International Hospitality Management MA
Course code: MN2BB (required to complete application form)
The Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME) reports that qualifications have a strong impact on the career development of managers, and as these roles in hospitality organisations become more complex, the nature of the management role will increasingly require the skills and knowledge that a Masters degree can develop.
Our MA International Hospitality Management online has been designed to meet the needs of a dynamic international industry, equipping you with practical and relevant skills, which combined with your existing experience, can help you to advance your career within the industry.
Theory and skills for direct application
You'll gain an understanding of operational, tractical and strategic issues, coupled with the necessary management tools which will allow you to apply theories directly to your workplace situation.
As all of your resources are online, you have the flexibility to fit your study periods around your existing work commitments and shift patterns. Course modules still operate within a fixed semester or term time, but you can choose to study during the day, in the evenings or at the weekend rather than having to attend fixed lectures. Through webinars and online discussion forums, you will connect with your online tutor and fellow students from around the world to discuss and debate key topics and share experiences within this dynamic industry.
You'll develop skills and awareness of the role of the various management functions, as part of the total business structures in a variety of organisations. This will include an understanding of globalisation and the impacts of a multicultural workforce which can present organisational and operational challenges as the concepts of service quality and customer satisfaction change rapidly in the market place.
Course Length:
upto 6 years
Start Dates:
From September 2013
Entry Requirements:
You will need an appropriate undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification, a professional qualification or a significant portfolio of work at an appropriate level.
Fees:
| Per module | Modules | Total | Start | |
| UK/EU | £660 | 9 | £5,940* | Sept/May |
| Overseas | £760 | 9 | £6,840* | Sept/May |
* Prices correct for 2012/2013 intake period. Subject to annual increase in September 2013.
New flexible payment plans available
Choose from three options:
- Pay only for the modules you are studying
- Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases
- Pay for all modules studied in the year and receive a 5% discount (September enrolment only)
Career Information:
There is demand from the industry for postgraduates at Masters Level who have the relevant quantitative and qualitative skills, business and researching skills and strategic capability.
This programme is designed to provide you with these skills, and the knowledge to enhance your career prospects, particuarly if you are looking to progress into management or senior management roles within the hospitality industry.
By taking advantage of the opportunities throughout this degree to apply new knowledge in a variety of contexts, you will be building additional credence to your CV. The degree is an excellent means of professional development.
Course Leader:
Student Profile:
Career Information
There is demand from the industry for postgraduates at Masters Level who have the relevant quantitative and qualitative skills, business and researching skills and strategic capability.
This programme is designed to provide you with these skills, and the knowledge to enhance your career prospects, particuarly if you are looking to progress into management or senior management roles within the hospitality industry.
By taking advantage of the opportunities throughout this degree to apply new knowledge in a variety of contexts, you will be building additional credence to your CV. The degree is an excellent means of professional development.
Modules
Stage 1
Core Module
During this double module you will identify, articulate and evidence your learning and development in the workplace. Central to this, is application, assimilation, attitude and providing answers – practices that are central for business leaders and professional specialists. The aim of this module is to connect together separate management disciplines and understand the connection between academic theory and research and its practical application in the workplace.
You will cover the following areas:
- The effects of globalisation on the movements of labour
- Global socio-demograpic/economic trends in the service sector
- Changes in employment practices and the skills and knowledge that employers are seeking from employees
- Analysis of the future labour market and the different patterns of working
- Analysis of board reports
- Methods of conducting evaluation and analysis of a problem in an idenfitifed organisation
- Knowledge about organisations, their external context and how they are managed
- Relationships and interactions between different areas of the business organisation
- Current issues in business and management
- Appropriate management techniques relevant to business and management issues
- Practical understanding of established techniques of research and enquiry used to develop and interpret knowledge in business and management
- Use of data and information analysis to evaluate new situations
- Relevance and validity of published research to new situations and their use to identify new or revised approaches to practice
- The role of entrepreneurs
How will I be assessed?
It's 100% coursework. This includes an oral presentation, 4,000 word report and 500 word reflective statement.
Credits: 40
Core Module
This module is designed to enhance your knowledge and understanding of service quality, customer satisfaction and the measurement of these within the hospitality industry. You will learn how to apply the concepts of service quality and customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry and critically review the methodologies for assessing service quality and customer satisfaction.
You will cover the following topics:
- Introduction to service quality and customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry
- Defining service quality
- Defining customer satisfaction
- Models of service quality and customer satisfaction
- The issue of comparison standards for assessing customer satisfaction
- Measuring the reliability of the service quality scores
- Measuring the validity of the service quality scores
- Interpreting and reporting the customer satisfaction results
- Managing and marketing quality and satisfaction
- Customer relationship management and customer loyalty
How will I be assessed?
