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University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
UK, LU1 3JU
Events-related tourism is one of the fastest-growing global industry sectors today. With an increase in international events and festivals, there has been a rise in demand for high-level management skills too.
The MSc Tourism and Events Management is an innovative and inter-disciplinary course, specifically developed for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences Exhibitions/Events) Industry, after consultation with leading professionals in the field. It will provide you with the skills necessary to meet the demand for management professionals in the industry.
The course will focus on leisure events and recreation and sporting events, including local and regional sporting competitions, as well as global-scale events such as the Olympics. Although multi-disciplinary, the course will focus on problem-solving and decision-making and will enable critical thinking and creativity in analysis, synthesis and appraisal.
The course is underpinned by academic theory in the fields of tourism, leisure and events, and will involve you in the application of concepts in industry-related scenarios and realistic simulations. You will develop and apply the skills of critical evaluation and be encouraged to become a self-directed, independent, reflective learner.
A choice of careers will be open to graduates upon completion of this course in the areas of event marketing, event management, special production strategies and organising events, festival management, corporate and public sector leisure and tourism services, and event and exhibition venues. Graduates will also be able to pursue posts as events consultants and not-for-profit event organisers.
During the course you will:
Areas of study you may cover on this course include:
A range of assessment methods are used throughout the course. You will be required to undertake a variety of group and individually based assessments. These assessments include individual essays, reports presentations and examinations, and group based reports and presentations. The assessments are designed to test knowledge and understanding of the appropriate subject matter, but also to demonstrate the range of skills identified in Section 3 above.
The assessment strategy underlines the programmes concern with research and independent thinking, critical knowledge of marketing theory and practice, the ability to make information decisions and communicate these under time pressure and, finally, the all-important skills of teamwork and oral communication of ideas.
The written assignments and group reports contribute to the learning outcomes focusing on your ability to research and critically evaluate elements of the curriculum in depth. They generally allow you to use a variety of named sources to support your viewpoints
The end-of-unit examinations focus primarily on critical discussion of theory and current practice and provide the reassurance of guaranteed student authorship, and a true measure of your own ability and understanding.
The time-constrained tests will be more cursory in nature, generally assessing awareness, understanding and application of elements of the curriculum.
The significant weighting given to individual and group presentations stresses the primacy of team work and of effective oral communication based on research and creative, `holistic thinking about organisational, media and stakeholder issues.
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
1. Build up the confidence and ability to work in international events organisations across spectrum including sport, media, tourism, cultural events and conferences.
2. Critically analyse the interconnectedness of international event tourism with its economic, technological, socio-cultural, psychic and political contexts.
3. Apply and integrate academic frameworks, theories and understandings within the practical environment of tourism and event enterprises and business.
4. Become familiar with and draw on numerous practical projects and case studies from a range of national and international organisations (private, public and third sectors) this should involve close industry consultation and partnership.
5. Gain and successfully cope with management roles within the events industry events planning, consultancy and research.
The degree expects you, as a student, to be able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and understanding of companies, organizations and association within tourism and events sectors, the external context in which they operate and how they are managed. The degree will be a challenging learning experience, where an integration between the theory and practice is important. As a student you will reflect on your knowledge, experience and practice, using peer and tutor interaction as one of the key processes.
Master's degrees in business and management 2007
Masters Benchmarks from
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/
statements/BusinessManagementMasters.pdf
Benchmark standards
Master's degrees in the business and management field are awarded to students who have demonstrated during their programme:
Conceptual understanding that enables the student to:
Once they are in professional practice, master's graduates should be able to:
The MSc Tourism and Events Management programme is aimed to enable students to develop the necessary skills and knowledge for the tourism and events industries. In addition students should develop personal attributes of self-motivation, drive and self-reflection to enable them to gain entry to satisfying and stimulating career paths.
Specifically the course aims are:
This programme orients itself on practical issues, but it does not neglect to provide some grounding in theory and discussion of theoretical issues. It is designed to develop students intellect and stimulate their imagination, as well as to increase their transferable skills base and powers of understanding. Students are to build on their skills of communication, problem solving and analysis, research and evaluation. They are encouraged to develop a creative and enquiring approach to work and arising issues, as well as honing their powers of judgement. They are to become aware of their abilities and developmental needs. Last, but not least they are intended to establish a sound knowledge base of aspects of the industries involved, as well as develop an attitude of enthusiasm for working in a tourism environment.
