About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: N800
- Applications: UCAS
- Level: Undergraduate
- Tariff points: 300
- Department: Bristol Business School
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: Three years full-time; sandwich four years
- Delivery: Full-time, sandwich
- Study Abroad: There are opportunities for students to undertake a study year abroad or international placement year.
- Programme leader: Dr Tim Gale
Introduction
Our BA(Hons) Tourism Management course will help you acquire knowledge of major concepts and issues, research techniques and case studies in tourism, and of key business functions such as marketing and strategic management, within the broader context of contemporary concerns such as global environmental change, international trade and sustainable development. You will also develop and practise skills valued by employers, including written and oral communication, critical thinking and problem solving. At Bristol Business School we offer a curriculum that aims to challenge your ways of thinking, learning and behaving. Issues of ethics and ethical decision-making, sustainability and global citizenship are embedded throughout.
Key benefits
Practical courses designed for the real world
Our courses are developed and designed with employer input, using guest speakers and real life case studies and linking between subjects to allow you to see the bigger picture, all of which will help you to develop attributes essential for the real world.
Employability
Employability starts from the very first term with a module that requires students to start thinking about their future aspirations and what it means to be a tourism professional and also to develop a strong sense of self, supported by access to personal development workshops.
Included within the courses are transferable skills which facilitate the transition into higher education and underpin employability and lifelong learning. You will also have access to employability support through the UWE careers team, placement office, graduate development programme and a series of employer talks.
Placements
We offer you the opportunity to complete a forty week industrial placement between the second and final years of the course, as we know this experience can have a significant and positive impact on your degree classification and employment prospects. Students who have completed a placement do one fewer option module in their final year, giving them more time to focus on the remainder of their studies.
Alternatively, there may be opportunities to undertake a study year abroad where courses are taught in English. Students are selected for a study year abroad through a competitive process. Employers look favourably upon those students that have studied abroad as they are able to gain a global perspective, which is becoming even more valuable with increasingly globalised markets.
Structure
Content
You will study three modules in each semester. The first year of the course comprises an introduction to organisations, their management and the external environment in which they operate, together with modules focusing on the tourism business environment, the market process, and sources of business intelligence and other evidence to support decision-making. In the second year you will develop your research skills, as well as an understanding of consumer behaviour, managing and operating a range of tourism services (and starting up your own), and destinations and visitor attractions as the focus of much tourist activity. Students are encouraged to spend their third year on placement, and the curriculum provides support in this regard. The final year includes a major project and, by means of a diet of core and option modules, enables you to specialise in particular areas of interest (e.g. managing events and festivals). There are also modules on tourism development in global contexts and contemporary issues/future studies.
Year 1
Semester 1:
- Meeting the Management Challenge, including 'The Tourism Professional'
- Understanding Business and Financial Information
- The Tourism Environment
Semester 2:
- Understanding Organisations and People
- Understanding the Market Process for Marketing, Enterprise and Tourism
- Engaging in Critical Business Enquiry
Year 2
Semester 1:
- Consumer Behaviour and Professional Practice
- Cultures, Societies and Tourism
- Tourism Destination Management
Semester 2:
- Methods of Enquiry
- New Venture Creation
- Business of Tourism Management
Final Year
Semester 1:
- Final Year Project: choice of Business Enquiry or Enterprise or Work-based.
- Strategic Management
- International Development and Tourism
Semester 2:
- Contemporary Issues in Tourism, including Managing Change
- Two options OR one option plus credits from Placement year*
Option modules may include:
- Events and Festivals Management
- Tourism and the Environment
- The Economics of Developing Countries
- Sustainable Business
* Students who complete a placement year will do one fewer option module in their final year.
Teaching and learning
As a student on this course, you will get to study a series of thought-provoking and topical modules led by well connected and research active staff, participate in off-site activities designed to reinforce what you have learned in class and make use of our first-rate learning resources (both on campus and online).
Independent learning is a key aim. Lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials take up to 12 hours per week. You should expect to spend at least as much time again in reading, group/project work, practical exercises, library and other research activity, and in the preparation of assessed work and revision for end-of-module exams.
