MSc Hotel & Food Services Management

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Part-Time, Sandwich (Thick) out of college.

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We are one of the top universities in the world for the study of tourism and hospitality, ranked 2nd in the UK (8th in the world) for hospitality and leisure management according to the QS University Rankings 2018 and 2nd in the UK (12th in the world) for hospitality and tourism management according to the Shanghai Rankings of Academic Subjects 2018.

This Master’s degree is intended to provide you with an advanced understanding of the hotel and food services industries and a managerial perspective of how to run such organisations. It is a conversion course – meaning it is intended for students who have not studied the subject previously – and is ideal for graduates who would like to change subjects or career direction.

It is anticipated that after completing this course, you’ll have the capacity to be involved in more analytical, developmental and strategic perspectives of the industries and will develop insights into the issues affecting these industries than at undergraduate level.

The emphasis of this course is on accommodation management, food & drink, and the food service sector. As such, this is a course with an operational management focus, although it will also provide you with the opportunity to identify and engage with selected areas of specialism within these industries such as revenue management, IT applications, and human resource management.

You will also have access to a wide range of extra curricula activities and qualifications, such as our visiting speakers programme including representatives from Hilton International, Shangri-la Hotels, Fairmont Hotels, Le Manior aux Quat Saisons and many more. You will have the opportunity to attend our annual hospitality student conference and to undertake added value courses such as the Wine and Spirits Trust Award, trips to the World Travel and Tourism Market, London and to participate in the HOTS Hotel Simulation package.

Gain a more detailed insight about this course by watching our online presentation delivered by Senior Lecturer, Dr Susanna Curtin.

*Statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) and BU institutional data, unless otherwise stated.

Key information

Next start date:

September 2019, January 2020

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

September: 1 year full-time (16 months with optional study exchange). January: 16 months full-time (18 months with optional study exchange), 2 years with optional 30-week work placement or 2 years part-time

Accreditations:

United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)

Required subjects:

All subjects considered

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 or equivalent in any subject. If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component of writing, speaking, listening and reading. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Accredited by:

Course details

If you want to study part-time, you’ll study alongside full-time students over two years. You’ll be expected to study a minimum of three units per year, along with your dissertation towards the end of your second year.

The timetable for when units take place varies each year but the typical delivery for one unit is four hours a week, split between two sessions, so you will be required to be on campus at least two days a week. We can work with you to consider the timetable and make an appropriate individual plan in terms of which order to study which units.

Download the programme specification (pdf 194 kb)

Core units

The Tourism & Hospitality Industries: This unit will provide you with a comprehensive appreciation of the tourism and hospitality business ecosystem. Based on Leipier’s tourism system, the module analyses the value chain of the industry and examines the role of each stakeholder in the tourism and hospitality value system and identifies linkages, interrelations and collaboration requirements. The unit will be delivered through a series of industry guest lectures.
Food Production & Innovation Management: The unit is designed to extend your critical knowledge and understanding of food and consumer sciences and food chain management, with some emphasis on nutrition. You will be introduced to food production with a focus on global issues in food. It will also provide you with the relevant detailed knowledge on innovation management in the food service industry.
Food Operations Management: The dynamic and complex environment of the food industry requires managers to be able to manage effectively the core part of the business which is the operations function. This unit seeks to address the issues which distinguish food operations from those in other fields. It will also provide you with the opportunity to practice operational management skills and apply theoretical concepts in a food context.
Global Food & Drink: The unit will provide an in-depth analysis of the role of food and drink in the international hospitality, tourism, retail and events business environment. An understanding of the nature of our relationship with food socially, economically, politically, environmentally and in terms of technology is a valuable addition to other strategic and operational areas of expertise.
Business Strategy & Finance: The foundations of strategic analysis and choices that tie into an organisation’s business decisions. This includes private, public and third sector. You’ll study the corporate finance sources of organisations, reporting and interpreting financial data. This will help you understand the dynamics of the tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors.
Destinations: Contexts for Tourism & Hospitality: Placing the tourism destination at the heart of discussion, this unit explores the physical, conceptual and administrative spaces in which tourism and hospitality activities occur, and as such provide the context for an exploration of the complex and interrelated activities of tourist activities. The unit will be international in nature, drawing on examples and practices from developed and developing nations.
Dissertation: An opportunity to study a subject in-depth, showing your understanding of it. The dissertation is the conclusion of your learning experience, where you’ll carry out a research project. You’ll use appropriate research methodology to collect and analyse data and present your findings. Your dissertation will be 15,000 words, and you’ll be taught about research methods.