You will have a number of induction sessions before the formal classes begin. These will cover areas such as administrative arrangements, academic study in the UK, financial regulations and personal safety. If you have questions or problems with academic matters support is provided by the Course Manager. In the event that you have an illness during the course or have significant personal or family problems the Student Services offers independent and confidential advice. They are also the only people who can give you extensions to hand in dates for assignments; but they will only do this if you have a good reason. Other support is provided by Student Services, and by the Students Union.
For international students there is a Dedicated International Students' support team. The team are here to help you settle in to University life and give advice on a range of issues such as: part time work, how to open a bank account, places of worship and local places of interest. There is also an international student induction programme is designed to enrich your time of study at the University as well as help you settle in, adjust to your surroundings and get to know your way around.
In addition to the general support supplied by the University in relation to e.g. disability advice, international student support, financial support etc., specific support for the course can be divided under two headings:
Academic/Programme Support:
In terms of academic issues in the programme, and specifically `day to day issues the Academic Director will be the first point of contact. The Academic Director will provide advice on the following important areas:
This type of advice will be available throughout the year and the Academic Director, alongside the Academic Advice Team in the Faculty Office would be the first point of contact as soon as any of the above becomes a problem.
However, if students have issues to do with a particular unit of the course, then the coordinator of that unit is likely to be the first point of contact, rather than the Academic Director. However, the Academic Director may need to be involved if the unit coordinator cannot answer a student query.
Professional and Academic Development (P.A.D.)
It is not unusual for students to need some extra advice and guidance on developing their academic skills at some point during their studies. If you feel that you would benefit from some additional help with your studies why not contact P.A.D.
P.A.D. is available to all University of Bedfordshire students. If you are experiencing difficulties or if you simply want to develop particular skills and raise your grades, we are here to help and advise you how to do that.
P.A.D. can help you in a number of ways. They can advise and help you to improve
Student language support:
The University has a dedicated language support team qualified to Masters level in language and communication. Support for our International students includes a Language Lab to help you improve your pronunciation and listening skills; specialised teaching rooms; independent study centre and specialist software. A programme of In Course English Support is running to ensure all masters students meets the minimum English level required. If necessary, you will undertake both a 10 week course of lessons followed by a 20 hour Independent Study Program. All students on these courses will be required to take the Password assessment. Lessons are taught in groups according to the students faculty and interest.
The University is committed to ensuring our students are confident in their communication skills and the team are in place to help identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Team working is fundamental to not just the study of events and the wider leisure and tourism field, but also to working in the area. Organisations where people do not work together fail. In most units you will find that group work forms a component of the activity. In some units this draws from in class discussions and in others it is a fundamental part of the assessment. We value the diversity of background that participants in the course bring. We try to capitalise on this in class by drawing from your knowledge and background in the in-class group activities and assessments. Throughout the course, students will be asked to work in groups of varying sizes and to consider the skills needed in order to operate effectively in this context. One of the most important elements of team work is an understanding of the level of dependency involved and the attendant responsibilities this implies for each individual member of the team. From very early in the course, students will be working in collaboration with others and issues of responsibility, trust and flexibility will be addressed as central to their academic and professional development.
Students will be assessed, on occasions, as a member of a group, and at other times for their individual input to the group. Students will also be asked to comment critically upon their own contribution to the group as a whole. Should students fail group based assignments, unit co-ordinators will ensure that referral briefs are congruent with units learning outcomes. Where possible special arrangements will be put in place in order for those failing assignments to get an opportunity to attempt similar group based assessments.
Students will also be encouraged to contact / join associations and organisations with a view to developing events management experience on a voluntary basis, such as:
The MSc Tourism and Events Management is made for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences Exhibitions/Events) Industry, following consultation with leading professionals in the field. The program profiles stakeholders within the industry (corporate, government and association clients, venues and event services and destinations) and follows market trends. It focuses on teaching specialist strategic skills in the areas of management, IT and marketing in the events and meetings management profession.
According to the WTTC (2008) estimates, the events and meetings management industry has been growing steadily over the last decade and is worth more than US$672 billion a year. This programme is created to respond to a marked shortage in skilled professionals, as identified by the sectors foremost associations (MPI, ICCA, SITE). The University of Bedfordshire owns at least three different venues, based on its campuses, providing for personal, professional and academic events. Courses are delivered by practitioners and academics in the field.
Career:
The course should appeal to those working in or hoping to work in event marketing, event management, special production strategies and organisers, festival management, corporate and public sector leisure and tourism services, event and exhibition venues, not-for-profit event organisers, event consultants.
