Tourism and Events Management BA (Hons)

How will I learn during the Tourism and Events Management BA (Hons) degree course?

Beginning with a general introduction to some of the main theories and concepts in tourism and events management, as the course progresses you will also develop an understanding of marketing principles in both a tourism and wider business context, plus undertake study in varied modules including event design, cultural place making and urban planning, and the future of tourism.

This is a flexible course where you can shape your own learning and develop practical skills as you progress. You’ll also have plenty of opportunities to attend industry events, guest lectures and engage with leading organisations to discuss future industry developments and jobs.

To give you that all-important practical experience, we also offer a year’s professional placement in the tourism and events industry. In recent years, our students have learned through working with international corporations such as Disney, Marriott Hotels and Premier Inn, both in the UK and overseas.

Hands-on experience is also available at the Northumbria University Business Clinic. This is where students find solutions to real business issues for clients, dealing with everything from strategic marketing reviews to operations audits.

Another option for broadening your horizons is a study year abroad with a partner institution in countries such as France, Spain and the USA. You’ll gain global perspectives on your subject and boost your future career prospects.

Throughout your course we use a wide range of assessments including exams, written assignments, reports, individual and group presentations. In your final year, you’ll also be assessed on a piece of research work. This could be an individual dissertation, management enquiry or group consultancy project.

• See all the Modules for this course

Who teaches the BA Tourism and Events Management course?

Our staff bring valuable professional experience from the tourism and events industries gained in both the public and private sectors. All have broad business and management knowledge and have been published in prestigious international journals. They’re passionate about their subject and teaching you the essential skills for a successful career. So you can be confident you’ll receive the support, direction and practical knowledge you need to get the most from your time with us.

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Where will I learn throughout my Tourism and Events degree?

Here at Newcastle Business School you’ll experience a first-class education in a world-class environment. From our social spaces and hub areas to lecture theatres and exhibition spaces, our facilities are exceptional. For example, the 24/7 university library achieves some of the highest levels of student satisfaction in the UK and has held the Cabinet Office accreditation for Customer Service Excellence since 2010.

We’re also committed to helping you make the most of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) by embedding it throughout the course. Tools such as the ‘Blackboard’ eLearning Portal and electronic reading lists are there to help you efficiently and thoroughly prepare for seminars and independent research. Lecture capture software means you can revise previously lectured material online in your time, as well as at your speed.

What’s more, there are plenty of opportunities to put your learning into practice through volunteering, internships and placements
This includes the Business Clinic that provides student consultancy facilities to work with our clients in response to their business problem. This is where students find solutions to real business issues for clients, dealing with everything from strategic marketing reviews to operations audits. Your clients are drawn from a range of organisations including multinationals, SMEs, not-for-profit charities and social enterprises from across the region and nationally.

How is research applied to teaching throughout my degree?

This is a research-rich environment where you’ll be taught by staff with a strong academic background. Our staff are engaged in a wide range of professional and research areas in the tourism and events industries, such as: live music events, adventure tourism, heritage and culture industries, festivals, tour operations, gastronomy, city and destination branding and applied digital technologies. All have broad business and management knowledge, and many have published in prestigious world-leading journals. You can be confident you’ll receive the academic support and practical knowledge you need to find your place in this exciting and fast changing industry.

You’ll learn important theoretical and practical research methods directly transferable to your future career. These include information literacy, as well as problem-solving skills around project management, self-directed learning and communication. By applying these skills directly to your final-year research project, you’ll be able to demonstrate how you can project manage a significant investigatory task independently and thoroughly.

How will my BA (Hons) Tourism and Events Management degree provide me with the skills needed for my future?

Whether you opt for a professional placement or study year abroad, our BA Tourism and Events Management course will enhance your wider employability, as well as boost your long-term prospects.

We place real emphasis on developing the transferable skills that open doors to a range of tourism and events management careers, and advanced study opportunities. These include communication, analysis, problem solving and analytical research plus the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

You will work directly with industry professionals and potential employers as well as your course tutors. You can also benefit from the Santander Internship Programme that offers paid short-term internship opportunities. Students are encouraged to participate in placements at a variety of organisations, such as: Beaconhouse Events, the Premier Inn, Marriott Hotels (both in the UK and in the USA), Disney and Butler Search Group (who specialise in placing students at premium-level resorts, hotels and private clubs along the east coast of the US). In addition, students can access excellent study abroad opportunities at international universities in Spain, France, and the US. 

Many of your tutors are heavily invested in the Place, Culture and Consumption research group, and as such you will experience teaching informed by current perspectives and debates critical for tourism and events, such as sociological and spatial concerns, ideas of how we learn and make sense of places and destinations, and how experiences are created and consumed.

After graduation, our students go on to a wide variety of professional roles in the tourism and events industries around the world. Recent examples include: Business Development Manager at the Institute of Travel and Tourism; Senior Events Manager for Marriot Hotels; Director of Global Sales at an aviation company and Assistant Director of Sales at a Ritz Carlton hotel.

Whatever you do next, you’ll enjoy the advantage of having studied for a course covered by the prestigious AACSB accreditation for Newcastle Business School.