Option units (choose one)

Air Transport & Tourism: The aim of the unit is to develop your awareness of the role of aviation management in the successful planning and development of international tourism. It will evaluate the potential barriers to continued growth and explore the conflicts and challenges of meeting both economic and environmental targets, highlighting the contribution of aviation to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
Conference Tourism: Here, you’ll reflect on the conference sector’s growth, and examine its present state by identifying the size, value, trends and growth of major conference destinations throughout the world. You’ll also suggest how destinations and venues can develop a better conference product.
Crisis & Disaster Management: You’ll develop a systematic understanding of the unique needs and critical resources that exist within key sectors and activities of Tourism, Hospitality and Events. You’ll complete a number of strategic and tactical planning exercises aimed at addressing the need to integrate tourism and events within risk reduction, response and recovery strategies.
Design for Tourism & Hospitality: This unit addresses the role and significance of design in and for the tourism and hospitality industries at the level of individual businesses and organisations or sites and events. It considers the design of tangible and intangible objects or ‘things’ such as buildings (exteriors and interiors), maps and guides, souvenirs, live events, corporate identities, business processes, and servicescapes.
Entrepreneurship: The process of creating a new entrepreneurial venture, and funding sources for new and upcoming entrepreneurs. There’s a focus on identifying and evaluating entrepreneurial opportunities. Entrepreneurial development may cover a single entity, a further investment by a portfolio entrepreneur, a management buy-out, a spin-out or a venture in an existing organisation.
Food Design & Marketing: You will develop an understanding of the broad context of food design and marketing. The unit focuses on food in terms of its aesthetics, the processes and tools used in, and the spaces where food is, prepared, distributed and consumed and how these are promoted and communicated to the consumers with an emphasis on consumer behaviour towards food.
Tourism & the Media: This unit will develop your ability to critique and apply media theories, practices and discourses in relation to tourism.
Tourism Culture & Society: The unit explores the principles, concepts and practices of tourism from the perspective of social science and cultural studies theories. More specifically, the unit discusses the contributions of social science disciplines in understanding the multiple dimensions and manifestations of tourism globally.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Optional work placement

The placement is intended to foster personal and professional development, and to help you to make a connection between academic learning and the working world.

You should consider how a range of management theories can be used, and if management in industry could be improved. The transferable skills developed will improve your performance in your future career, both as employee and manager.

Optional study abroad

Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity to experience a new country and culture while continuing your degree. If you choose the study abroad option, you will complete a semester (around 3 months) overseas at one of our partner institutions.

If you start your course in September, you will complete semester one and two at BU then finish for the summer break. You will start the study abroad option in September of your second year, at the same time as completing your dissertation and complete the course in January of the second year.

If you start your course in January, you will complete semester one, break for summer and then complete semester two at BU. You will start the study abroad option in January of your second year, at the same time as completing your dissertation and complete the course in July of the second year.

You can choose to study abroad or take the optional work placement but not both.

Find out more about studying abroad.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Placement opportunities

An exciting and valuable part of your studies with us is the opportunity to gain valuable experience through full-time paid industrial placements, for a minimum of 30 weeks.

You will have the option to start your placement when the taught units of the course are finished, before you start your dissertation.

Find out more about placements for postgraduate students

What job roles can you expect?

What support is available?

We provide a lot of support for you to help you find work, including a block of seminars, covering topics such as writing a CV and a covering letter, completing an application form, performing well in interviews, and we also provide language support to assist you with the written elements of your applications.

