Hospitality Management 3-year course overview
The degree in Hospitality Management challenges you to develop your talents and learn to be agile in a fast-paced and rapidly changing world. Right from the start, you turn your knowledge into action and learn essential skills on the job so that they become part of your nature. In addition to your final internship, you'll gain practical experience at our own 4-star Notiz Hotel, in our restaurant, and in our eateries and coffee bars on campus.
Through living labs and (international) projects, you grow into a human-centred innovator who creates and improves ideas that make a real difference for guests, teams, and society. You learn to think critically and act locally with impact. We challenge you to stay curious, flexible, and resilient. Because hospitality is not a fixed plan, but something you shape together every day. This is how you grow into a future-ready hospitality professional.
The programme for Hospitality Management
Years and semesters
You learn at your own pace which enables you to finish our Hotel Management programme in 3 years. The 3 year track curriculum is set up as follows: the first 2 years have each 2 semesters of 20 weeks. During each semester, you will attend theory classes, work on a practical research topic (Design Challenge), and attend practical classes at our own hotel. At the end of each semester, you will be graded on your course work you have gathered in your portfolio. In your third year, the end level, you will put all your gained knowledge and skills into practice during a 10 month hospitality internship.
Average study load per week: 14 contact hours, 26 hours of self-study
You will get to know the hospitality industry and find out who you are as a professional.
Semester 1: The Hospitality Operations Manager, including 3 x 2 weeks of practical experience at one of our own training companies
Semester 2:The Business Tactical Leader, including 3 x 2 weeks of practical experience at one of our own training companies
In the first semester The Hospitality Operations Professional. we invest in your personal development and support, so you can discover your unique hospitality DNA. This semester will teach you the basic skills required in the hospitality industry; it's a mix of theory and practice. You will discover the various operational aspects of running a hotel in our own 4-star Notiz Hotel, in the kitchen and restaurant but also in housekeeping and coffee outlets. You will also get your first Design Challenge: with a small group of students, you must come up with the best solution to a problem posed by one of our own training companies, such as Notiz Hotel or restaurant Wannee. By the end of the first semester, you will be able to create a welcoming environment for guests that they see as valuable, safe and sustainable.
In the second semester The Business Tactical Leader, your development is at the supervisory level, which means you'll be leading a team of first year students. This may be in the kitchen, but could also be in Human Resources, Marketing or Reservations. You will also get new Design Challenges: your assignment might be the development of a vegetarian fast-food chain or a climate-neutral hotel chain. From this moment on, you will be working with external partners in the service industry. At the end of this level, you will be able to contribute to the goals of the organisation by using your network. You know how to handle guests so that you can effectively respond to their needs and wishes, plus you make well-informed decisions that you can justify to the stakeholders. With your entrepreneurial mindset, you provide creative solutions that add value to the hospitality industry. The semester are:
General subjects include:
- Marketing and Storytelling
- HRM
- Psychology & Organisation
- Law
- Data analytics
Specific subjects include:
- Hostmanship
- Gastronomy and wines
Revenue management
Average study load per week: 12 contact hours, 28 hours of self-study
Your second year is all about your role as a professional and a global citizen. We continue to invest in your personal development and support, so you can become a game changer in the hospitality industry!
Semester 3: The Global Hospitality Game Changer, including 5 weeks of practical experience at one of our own training companies
< in no particular order>
Semester 4: (International) minors: two minors of 10 weeks or one minor of 20 weeks
The Global Hospitality Game Changer semester is about Strategic Hospitality & Change Management, Corporate responsibilty, Inclusive leadership and Applied Research. This semester is, again, a mix of theory and practice. Your development is now at the management level. This means that during the practice period you'll be leading one or more teams, as a chef or a marketing manager, for example, bearing full responsibility for the result. At this level, you will receive your last Design Challenge. In small groups, you will once again work on your assignment, provided by an external service industry partner. By the end of this year, you will be a flexible leader who is able to adapt to the situation at hand, a leader who is extremely effective at supporting and coaching.
General subjects include:
- Economics & statistics
- Research
- Information Technology
- Risk & Strategic
- Business English
Specific subjects include:
- 2nd modern language
- Simulation game
In the this level, you will also choose 2 minors from over 30 minors that best reflects your personality and ambition. Check out the Specialisations section at the bottom of this overview.
In your final year, you will make the transition from education to professional practice - a phase where learning and real-world experience come together. This is your opportunity to apply, deepen, and integrate everything you have learned throughout your studies: your knowledge, skills, professional attitude, values, and ethical awareness. You will complete a 10-month internship while simultaneously working on your thesis (Professional Product) for your internship company. By combining practical experience with personal and professional development, you will grow into a reflective, ethically aware, and innovative hospitality professional, ready to contribute to the future of the hospitality industry.
During your minors in year 2 you focus on a specific subject or expand your knowledge by taking an additional subject. This allows you to truly take charge of your education by ‘customising’ your course. Check here the total overview of the minors.
You can take these minors on the NHL Stenden campus in the Netherlands or at one of the NHL Stenden Grand Tour locations in South Africa, Bali or Thailand. You can also choose from minors offered by other courses and universities of applied sciences via an Exchange programme – this is all part of broadening your academic skills.
Study schedule
The degree at a glance
Download the brochure to get a really useful one-page overview of the curriculum with a description of the modules and a list of subjects per year, the study load and the ECTS you can earn. Use it to compare the programme with other studies you’re interested in.
Minors and specialisations for Hospitality Management
During your second level of Hospitality Management, you get to specialise by taking a minors.
During your minor you focus on a specific subject or expand your knowledge by taking an additional subject. This allows you to truly take charge of your education by ‘customising’ your course.
You can take these minors on the NHL Stenden campus in the Netherlands or at one of the NHL Stenden Grand Tour locations in South Africa, Bali or Thailand. You can also choose from minors offered by other courses and universities of applied sciences via an Exchange programme – this is all part of broadening your academic skills.
Read more about the options available and where you can take your minors in the section below on minors and specialisations.
- Gastronomy (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands and Italy)
Learn about the interaction between humans and their food and develop as an expert in gastronomy, knowledgeable about sensory interaction and capable of recognising and defining flavours in food and wine. - Food & Beverage Management (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands)
Offering in-depth knowledge of the food & beverage industry, the trends & developments, ethical and legal aspects and industry concepts, this minor is for future food & beverage professionals. It also offers a wine-tasting qualification. - Advanced Wine Studies (South Africa)
This minor challenges you to develop your palate so as to be able to evaluate and blind taste wine. It offers an intensive grounding in viticulture and vinicultural practices and prepares you for a Wine Masters qualification. - Event Management (all NHL Stenden branches)
This minor provides a realistic insight into the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions industry and what is needed to organise events successfully. Each location gives the minor its own twist to suit the local market. - Spa Business Strategy (Bali)
Focusing on how to develop, manage and sustain a spa business solution, this minor looks at strategies, insights into local markets and feasibility of creative concepts as well as understanding the holistic philosophies behind the spa industry.
Course Catalogue
Practical approach of Hospitality Management (3 year)
We aim to help you put theory into practice as quickly as possible. Through our educational concept, Design-Based Education (DBE), you work in small teams of students, teachers, researchers and industry professionals. You tackle current, real-life issues developing and adapting your visions and ideas to form a solid solution.
Kornel's Grand Tour in Thailand
Kateryna's Exchange in Valencia
Ana-Victoria's internship in Boston
Is this the degree for you?
If you're confident this degree is the one for you, then why not apply online straightaway? Or pick one of the other options to help you take the next step.
