Undergraduate Programme Specification for B.A.(Hons) International Tourism Management

International Tourism Management is a new and exciting award offered by the Royal Docks Business School at the University of East London. The programme has a broad first year that introduces essential management disciplines as sets the context in which tourism related businesses and organisations operate. The programme is strongly focused upon the issues of sustainable tourism development and sets at the heart of its academic content the very key issues of international tourism movements and patterns. The award will investigate the implications of contemporary patterns, international travel and tourism for both developing and established ‘host’ destinations and the consequences for provider markets. In addition, the programme will investigate emerging areas of activity such as sport tourism and the impact the London 2012 Olympics will have on the local region. The programme draws upon expertise from within the Royal Docks Business School and includes a rich mixture of tourism specific subjects and a range of management studies applied to tourism. Subject matter includes those concepts, skills and knowledge relevant and vital to any tourism related businesses and organisations. These include

• An analysis of international tourism and travel industry organisations and markets
• Marketing of tourism destinations
• Reasons why consumers buy tourism products and services
• The management of tourism, cultural and heritage resources
• The impact of tourism the external environment

International Tourism Management offered at UEL differs from similar programmes delivered elsewhere in a number of ways:

First, the programme has embedded UEL’s distinct skills curriculum at each level of study. Thus it seeks to provide strong support for students and places a keen interest in developing student employability.

Secondly, the programme will be exclusively taught at the Royal Docks Business School’s state of the art campus located in the heart of Docklands within easy reach of the City. The Docklands campus is a unique site for the study of tourism, located, as it is, in the heart of the developments for the London 2012 Olympics which will be one of the world’s most significant tourist destination within five years.

Third, the programme also utilises expertise and from guest lecturers and visiting professors who are expert in the field and will offers numerous opportunities for field visits to tourism sites in and around London.

Fourth, The programme offers an optional year of work placement between years 2 and 3 as well as the option of studying a semester at a partner institution in Europe or the USA. If you choose the work placement option you can gain several advantages which should help your career development and which raises your ability profile.

The advantages of taking the work placement are:

• you can put into effect what you learnt in Years 1 and 2
• you can develop a network of contacts in your chosen area of the tourism business, thus enhancing again your employment opportunities when your studies are complete.
• you can gain valuable work experience in, and a wider understanding of, your chosen career route

The BA (Hons) International Tourism Management programme is offered as single honours, major, joint or minor award. The degree is normally studied over three years in the full-time mode or four and one half to five years in the part-time mode. It is possible to switch between modes, subject to timetabling constraints, although only a restricted range of modules are available in the evenings.

The International Tourism programme comprises eighteen 20 credit modules. In line with all business related programmes, the BA (hons) International Tourism Management shares a number of modules with other degree awards at UEL. This allows you to specialise in areas of interest and facilitates transfer to another award after level 1 of the programme.

The programme structure for single honours students is highlighted below. Breakdowns for Major, minor and joint programmes are found in ‘What you will study when’:

International Tourism Management (Single honours):

Modular Structure

A one-year sandwich placement is available between Level 2 and 3 to all students

The programme will be delivered exclusively at the newly opened Royal Docks Business School Building and at the UEL Docklands campus where you will use our Networked facilities. We will teach you how to maximise your potential and benefit from these powerful resources. In addition, student learning is supported via UELPlus, our virtual learning environment to develop skills for life.

Additionally you will develop proficiency in information researching using our extensive, subject specific, online databases and CD-ROM facilities.

We will encourage you to use presentation techniques such as Powerpoint and videos.

By using these Information Technology resources you will enhance your learning and increase your Information Technology skills. Therefore when you enter employment you will have a very wide range of skills that will enable you to effectively demonstrate and apply what you have studied on your degree.

• It is the policy of the Royal Docks Business School to include information on assessment criteria in Module handbooks
• Assessment is by a combination of many different types of coursework and examination.
• There are no formal examinations at Level 1 but there are some short time constrained tests.
• Your marks in level two and three modules will determine your final degree classification, level one marks are not used for this purpose.

Work placement

Between your second and final year you can gain valuable work experience by working full time in an organisation. You should note that

we assist you in finding a placement with a suitable organisation the placement is normally paid, thus reducing the financial burden of degree study.

There are several other major advantages of this placement:

• it enables you to practice the ideas you have previously learnt.
• when you return for the final year you will be able to critically analyse your study in the final year in the light of your own practical experience.