However, it is ultimately your responsibility to find work. The university does not guarantee that you will find a place. As you all probably know, it is hard work finding a job, and for this reason, many students change their mind once they are here, and choose a taught unit instead of doing the placement.

During your time on placement you will be supported by a unit tutor and a placement development advisor who will visit you on placement and keep in touch by phone and email.

International students

If you choose to do a placement as part of your course:

If you have previously studied in the UK, we will consider any study limit that may apply. We will issue your CAS according to the length of time you are entitled to under UKVI regulations (if you do not have enough time left for a work placement year, we will issue your CAS to cover your course dates only).
If you decide after you have enrolled on your course that you do not want to do a placement, this will be reported to the UKVI when you have successfully completed your course.

If you choose not to do a placement as part of your course:

We will note this on your CAS and your visa will only be granted long enough to cover your taught course, excluding placement.
If you change your mind while you are here and decide you want to do a placement, you will need to leave the UK to make a new Tier 4 visa application for the additional year of study. You would need to pay for your return travel back to your home country, as well as the cost of a new Tier 4 student visa application.

Your application

What we’re looking for

For Hotel and Food Services Management we are looking for applicants who:

Have a real passion for the hotel, food and drink and food service industries
Love working in a multicultural, internationally diverse, customer-driven environment
Are keen to learn about how the industry works and cutting-edge thinking and practice
Have the motivation to undertake an academically challenging, well-focused and enjoyable postgraduate programme.

Selection methods

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject, or equivalent.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow – some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry Team for more information.

International entry requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component of writing, speaking, listening and reading or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

You can also find further details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our postgraduate entry requirements page.

Careers

This course will provide you with the opportunity to identify and engage with specialisms within the revenue management, IT applications and human resource management industries.

Graduates from this course have found a range of positions in international hotel groups and food service organisations in the UK, the USA and in their home countries (such as Thailand, China and India).

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find information on living costs for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional cost

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.

Repeat units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of
your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Heather Hartwell – Professor

Heather is the Programme Coordinator for MSc Hotel & Food Services Management and teaches on the ‘Food Operations Management’ and ‘Food Production and Innovation’ units.

Heather is a registered nutritionist and a member of the Nutrition Society. Heather is currently leading a Pan-European project that aims to promote vegetable consumption among adolescence and elderly in Denmark, France, Italy and the UK. VeggiEAT is an industry-academia partnership led by Bournemouth University with academic partners Aalborg University and the University of Florence and industrial/SME partners Bonduelle and the Institut Paul Bocuse Research Centre.

In addition Heather is on the scientific board of the Institut Paul Bocuse, France, where she contributes to the strategic direction of their world renowned research centre.

View Heather Hartwell’s staff profile

Dr Viachaslau Filimonau – Senior Lecturer

Viachaslau Filimonau is a Senior Academic in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality. Viachaslau’s current research interests include sustainable mobility patterns, environmental management practices in tourism & hospitality enterprises and pro-environmental consumer behaviour.

Viachaslau holds a BSc degree in Geography, an MSc degree in Environmental Management and Policy, and a PhD in Tourism.

View Dr Viachaslau Filimonau’s staff profile

Dr Sean Beer – Senior Academic

Sean Beer is a Senior Academic with a passionate interest in the interaction between tourism, culture, food, the countryside and the food supply chain. He has considerable practical experience in hospitality, agriculture, marketing, the food supply chain and the rural economy in general, gained in family businesses and the food industry, local and international.

His principal research interests include the food supply chain, consumer behaviour, rural business, society and development. On the MSc Hotel and Food Service Management degree he leads the core ‘Business Strategy and Finance’ and ‘Global Food and Drink’ units.

View Dr Sean Beer’s staff profile

Dr Lorraine Brown – Associate Professor of Tourism

Lorraine Brown is Associate Professor of Tourism. She has research interests in qualitative methods, the experiences of female tourists, literary tourism, and the relationships between tourism and memory.

On the MSc Hotel and Food Service Management degree she leads the placement and dissertation units, and also teaches research methods.

