors worldwide, in terms of both employment opportunity and growth. Professionals working in the sector often go for postgraduate degrees in tourism and hospitality to advance their careers rapidly. Professionals with these degrees get employed in various hotels, restaurants, tourism agencies and resorts.

Postgraduate Studies in Hospitality and Tourism

Postgraduate programs that are specialized in hospitality and tourism are offered as master’s and Masters of Business Administration programs. Some common programs include:

• MSc in Ecotourism
• Events and Conference Management MA
• PGDip, PGCert in Hospitality Management
• International Event Management MA
• Hotel and Spa Management MA

Hospitality and Tourism - The Professional Sector

Statistics suggest that hospitality is one of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy. Since technological revolution is the new trend, it has also had a major effect on the hospitality sector. This space incorporates several different types of employers such as hotels, motels and tour operators, among which about 80% use the modern global distribution systems (GDS) and computer reservation systems (CRS). The number of jobs in the industry has been increasing exponentially in the last few decades. As a result, premier universities and acclaimed educational institutions provide professional training courses along with graduate and postgraduate programs.

Program Content

Many of the programs that are tailored to the hospitality and tourism industry can be aligned with concentrations and interests in certain business concepts or areas of the industry. Some common concepts covered in these programs are:

• Food and beverage management
• Operations Management
• Resort and spa planning management
• International Hospitality management
• Business communication essentials
• English Foundation essentials
• Business Market Research
• Facilities Design and Management

Program Format for Hospitality and Tourism Studies

Masters and other postgraduate programs are delivered both in traditional classroom settings and via cutting edge online programs, and some even combine the two. To maximize the practical aspects of he program, many programs include an internship period. Depending on the program and the student's area of interest, these internships may be held across many different sectors such as corporate retail, hotels, resorts and tour centers. Many universities also offer job placements for their graduates.

Career Prospects for Professionals in Hospitality and Tourism

Hospitality and tourism is a highly diverse professional sector with different career advancement opportunities for professionals with varied interests. Professionals with adequate experience in tourism will find jobs in different sectors such as accommodation, restaurants and bars, travel and tourism.

Employers that have a steady demand of new employees are hostels, hotels, restaurants, motels, resorts, serviced apartments, nightclubs, cafes, airlines, leisure centers and convention centers. Day-by-day the standards of customer service are increasing due to fierce competition for customers, and so the demand for professionals with postgraduate degrees and skills to satisfy the clients’ needs is higher than ever.