Our learning and teaching approaches are student-focused, with the emphasis on helping you to actively find things out for yourself. You will be expected to mix theory with practice, and academic rigour with an applied approach, so that you can appreciate the relevance and possible applications of the concepts you have learnt. To assist in this, you are encouraged to undertake a year-long placement in industry or a shorter period of work experience. There are also other opportunities to develop yourself and others, for example by becoming a Student Ambassador, a PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) Leader, or volunteering.
Assessment
You will be assessed through a combination of coursework and examination, designed to test not only what you know but also your ability to evidence graduate attributes that employers are looking for.
Coursework comes in many different forms, including essays and reports, business plans and applied research projects, portfolios and weekly diaries, group and individual presentations, and posters. You will also be required to reflect and comment on your own learning and personal development.
Special Features
Placements
We strongly recommend that you spend your third year on placement, as you will gain valuable work experience and have the chance to put theory into practice in a real business environment, as well as earning a salary.
This is a period of commercially related work experience in an organisation, usually in the UK but occasionally overseas. You may choose the type of work you do, but we encourage all students to apply for placements which are relevant to their studies and, if possible, match their career aspirations. Your placement will enable you to obtain valuable work experience and to apply knowledge and skills in a practical situation. Students in previous years have undertaken placements in organisations ranging from large multinational corporations to small businesses.
The School's placements team will support you in finding a placement, providing guidance on CV writing, applications and interview skills, as well as access to an extensive database of placement opportunities. Whilst working, the Placements office continues to support you and your progress is monitored by both your employer and the Business School. The portfolio you complete whilst working is a valuable resource to support your future employability and evidences your achievements in your placement. In your final year, you will complete a project based on your placement experience.
The fee for the placement year for 2012/13 starters is £1,125. The final year fee will then be £7,875.
Study year abroad
As an alternative to a placement year, there may be opportunities to undertake a study year abroad where courses are taught in English. Students are selected for a study year abroad through a competitive process. Employers look favourably upon those students that have studied abroad as they are able to gain a global perspective, which is becoming even more valuable with increasingly globalised markets.
GDP
The Graduate Development Programme (GDP) comprises a series of activities to help you develop the confidence and skills for academic success and employability.
Study facilities
Your learning is supported by the provision of high quality study facilities: an excellent library with a dedicated librarian, and online support to help you develop the information literacy skills essential in identifying and evaluating resources. We also have flexible learning spaces with wireless Internet access, breakout areas and sofas.
Careers/further study
Graduates are well placed to secure operational, managerial or policy development positions in tourism and related industries, working for a variety of employers ranging from multinational corporations such as the leading tour operators and hotel chains to small and medium sized enterprises, public authorities and non-governmental organisations.
Almost three-quarters of UWE Bristol Business School undergraduates from the UK who studied on full-time and sandwich courses went on to secure graduate level employment in 2010. This was in a very competitive job market and demonstrates the high level of employability of our students.
Further study is also an option, and many UWE Bristol graduates return to complete one of our flexible, innovative postgraduate and professional short courses - further enhancing their prospects of success and career satisfaction.
Graduate destinations
Find out what our graduates are doing six months after graduating - includes examples of careers, employers and further study. Download a PDF from graduate destinations.
Creating employable students
UWE places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and UWE initiatives which nurture talent and encourage innovation, students gain valuable real world experience and graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
See great graduate prospects for further information.
Be inspired
Read about some of the key jobs in the tourism sector.
Useful links
UWE - graduate occupations
Guardian - what to do with a degree in hospitality, retail, leisure and tourism
Prospects - careers in hospitality, tourism and sport
The UWE careers service provides guidance and support throughout your studies in addition to useful resources, CV checks, career coaching and details of current job vacancies.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 300
- GCSE: Maths and English Language at grade C or above required.
- Relevant subjects: Business, Geography
- Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths and English Language.
Advice on typical offers
In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about entry requirements.
Entry requirements
We welcome applications from students who do not have the entry requirements outlined. The university will consider applications on the basis of evidence of personal, professional and educational experience which indicates an applicant's ability to meet the demands of the degree.
Applicants with a relevant qualification at an appropriate level (e.g. a Foundation Degree, a Higher National Diploma or a Certificate/Diploma of Education in Tourism Management) can be considered for advanced entry. For more information, please speak to the Programme Leader.
International applicants
A large percentage of our student community is of international origin. We welcome enquiries from international applicants. Further information can be found on our international web pages.
How to apply
Please see the general information about applications.
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011