View Dr Lorraine Brown’s staff profile

Dr Charalampos (Babis) Giousmpasoglou – Senior Academic

Babis Giousmpasoglou is a Senior Academic in Hospitality. He worked for 20 years as a senior/general manager in the Greek luxury hospitality industry, before moving into academia.

His academic research interests include human resource management, organisational behaviour, and cross-cultural management, within the context of hospitality organisations. On the MSc Hotel and Food Service Management degree he teaches on the ‘Food Production and Innovation Management’ unit.

View Dr Charalampos (Babis) Giousmpasoglou’s staff profile

Professor Adele Ladkin – Professor of Tourism Employment

Adele Ladkin is Professor of Tourism Employment. She has research interests in labour and human resources aspects of tourism and hospitality, along with and in the influences of digital technologies on the travel experience. On the MSc Hotel and Food Service Management degree she leads the ‘Tourism and Hospitality Industries’ unit.

View Professor Adele Ladkin’s staff profile

Dr Svetla Stoyanova-Bozhkova - Senior Lecturer

Dr Philipp Wassler - Lecturer

Jeff Sadd - Lecturer

Jeff Sadd is a lecturer in finance across many programmes within the Faculty of Management. His professional career background was in the International Capital Markets, specialising in Derivative Risk Management, working both in London and New York, where he was a Director of Derivative Trading and Management for a major U.K. bank. On the MSc Hotel & Food Service Management, he teaches on the 'Business, Strategy and Finance' unit, offering students a mix of academic and "real world" approaches to finance.

View Jeff Sadd's staff profile

Course changes

Changes in 2017

Date	Changes to this course
15/11/2017	Where the change was made: Fees Change: After an annual review of the placement year tuition fee, a price increase in line with current inflation, equating to 3% has been introduced for September 2018 entrants. Previous text: £790
02/10/2017	Where the change was made: Course details Change: The unit Hospitality Operations Management has changed to Food Operations Management Previous text: Hospitality Operations Management: Operations management is considerably less tangible in Services Management than in manufacturing. This unit addresses the issues that distinguish hospitality and tourism operations from those in other fields. By focusing on the inter-relationships between systems, services and technical factors, product quality, capacity and productivity, the unit offers a multidisciplinary framework to explore the wider inter-relationships between operations, marketing and accounting.
02/10/2017	Where the change was made: Course details Change: The unit Tourism and Hospitality Principles & Practice has changed to The Tourism & Hospitality Industries Previous text: Tourism & Hospitality Principles & Practice: This unit is international in nature, drawing on examples and practices from developed and developing countries. You’ll appreciate the broad study of tourism as a field in its own right
10/08/2017	Where the change was made: Course details – September 2018 onwards Change: Changes to all core and option units for students starting in September 2018 onwards Previous text: Course details – September 2017 and January 2018

Changes in 2016

Date	Changes to this course
04/03/2016	Where the change was made: Course details A new option unit: Creative Industries in Tourism & Events Previous text: N/A
02/03/2016	Where the change was made: Course details Change: Elective unit change. Removal of the unit Managing Organisations and addition of the unit Research Methods Previous text: Managing Organisations: Develop competence in organisational management and behaviour for a management career in the leisure sector. You'll investigate key roles and how these may be affected by operational environments and organisational structures and cultures, particularly in international and multinational organisations.

Date

Changes to this course

04/03/2016

Where the change was made: Course details
A new option unit: Creative Industries in Tourism & Events
Previous text: N/A

02/03/2016

Where the change was made: Course details
Change: Elective unit change. Removal of the unit Managing Organisations and addition of the unit Research Methods
Previous text: Managing Organisations: Develop competence in organisational management and behaviour for a management career in the leisure sector. You'll investigate key roles and how these may be affected by operational environments and organisational structures and cultures, particularly in international and multinational organisations.

What our students say

Sophie de Ganay

I enjoy the variety of classes that we have, from general tourism to specific types of restaurants, as well as hearing from many conference and guest speakers.

Hear from our staff

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis

You’ll learn from people with first-hand knowledge, well respected in industry. We use our experience and insights to give in-depth understanding of the subject.