International Hotel Management MA at University of Northampton

Successful hotel managers are often inspiring. They demonstrate professionalism, operational knowledge, leadership skills, strategic thinking and people management capabilities.

This course is designed to support your aspirations to be the next generation of international hotel managers, through an interactive learning experience that emphasises industry engagement.

This course has an Industry Placement Option.

Course Details

This course considers international hotel management at both operational and strategic levels and places a strong emphasis on developing the management skills and knowledge required to run a hotel. As part of the international courses you will develop an in depth understanding of the hotel industry and its place within the service sector. You will be encouraged to develop innovative solutions to real world problems and appreciate the need for delivering service excellence and exceeding customer expectations.

Input from representatives of the international hotel industry and opportunities to shadow members of the onsite hotel operations team will create a challenging environment in which you can analyse operational and strategic solutions to the running of the business. These Learning Partners will help you understand the nature and challenges of a real world business environment, preparing you to be an industry professional ready to tackle the world of work when you graduate.

This programme considers inernational hotel management at both operational and strategic level and places a strong emphasis on developing the management skills and knowledge required to run a hotel.  As part of an international cohort, students will develop a holistic understanding of the the hotel industry and its place within the service sector as a whole. Students will be encouraged to develop innovative solutions to real world problems and appreciate the need for delivering service excellence and exceeding customer expectations internationally.

Semester 1  The first semester introduces students to the international hotel management industry, considers its link to tourism and focuses on a range of  operational and strategic issues that contribute to sustainable competitive advantage.  Students will work on a range of live operational challenges within the hotel environment and reflect on their solutions and the implications for management.

Semester 2   Building on the input from the first semester, students will develop their critical thinking skills and focus on several strategic considerations that impact on the success of hotel operations globally.  Key areas include strategic marketing, service excellence and cross cutural management.

Semester 2 and 3  An area of individual research will be developed into a clearly defined and evidenced dissertation that demonstrates critical thinking and research at postgraduate level.  Guided by a dedicated subject specialist, students will collect, analyse and interpret a range of secondary and primary data, culminating in a 15-20,000 word dissertation.

Work Experience

Several of the modules have a vocational emphasis embedded within the assessment. The international hotel management and strategic marketing modules place specific emphasis on developing appropriate, timely and innovative management responses to day to day challenges.

Industry Placement Option

The industry placement enables you to develop your skills and knowledge in a real-world work environment, whilst completing an applied research project. This will give you an advantage over the competition for jobs and scholarships after you graduate and could be a good starting point for setting up your own consultancy business.

Your placement will need to be appropriate to your level of study and you should also be paid for this work. We will support you in finding and securing a suitable placement opportunity, however it must be noted that placements are highly competitive and there is no guarantee of a placement offer being made by an employer.

If you are unable or unwilling to progress with an industry placement, for whatever reason, you will have the option to transfer onto our Dissertation and Research Methods module in order to gain the required credits to complete your programme of study.

Methods of Learning

The course emphasises a small group teaching and learning experience that combines a range of methods including lectures, seminars, workshops, practical fieldwork assessment and online learning materials.  Each 20 credit module accounts for 200 hours of learning; with three hours of scheduled contact per week per module, with a strong emphasis placed on directed and self-directed independent study. All modules are taught within the academic calendar but the pattern of delivery may be flexible and will depend on the needs of the cohort.

Schedule

You will generally spend between nine and 12 hours a week in class. You will observe the work environment, and attending on-site visits and input from industry speakers may add to the timetabling requirements during the course of the year.  You will be encouraged to actively engage with all aspects the course.

Assessments

Assessments include: portfolios, video journals, debates, presentations, reports, essays and case study analysis.

Scholarships

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EU and International Scholarships

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