It's 100% coursework. You will need to produce a 4,000 word report.
Credits: 20
Stage 2
Core Module
You will develop your understanding of the role, objectives and activities of operations and project management and look at examples and case studies from a variety of organisations, with an emphasis on the operations and project strategy.
You will be able to critically evaluate the functional role of operations in an organisation and its strategic importance and provide a critical analysis of an operational plan for a hospitality organisation.
Topics you will cover include:
- Introduction to and overview of Operations Management, starting with some core definitions, models and frameworks
- Strategic objectives of operations management, operations strategy, operations development and improvement, evolution of operations management
- Lectures on design in operations management.
- Key techniques used in Operations Management eg forecasting, planning and control and project management.
How will I be assessed?
It's 100% coursework. You will need to produce a 4,000 word written report.
Credits: 20
Core Module
You will develop your knowledge of the range of disciplines that inform the ways in which people interact with and engage in places, cultures and tourism and hospitality services. By having an understanding of the variety of associated concepts and research issues, you will develop the critical analytic skills you will need to investigate and critically evaluate research findings.
Key topics you will cover include:
- Philosophical orientations to research within tourism, hospitality, spa and events, including ontological, epistemological considerations
- Reflection upon the perspectives from which traditions of research in tourism, hospitality, spa and events have developed, including; anthropology, sociology, psychology, management studies; physical, human and cultural geography, and cultural studies
- The nature of research design and critical design issues in tourism, hospitality, spa and events research
- Generating research questions from epistemological and disciplinary perspectives
- Research design in tourism, hospitality, spa and events studies
- Research strategies and the relationships between strategy selection and end-users.
How will I be assessed?
It's 100% coursework. You will need to produce a 4,000 word report.
Credits: 20
Core Module
This module will challenge the notions of strategic thinking within the global market place. You will consider reasoned, achievable, strategic plans and their implementation in the context of the challenges posed to industries by globalisation and changes in the production and consumption of services.
On completion of this module you will be able to provide a critical evaluation of current business strategic thinking within the service sector, and apply current strategic thinking to a given business problem.
Topics you will cover include:
- The end of the process modelling strategic planning function
- The identification and analysis of operational issues that often conflict with traditional strategic modelling
- The choices inherent within marketing, HR and growth strategies, and the factoring of risk and scenario analysis
- The impossibility of identifying real strategic trends within the market and providing responses to the changing needs and expectations of the consumer
- The ethical dimension of strategic planning and implementation
- The ethnocentric debate within the industry in terms of people management and consumer trends
- Metaphors of strategy and images of people within organisations
- The S.I.L.K road approach to organic strategies
How will I be assessed?
It's 100% coursework. You will need to produce a 4,000 word report or essay.
Credits: 20
Stage 3
Core Module
During this triple module you will develop your analytical and critical skills while investigating, in detail, a services sector topic of your choice. This is a major piece of individually researched work which will enable you to define and set clear research objectives, derived from an issue or problem related to an aspect of your studies. You will also be able to demonstrate a critical awareness of the literature relating to a chosen topic, issue or field of study.
The key topics you'll cover include:
- A consideration of the topic selected including a justification or rationale for the study, including project aims, and the scope of the research
- A critical review of the relevant literature
- A consideration of the methodological issues underpinning the choice of research methods. Description of the methods of data collection and analysis undertaken and consideration of alternative strategies
- A period of data collection, and critical analysis
- Analyses of research findings in the light of the literature
- Some concluding statements and/or recommendations
- Recording and reviewing each step in the process by creating an electronic diary for the benefit of the student and employer as an adjunct to the student resume or CV.
How will I be assessed?
It's 100% coursework. You will need to produce an individual piece of work in consultation with your programme leader of between 15,000 and 20,000 words.
Credits: 60
You will need an appropriate undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification, a professional qualification or a significant portfolio of work at an appropriate level.
Apply Now
Applications for Online courses are made through the main University of Derby website.
By clicking on "Apply now" below you will be redirected to the University of Derby website to continue your application process.
Fees
| Per module | Modules | Total | Start | |
| UK/EU | £660 | 9 | £5,940* | Sept/May |
| Overseas | £760 | 9 | £6,840* | Sept/May |
* Prices correct for 2012/2013 intake period. Subject to annual increase in September 2013.
New flexible payment plans available
Choose from three options:
- Pay only for the modules you are studying
- Pay your full course fees upfront and avoid annual increases
- Pay for all modules studied in the year and receive a 5% discount (September enrolment only)
Print this page