Do you enjoy an exciting and dynamic environment? Can you keep your cool even under great pressure? Do empathy and a service-minded attitude come naturally to you? If this describes you and you also happen to enjoy meeting people from all over the world, you will find that the Hospitality Management programme at Hotel Management School NHL Stenden is perfect for you!
The hospitality sector is one of the most international fields and our hospitality programme reflects this. At our Hotel Management School you can choose to go on ‘Grand Tour’ and do parts of your study programme at one of our international campuses in Indonesia (Bali), Qatar, South Africa, Italy, or Thailand. You can choose to study at more than 150 partner universities of applied sciences worldwide and do your internship at one of the school’s 600 industry connections in 40 countries around the world.
Stenden Hotel Management School offers a world of opportunities.
This management course at Hotel Management School covers hospitality, gastronomy, catering, events, human resource, marketing, sales and finance. You will participate in an international study, so the language of instruction is English and your fellow students come from all over the world.
You will work on assignments from real companies from the first year. You often do this in small groups with guidance from lecturers with relevant practical experience. You will learn to adapt your strategies and ideas and develop skills such as leadership, cooperation and presentation.
You will also work in our own four-star hotel to experience how practice works, but where you will also learn to think strategically at an management level and conduct research. On the one hand you will learn theory about business management, for example, and on the other hand you will taste the most delicious wines during a wine class. In the third year you choose two international minors that suit you.
You will finish the programme with a paid internship of 10 months which enlarges your chances of getting a job and you could start working immediately. We have agreements with more than 300 companies in the Netherlands and abroad. Dynamic businesses who are eager to work with you.
This course amounts to a total of 240 ECTS.
EU: 15 January/15 August
Non-EU: 31 October/31 May More information
Why we need hospitality professionals now more than ever?
These are challenging but exciting times for all of us, holding many new opportunities for the future. A future, that calls for resourceful professionals who understand the dynamics of the hospitality industry, and dare to think out of the box to find innovative solutions.
A bachelor’s degree from Hotel Management School puts you on the fast track to a career in this global hospitality industry. You can choose from any number of career paths, ranging from a management position at a hotel or restaurant, theme park, conference centre or event planning company to business consultant or even start your own business. Your degree will open up a range of career opportunities worldwide!
As a professional in the hospitality industry, you will enjoy a high level of responsibility in a job that is never the same from one day to the next. With your professional knowledge and head for business, your job is to make sure everything runs smoothly, regardless of whether you’re managing a hotel, organising conferences, or managing a financial team.
Careers open to you after graduation include:
To be admitted to one of our 4-year bachelor programmes, you will need to meet the admission requirements as outlined in Dutch Higher Education law. For a 4 -year bachelor programme at NHL Stenden, you need a diploma that is at least equivalent to an NLQF 4/EQF 4 level (Dutch/European Qualifications Framework)* and comparable to the required Dutch diploma.
The Central Student Administration at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences carries out an assessment on every individual application to our 4-year bachelor programmes. It generally recognises the international qualifications listed here**
If the qualification you will obtain or have obtained is not listed as a recognised qualification, you may still be eligible to study at NHL Stenden and should also apply for the programme through Studielink. Your qualifications will be assessed by an Admissions Officer at the Central Student Administration (CSA) department at NHL Stenden once you have submitted your application.
If it is unclear what the equivalent level of your secondary school diploma is within the Dutch education system, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences will have your diploma evaluated by Nuffic, a Dutch organisation specialised in the assessment of international qualifications. For an indication of how your educational system compares to the Dutch system, please visit the Nuffic website.
* The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is a tool for understanding and comparing qualifications awarded in different countries and by different education and training systems. Its eight levels are described in terms of learning outcomes: knowledge, skills and competences. The levels of the Dutch Qualification Framework (NLQF) are linked to the levels of the EQF.
** All applications are assessed on an individual basis by the Central Student Administration (CSA) even if your diploma is listed as a recognised qualification. Although this document has been composed carefully by NHL Stenden, rights cannot be derived from this overview.
All non-EU/EEA applicants are required to submit an English proficiency test with their application to show that their English language skills are at a high enough level to succeed in their studies.
Exceptions can be made for students who have had their preparatory education in a country where English is the only official educational language.
If you are applying for a bachelor degree and hold a diploma from a European institution listed here, and English was included as part of the final exam curriculum, then the additional English language test is not required. The same applies to students who have attained General Certificates of Secondary Education (enough O and A/AS levels with the sufficient score), the European Baccalaureate Certificate, International Baccalaureate Diploma, or an IB career-related programme taught fully in English.
All other applicants need to submit a valid and adequate English language test result with their application.
NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences accepts four kinds of official language tests in accordance with the Code of Conduct International Student in Dutch Higher Education:
• Academic IELTS 6.0 ** (with an advised minimum of 5.0 for each skill)
• TOEFL 550 ** (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 80 (internet-based). Original test results must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to NHL Stenden. The TOEFL institution code for NHL Stenden is C652.
• Cambridge ESOL score FCE-C (169, or higher).
• TOEIC *670 (Listening and Reading) and 290 (Speaking and Writing).
*We only accept TOEIC® certificates from public programs and not from institutional programs. Public programs are organized in public centers and delivers an official score report which is recognized worldwide.
** IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC certificates more than 2 years old (at the start date of the study), will not be accepted.
View the comparison of the different scores.
Please note: If you do not yet have the necessary level in English, you may enrol in our Preparatory English Language Course.
You are required to write a motivation letter (300/400 words) based on the following guidelines:
Did you previously follow a programme in the field of hospitality, or do you have experience in this area? Then you can qualify for a shorter programme. For more information, please contact sabahattin.yucedag@nhlstenden.com
Students with an appropriate high school level diploma (entry level for academic universities) might be able to follow a Three Year Track Programme.
If you are from Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao and you have a Dutch passport, please contact femke.beeren@nhlstenden.com in order to start your application process.
If you are from Aruba, Bonaire, or Curacao and you do not have a Dutch passport, then please follow the application procedure a described.
If you are looking to specialise after four years of study, we recommend that you enrol in the master’s programme in International Hospitality and Service Management.
Design Based Education (DBE) is NHL Stenden's educational concept. This means that studying at NHL Stenden is about more than just attending lectures. On the contrary, we encourage you to explore what happens in real life. You will be tackling current, real-life issues while working closely with your fellow students, organisations and businesses. You will gain practical experience at our own 4-star hotel Notiz. Over the course of the study programme, you will grow from the operational to management level.
Semester
The curriculum is roughly set up as follows: each level has 2 periods of 20 weeks [semesters] or 4 periods of 10 weeks. During each period, 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 the period, you will be graded on your course work.
Levels
Instead of academic years, our curriculum has levels. You learn at your own pace, which may take longer or shorter than a year. If you already have experience in a certain area, through work or study for example, you can start at the next level.
Average study load per week: 12 contact hours, 28 hours of self-study
At the first level, you will get to know the hospitality industry and find out who you are as a professional. We invest heavily in your personal development and support, so you can discover your unique hospitality DNA.
This level 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 hotel Notiz, from cooking in the kitchen to cleaning the rooms. 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 level 1, you will be able to create a welcoming environment for guests that they see as valuable, safe and sustainable.
General subjects include:
Specific subjects include:
Average study load per week: 10 contact hours, 30 hours of self-study
The second level focuses on management and entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry. We continue to invest in your personal development and support, giving your talent room to grow. You will do two of the following semesters during the second level, and one during the third:
The second level is a mix of theory and practice. Your development is now at the supervisory level, which means you'll be leading a team. 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 level 2, you will be able to contribute to the goals of the organisation using your network. You know how to handle guests so that you can effectively respond to their – unspoken – 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.
General subjects include:
Specific subjects include:
Average study load per week: 8 contact hours, 32 hours of self-study
The third level 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! On the third level you do one last semester from the following options: strategic hospitality management, enterprise hospitality leader, or responsible global citizen. You will also choose a minor from over 30 minors that best reflects your personality and ambition.
The third level, again, is a mix of theory and practice. Your development is now at management level. This means you'll be leading one or more teams, as a chef or a marketing manager for example, bearing full responsibility for the end 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 level 3, 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 teams.
General subjects include:
Specific subjects include:
To reach the end level you must do a 10-month internship, at home or abroad. You must also do a graduation project. During your internship, you will integrate all your roles, effectively turning into a strategic manager. We continue to invest in your personal development and support, so you can become a game changer in the hospitality industry! By the end of this level, you will be able to reflect and draw on your own experiences. Your ambition is to keep improving, both yourself and your organisation – that is how you stay ahead in this ever-changing industry.
Classes at the International Hospitality Management programme cover all facets of management. In your third and final year, you will have the option to specialise by taking a number of minors: these are electives in which 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 at the Leeuwarden branch or at one of the NHL Stenden branches located in South Africa, Thailand, Qatar or Indonesia (Grand Tour). You can also choose from minors offered by other courses and universities of applied sciences – this is all part of broadening your academic skills.
A selection of minors offered by the NHL Stenden Hotel Management School:
As part of its Real World Learning programme, Stenden Hotel Management School owns and operates various Learning Companies that are affiliated to the various courses and are open to students enrolled in these programmes. Run by students and supervised by industry professionals, the Learning Companies are designed for students to apply in practice what they learned in the classroom while at the same time gaining experience in interacting with customers on a day-to-day basis.
As a student of Stenden Hotel Management School you have various international opportunities. You can choose to go on Grand Tour and follow parts of your study at one of our international campus sites in Thailand, South Africa, Qatar or on Bali.
Some facts and figures:
Instead of Grand Tour you can also choose to go on exchange and spend a semester (your specialisation minor) at one of the 190 partner institutions of NHL Stenden. From Amerika to Australia you have a world of opportunities.
Next to Grand Tour and Exchange, you can decide to follow your internship at one of our 600 internship companies worldwide. Our own placement office offers internship possibilities in more than 40 countries.
All NHL Stenden programmes are working towards a system of Design Based Education (DBE), which puts co-creation with professionals in the field front and centre. You will be working in small teams of students, teachers, researchers, and industry professionals.
With Design Based Education (DBE) you will have a big influence on your own study route. You will work in small groups with students of different study programmes on real-life issues. You will choose tasks, experiment and test solutions in the national and international market. It is all about learning by doing. Good feedback from peers, clients and teachers will help you to reach the best possible solution.