Further study:
This course is primarily aimed at people wanting to move directly into employment, but if you find your studies particularly stimulating and want to study further then there is always the possibility to continue to Doctoral studies, i.e. a PhD or a DBA level.
A foundation degree will be of particular interest if you have completed a Modern Apprenticeship, vocational A levels, BTEC National or equivalent.
Foundation degrees are also particularly suitable if you want to qualify while working.
Many students studying for foundation degrees come to us through work-based routes so you can apply for a foundation degree even if you don’t have traditional academic qualifications.
We welcome applicants with relevant work experience.
We will consider you as an individual and take into account all elements of your application, not just your qualifications. We are looking for both breadth and depth in your current studies as well as enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study.
The general requirement is one of the following:
Postgraduate applications (MA/MSc) should be made direct to the University using the standard University application form. There are some exceptions, please see individual course descriptions for details.
As a general guide, to apply for a place on an undergraduate course (BA/BSc) at the University you need to have completed your high school education and have the required English qualification.
We have students from all the European Union member countries so we are quick to make decisions on most qualifications.
(Please note that applicants on a full student visa are not eligible for part-time study)
We recommend that you apply directly to the University where possible, as this allows us to offer the quickest turnaround time for your application.
Please read the Direct application instructions before completing the course application form.
Application forms for accommodation in the student halls at Bedford campus and Luton campus are available in the Student life section
APL is available for international students applying for undergraduate (Bachelor degree) study. Please do not use this APL form to apply for postgraduate courses.
Use the APL form to tell us about any non-standard qualifications and/or work experience you have that you think should be taken into consideration with your application. `
The APL form should be submitted at the same time as the course application form.
We regret we are unable to process APL forms from students who have not submitted a formal course application form.
Return your completed application to:
University of Bedfordshire
International Admissions
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)1582 489326 (non-EU Students)
F: +44 (0)1582 743469
E: international-admissions@beds.ac.uk
The course is varied, both in curriculum content and delivery methods.
Lectures, seminars and tutorials will be used extensively, but, in addition, a great deal of your time will be spent in small groups, involving, for example, discussion of case studies, simulation exercises, preparation for assessments, and work on presentations.
The teaching and learning approach is through blended learning (Mode 1 and II). This means a combination of pedagogic approaches, including the latest approaches to technology, action learning and independent learning. There is a great deal of material for you on-line in the BREO Virtual Learning Environment. While particular units vary in the nature and range of content you will always find the basic course information and lecture slides on BREO. It will also mean that if you are not able to make it to the first session, you will be well placed to catch up on the material that otherwise you would have missed completely.
Formal lectures are an important component of Masters courses, and these will be used on most units, although as noted above there are moves to make this material available on-line. In general, however, the lecture will be limited to one hour in length, and will be followed by small group work, with or without direct lecturer supervision. As with any post-experience course much of the learning of students will be from each other, and this process will be facilitated by the style of delivery, and the assessment methods.
Whilst contact time will be relatively concentrated this means that private study demands on this type of course are considerable. You should remember that a full time course represents 35 hours per week and time not spent in class needs to be devoted to private study or group meetings.
Cognitive, subject specific and transferable skills are built-in to facilitate easy progression into employment and further study. Most units are influenced by staff research, as teachers publications records clearly indicate. Individual staff are experimenting with some pedagogic innovations, including learning by doing and reality check.
We welcome applications from disabled students and make sure that our campuses are accessible and welcoming to all. Our disability advice team is available to discuss any issues you may have and can provide advice and a range of support and services. On this course there are no foreseeable issues that may discriminate against students with disabilities, and all such students are able to undertake any element of the course. Unit tutors have undertaken awareness programmes provided by the University.
During the application process disabled students will be able to discuss their needs with individual members of the academic staff, as well as staff from the Disability Advice Team. In relation to other courses in the Division, it has normally been the case that disability has not provided an obstacle to students participating Hence no major issues are envisaged concerning disability and the course. The only possible concern is in relation to field visits. However there is no proposed residential aspect to these visits they will be on a day visit basis only.
The University of Bedfordshire has adopted the governments Quality and Curriculum Authority (QCA) skills descriptors for all levels of studies, but the skills listed in the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) subject benchmarks and the student employability profile template created by the Higher Education Academy Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Subject Centre, listing generic employability competencies are also referred to.
