Hospitality Management course summary
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 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 in 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
The curriculum is roughly set up as follows: each year has 2 semesters of 20 weeks. During each semester, you will attend theory classes, work on a practical research topic (Design Challenge), and attend practical periods at our own hotel. At the end of the period, you will be graded on your course work.
An update has been made to the curriculum, making the dropdown structure below up to date. The study schedule will be replaced shortly.
Discover what hositality is all about and what is measn to create meaningful experiences.
Semester 1: Word of Hospitality
In this semester you are introduced to the world of hospitality by learning directly in a real operational environment. You develop essential skills, discover how departments work together, and experience how your work contributes to the guest experience. At the same time, you build your professional attitude, teamwork, and reflection skills, and gain insight into how hospitality organizations create value.
- Project work (Design Challenge)
- 3 x 2 weeks practical training
- Leadership development: self leadership
Semester 2: Creating meaningful hospitality experiences
In the second semester, you work in teams on a hospitality challenge from our 4* Notiz Hotel. You explore guest and stakeholder needs, develop and test solutions, and learn how meaningful hospitality experiences are created. You also strengthen your collaboration, self-leadership, and responsible decision-making skills, including ethical and sustainable awareness. By the end of the semester, you understand how hospitality creates value and how your actions influence guests, teams, and organisations.
In short:
- Project work (Design Challenge)
- 2 x 3 weeks practical training
- Leadership development: ehtical behaviour
Subjects:
Study load: 12 contact hours, 28 self study hours | 60 ECTS per year
The second year focuses on management and an entrepreneurial mindset within the hospitality industry. Throughout the year, theory and practice are combined. You develop at a supervisor level, meaning you learn to lead a team. This can be in the kitchen or restaurant, but also in departments such as Human Resources, Marketing, or Reservations. The semesters are offered in a mirrored structure:
Semester 3: Beyond Horizons
In this semester, you look beyond the boundaries of hospitality and your own field of study. Together with others, you work on innovative, human-centered concepts for real-world challenges. During field trips with industry partners, you gain inspiration and translate insights into creative and feasible solutions. You develop an entrepreneurial mindset and learn how to turn ideas into business innovation that creates value for people, society, and the planet. Through experimenting, testing, and improving, you grow your creative thinking skills and learn how to make impact with your own ideas.
- Project work (Design Challenge)
- Field trip
- Leadership development: team collaborationnt
Semester 4: Level up tactics
In this semester, you learn in hospitality to make the shift from doing to strategic and critical thinking. You take a step back, evaluate choices, and determine what truly matters instead of acting immediately. Success is not about working harder, but about making better decisions that have an impact on people, the planet, and the organization. By the end of the semester, you are able to view organizations from a broader perspective, make well-founded decisions, and work on solutions that create positive impact for guests, stakeholders, and the wider community.
- Project work (Design Challenge)
- 2 x 3 weeks practical training in ons 4* Notiz hotel
- Leadership development: critical thinking
Subjects:
Study load: 10 contact hours, 30 self study hours | 60 ECTS per year
You are in the final stage of the main phase and are making the transition towards graduation. In this semester, you go beyond simply applying knowledge: you demonstrate that you can work independently as a (starting) professional. You learn to research, analyse, make decisions, and justify them more effectively. During the practical weeks, you take on the role of a department manager, leading a team and, together with other managers, running the hotel. The semesters are offered in a mirrored structure:
Semester 5: Integrated Strategic Leadership
You work on real and complex challenges together with our industry partners. In doing so, you consider the impact of your choices, including sustainability and social responsibility. Through collaboration and reflection, you develop your professional attitude, leadership skills, and your ability to create value in an international environment. By the end of the semester, you are ready for your graduation year as an independent and responsible student who makes conscious decisions and can create impact.
- Project work (Design Challenge)
- 5 weeks of practical training in ons 4* Notiz hotel
- Leadership development: self steering professional
Semester 6: Elective minors
Hotel Management is a broad management programme, but in your third year you can choose to specialise or even broaden your scope more. You will follow two 10-week minors of your choice. This is your personal addition to the programme. See the paragraph Minors for more information.
Study load: 8 contact hours, 32 self study hours | 60 ECTS per year
In your final year, you will complete a 10-month internship in the Netherlands or abroad and conduct a research project: your Professional Product. You apply all the knowledge and skills you have gained within your internship company and your research project.
By combining practical experience with personal and professional development, you grow into a reflective, ethical, and innovative hospitality professional who is ready to help shape the future of the industry. By the end of this level, you are able to reflect on and draw from your own experiences, and you develop the ambition to continuously improve yourself and your organisation. This way, you stay ahead in a constantly changing industry.
60 ECTS per year
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
In your third year of Hospitality Management, you get to specialise by taking a number of minors. For example:
- Gastronomy (Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, Thailand 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.
Study schedule
Practical approach of Hospitality Management
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.
Korel's Grand Tour in Thailand
Kateryna's Exchange in Valencia
Ana-Victoria's internship in Boston
Course Catalogue
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.
