Master International Leisure, Tourism & Events Management course summary
The 1-year master’s programme in International Leisure, Tourism & Events Management focuses on sustainability, inclusivity and future-readiness in the industries. You use established theories, examine real-world cases and work with transition management so as to shape future developments.
The programme for International Leisure, Tourism and Events Management
You'll learn through different means, from seminars, workshops and lectures, to presentations, group assignments and guest lectures. As part of your studies, you will write a master’s thesis. Research classes will support you through the research process and you will be assigned a thesis supervisor and study coach.
Module 1 Social Behaviour
Explain tourism and leisure behaviours through various academic disciplines, including human geography, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies. Explore how various leisure industries (sports, events, tourism, recreation, arts and culture) contribute to shared prosperity and society. Shared prosperity has become a common goal in international developments and is a desired outcome of leisure, tourism and events.
Module 2 Experience Design
Work on a design challenge from the work field in small, creative teams. Explore the cause of the challenge, why it’s relevant, and what innovative and viable solutions are possible. Key to it all are the ways in which solutions contribute to the United Nations shared prosperity and sustainability goals.
You’ll use storytelling, technology and immersive experiences to create meaningful designs. The design challenges will inspire you to look in different ways at complex issues and develop solutions that really have impact.
Module 3 Transition & Risk Management
Analyse, interpret and reflect on developments in tourism, leisure and events and form visions that help the industry prepare for transitions and respond adaptively to risks. Work with the European Tourism Futures Institute on current, complex issues such as climate change, labour market challenges, over-tourism and other global challenges.
Module 4 Public Management
Delve into the complex world of public policy making in leisure, tourism and events. Critically analyse how policy is formed and how they are influenced in different contexts and at different levels. You’ll also discover how political ideologies influence policy decisions, how the balance shifts between the state and the market, and how the rights of citizens play a role in forming policy. You'll also learn to work with practical planning frameworks and tools in public policy making that will help you form a course for future-proof policy.
Modules 1 and 2 finish with a graded individual exam. The design challenges are group projects and graded as a fail, pass, good or excellent.
Minor electives
In the second semester, you can choose from five electives:
- Entrepreneurship & Innovation: Discover how to create innovative business opportunities in service-oriented enterprises. You will learn to leverage trends and emerging markets while developing a concrete business concept. The highlight of the module is a study trip to Italy, where you will present your solution to the CEO of Ciù Ciù Wine Academy.
- Female Leadership: Explore leadership in hospitality through the lens of female leadership. This module deepens your understanding of diversity, inclusion, and leadership styles, while helping you develop practical skills and design an intervention to promote more inclusive leadership.
- Critical Events Perspectives: Learn how events can transform people and places. You will analyse, design, and evaluate events, gaining hands-on experience during a major European business event.
- Contemporary Issues in Heritage & Tourism: Investigate how heritage contributes to tourism, leisure, and events. You will assess heritage in real-world contexts and participate in a study trip to Amsterdam or another European city.
- Critical Issues in Destination- and Hospitality Development (South Africa): Develop strategic and sustainable solutions for destinations, exploring how tourism can benefit local communities, preserve culture, and protect the environment. Experience these challenges in an international context.
Please note: Excursions and day trips are at your own expense.
Personal Professional Development
You will continue to develop your international professional network and career pathway, aligning your master’s dissertation or final project and chosen elective with your personal interests.
Master’s Dissertation / Research Project
After Semester 1, you will choose a topic for your master’s dissertation or research project. By that stage, you will have a strong overview of current issues and challenges within the sector, as well as a clear understanding of your own areas of interest.
At the start of Semester 2, you will take advanced research classes and workshops to support you in developing your dissertation or final project. For the master’s dissertation, you will conduct research, summarise your findings, and draw academically grounded conclusions in order to complete your dissertation. You will be supported by your dissertation or project supervisor.
Course Catalogue
Practical approach of Leisure, Tourism & Events 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.
As part of this master’s degree, you work on research projects from the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI). Most of the lecturers in the master's programme are also researchers at ETFI. You work specifically with ETFI in modules 1, 3 and 4.
Module 1: you learn about product development and innovation in leisure, tourism and events.
Module 3: you investigate what changes the tourism, leisure and events sector is set to undergo over the next two decades. These insights are essential in this fast-changing industry with constantly changing trends.
Module 4: you can choose to do an ETFI project as an elective subject to gain more experience in policy advice, market research, and consultancy.
NHL Stenden’s research groups bring together people from the industry and researchers from universities of applied sciences. Students are stimulated to be actively involved as they work on projects from the industry that are initiated by our research group. For this master, the European Tourism Futures Institute provides a rich research context with a professorship in Scenario Planning.
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