Communication
To help with the development of this you will:
Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively - this is universally recognised as a key skill in an aspiring manager. We try to help you develop your communication skills in a variety of ways in all of the units that you study. While communication is typically broken down to written and oral this broad classification in no way represents the diversity of opportunities that you will be give. To develop your written communication skills you will be exposed to a wide variety of applications. Reports and essays (there are not too many essays) are obvious ones but you will also be completing briefing papers, keeping notes, writing proposals and plans. The oral side is equally diverse and you are encouraged to develop your oral skills through class discussions and presentation. A PowerPoint presentation combines both oral and written communication and you will become more experienced at using these.
Information Literacy
To help with the development of this you will:
Access the universitys e-resources (e.g., the digital library), and the media holdings (in print, visual, and other forms) held by the university and other collective agencies. In the UK, information literacy is defined by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals as: "Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner." Right from induction you are introduced to the sources that the university has. We invest heavily in electronic sources of information as well as paper based ones and you are introduced to the range and diversity of what is available to you. The majority, if not all of the units that you study will expect you to search out relevant information and so your skills will improve throughout the course.
Research and Evaluation
To help with the development of this you will:
Undertake a range of research tasks either within the context of developing their academic or their practical knowledge. The research tasks will vary according to the type of work being undertaking and students will need, therefore, to be adept at understanding the skills involved in sourcing, selecting and utilizing appropriate material. In every practical process they embark upon, students will be expected to plan and execute a methodical research process in order to develop their practical skills, but also their skills to critically evaluate. Students will be introduced to a range of research skills including literature searches and critical reading, practical field based activities including questionnaire and interview design and conduct, as well as the analysis of findings from the use of such techniques in the field.
Creativity and Critical Thinking
To help with the development of this you will:
Need to be looking for different and creative ways to apply what you learn on the course. If running a business were a simple thing then all you would have to do to succeed is read a textbook and follow the guidance given. Theories are a great basis for running organisations but the way that you implement them is critical to how well they can help you. This is where creativity comes in, of course we give you ample opportunities to develop your creativity. You will find class sessions provide opportunities for discussion of case examples where other classmates have very different solutions to the ones that you have thought of, some more creative than yours and others less. Most of the assignments that you tackle will call for some degree of creativity and so you will get plenty of practice in developing and arguing creative solutions.
Critical thinking, on the other hand represents the application of logic and evidence rather than creativity. Again class discussions provide you with ample opportunity to present logical solutions to case problems and receive feedback on the strength of the argument. Indeed, the majority, if not all, of your assessments need logic and evidence to support your case not least when you have come up with a creative solution.
The Personal Development Planning strand embedded in various units throughout all levels concentrates on the development of academic, personal and professional skills and establishes the PDP and CPD processes, introducing students to the concept of transferable skills and demonstrating their value within events.
Students will also be given the opportunity to develop personal approaches to study, building on strengths and eliminating weaknesses, and developing ability to transfer learning from one context to another, following the SOAR (self-awareness, opportunities, aspirations and results) process model (Kumar 2007) at a number of points during the course. This approach requires that students become aware of:
Most of us are not perfect and most, if not all, of the things we do could be improved. We help you to improve your learning and performance in several ways. When you prepare for an in-class discussion you will find that others have tackled the problem in a different way. This gives you an opportunity to learn from your fellow students (although you have to recognise when your interpretations are better than theirs). You will also interact with the tutors during class sessions, again an opportunity to learn different perspectives and approaches that you can apply later on. For assignments you will receive feedback. This feedback is very much more than simply the grade given. You will find in the feedback suggestions of how your work could have been improved and can apply this information for further pieces of work. Finally, the best management practice draws heavily from reflection. This is your reflection on how you could tackle things differently to improve learning and performance.
Students will be encouraged to use a number of portfolios, in different units on the course and they will need to set up a habit of reflecting on feedback from tutors and consider ways in which they might improve specific skills and/or build on the strengths demonstrated, preferably after each set of assessments. Much of the material for Progress File will be generated through digital records (on-line blogs, discussion boards on BREO and e-portfolios) as well as paper ones.
Lecturers expect that students will:
Employers are often assessing not only knowledge of the subject area and experience, but also value the set of attitudes and values which would support development of their company. Students need to develop and demonstrate these attitudes throughout their studies.
The (above) professional standards are included in the course handbook for reference by students, or otherwise given to students at their programme induction. A range of the issues covered should be explicitly covered during the said induction sessions particularly those which have significant impact in terms of the potential outcomes for students (e.g. those relating to `plagiarism). Many of the above professional standards should are reinforced explicitly within unit handbooks; implicitly through the operation of the programme units; and through the behaviours given / shown by unit leaders.