Before the placement year starts in semester A of Year 2 there are six taught sessions which cover Curriculum Vitae Writing, Sourcing a Placement, Presentation by Past Placement Students, Interview Skills, Written Applications and Health and Safety. The objective of these is to ensure that you are fully briefed on what you should expect on the placement year and how it should interact with and strengthen your studies and employability profile.

You may undertake a project at level three on a topic of your choosing. You will receive specific guidance on its preparation in modules taught in the proceeding semester, and at level two, so you will be well prepared!

You will also find that mini projects or group work exercises feature in some of the modules taught in the degree, throughout each of the three years

Studying for a degree is not just about acquiring knowledge but is also about developing a range of skills and confidence which are valued by employers. The programme is designed to help you develop knowledge, skills and experience. We will help you to reflect upon this and recognise how you have developed and what the evidence for this is. This will help you to present yourself in the best possible light to employers.

International development and how tourism contributes to social and economic change; tourism planning; concepts and impacts of sustainability, how international destinations are marketed and portrayed, the role global Non Government Organisations play in tourism development, be it in terms of environmental protection or tourism workers rights; if you are interested in sports tourism and how the Olympics will impact upon the London region, the management of tourism sites and destinations and their heritage; if you want to work in tourism in either the public, private or voluntary sector, then this programme is for you!

• Listening to, and working with others
• Finding solutions to problems
• The challenge of reading and thinking about, many different subjects from sustainability to marketing, from tourism planning to travel logistics,
• The challenge of understanding the links which may exist between many different subjects relative to International Tourism
• Thinking about how globalisation affects tourism business
• Working with others from different cultures

If you can answer yes to some or all of these then you will probably enjoy studying for the degree in International Tourism Management

The International Tourism Management programme is designed to combine with other programmes that run across UEL. As stated above, International Tourism Management can be combined as either a Major, Joint or Minor award when taken in conjunction with other awards. Typical combinations might include:

• Events Management
• International Politics
• Sociology
• Human Resource Management
• Accounting
• Marketing
• International Business
• Business Economics
• Anthropology

For details on possible combinations see the Combined Honours web pages at http://www.uel.ac.uk/combined/programmes/index.htm

Studying International Tourism Management with another subjects may increase the range of career choices open to you.

Talk to your careers adviser, they should be able to give you further advice or come and see us on an Open Day, the details of which you can find on our web page.

International Tourism Management is a vocational programme, with an emphasis on sustainable management. The programme is designed to help graduates designed to equip students with the skills sought by companies and organisations involved in tourism, culture, hospitality as well as other associated leisure and service sector industries. Tourism related revenue contributes annually some $3.6 trillion to the world economy, which is the equivalent to 8% of world exports and 11% of the world’s GDP. Currently over 200 million people are employed worldwide in tourism related employment; the equivalent of 8% of the global workforce. Together with the advent of 2012, there can be no doubt therefore of the existence of the market for this programme, which will provide numerous career opportunities for its future graduates in either the airline, hotel, catering, cultural or leisure industries. Tourism is then a growth sector of the economy, with many job opportunities ranging from managers, researchers, marketers, event managers, tourism planners, agents and promoters. Careers in tourism extend beyond tourism business itself and opportunities will exist in the voluntary and public sector, both in the UK and overseas.

(A) Introducing you to degree level study:

• we have designed the assessment and teaching processes throughout the first year so that you are progressively introduced to degree study
• we have developed a specific module in the first year that gives you the techniques needed for degree level study

(B) Academic and administrative support :

• our Undergraduate Student Centre which will be able to answer the queries you may have about the operation of your degree
• a personal tutor will be allocated to you for each year of study who can advise on academic matters and personal development planning
• the year tutor for your programme and/or programme leader can help if you have programme related issues you wish to raise

The Docklands Campus:

In September 2006, the Royal Docks Business School relocated to our new state of the art campus at the UEL Docklands campus. The campus boasts a large range of brand new student facilities including new, modern lecture theatres, IT labs and Library.

Field Trips

Tourism specific modules offered on the programme will include a range field trips to tourist sites in and around the London area. These trips will be used to highlight certain aspects of management practise and as examples of the application of tourism related concepts.

Study Abroad:

During your second year, in semester B, you can study in Europe, but be taught in English if you wish. We have links, with the benefits of additional funding direct to you from the EU Socrates Programme, with Universities in

• France,
• Italy,
• Germany,
• the Netherlands and
• Finland

where you will study courses which we have previously agreed, and the grades for which will count towards your degree classification.