Tourism Management | NHL STENDEN UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

In your first year, you will discover the fundamentals of the tourism industry, including the role of nature, organizations, markets and other aspects of tourism. In addition to the general introduction, the four key elements of the course are Leadership, Management, Strategy and Decision-Making.

You will discover the various ways of marketing tourism products and learn to create a tourism product of your own based on practical assignments or the resources of our ETFI research institute.

In your second year, you will explore the sustainability aspects of tourism, how to find the right balance between people, planet and profit (aka the ‘triple bottom line’) and how to use various marketing tools to promote specific destinations. The course also takes an in-depth look at tour operating and service management.

During your third year, you will get to further develop your research skills and potential and conduct a significant piece of research in a group of four to five students. You then choose two electives (minors) to specialize in a specific area of tourism management.

Some of the minors that you can choose from are:

- Heritage Experience Management (Leeuwarden)

- Outdoor Leadership and Adventure (Leeuwarden)

- Community-Based Tourism (Thailand)

- International Destination Branding (Qatar)

- Tourism Geography & Planning (Leeuwarden)

The fourth and final year of your course is where you get to put to practice everything you have learned so far. You will complete a 7-month or 30-week internship anywhere in the world. Finally, you will write your graduation dissertation to prove your academic capabilities to analyze and translate industry-related problems and present feasible solutions.

Three-year fast track

This study programme offers a three-year fast track for excellent students.

Apart from the English language requirements, you need a Greek high school diploma (Apolytirio Genikou Lykeio), with Economics.

To find out if you have the skills required to enroll in the 3-year course in Tourism Management, we would like to know if your level of English and Economics is sufficient and will ask you to take an entrance exam for these two subjects. If you have passed the exam successfully, you will be eligible to enroll in the Fast track programme.

You also may be eligible for our Short Track programme if you have have acquired sufficient work experience in this field. The programme’s Admissions Committee decides whether students qualify for the Short Track programme on an individual basis.

All courses and examinations will be in English, so you need a good command of spoken and written English.

The level required for admission should be an equivalent of the Academic IELTS 6.0 (International English Language Testing System), with a minimum of 5.0 for each skill.

TOEFL 550 (paper based), 213 (computer-based) and 80 (internet based).

Cambridge ESOL score FCE-C (169, or higher).

Greek high school diploma (Apolytirio Genikou Lykeio), with a general grade of at least 10.

We advise you to apply before May 1, for the September study start.

Stenden University of Applied Sciences has the right to refuse applications by students, which meet the admission requirements, but which are sent after May 1.  

In case you have not obtained your secondary school diploma yet, you can already apply by submitting your current grade list.

Ultimate closing date for applications for the September 2018 study start: August 15, 2018.

Ultimate closing date for applications for the February 2019 study start: January 17, 2019.

Finding a place to live in the north of the Netherlands, where NHL Stenden’s branches are located is relatively easy.

Once you have been admitted and have registered for a study programme at NHL Stenden, you should start looking for accommodation. We recommend you to start early with finding a suiting accommodation. This way you can ensure you find the right place to live during your study.

In the Netherlands, it is common for students to rent a room in a shared house or apartment with other students. There are also options to rent a one-bedroom or studio apartment. Student accommodation is usually provided by real estate agents or private landlords who advertise their rooms on different platforms.  

Many people use Facebook to advertise accommodation and to find flatmates. 

The Bachelor’s in Tourism Management is a worldwide recognized degree and with career opportunities still on the rise in this sector, you will qualify for a varied range of management, administrative and consultancy roles in the tourism industry across the globe. Potential future employers include tour operators like TUI and Thomas Cook, city branding companies, theme parks, cruise lines, airlines and government organizations. The course also provides you with the skills needed to start your own business.

Careers open to you after graduation include: - Regional Manager of a travel agency - Sales or Product Manager at a tour operator - Government or international  tourism organization Policy Officer - Head of City Marketing & Management, Marketing & Communications Manager. 

If you would like to continue your studies after your Bachelor’s degree and specialize further, we recommend that you enroll in one of our Master’s programmes:

- Master in International Leisure and Tourism Studies (public-funded)

- Master in International Hospitality and Service Management

NHL Stenden offers you the opportunity to choose a dual degree Master programme. After your Bachelor. Next to the NHL Stenden Master of Arts (MA), you can also enrol for the Master of Science (MSc) issued by our partner University of Derby (UK).

With a Bachelors diploma from Stenden University of Applied Sciences, you can continue doing a Master’s programme. If you want to do this abroad, you can usually start straightaway. If you have done your minor at a research university in the Netherlands during the third year of your studies at the Stenden University of Applied Sciences, you can normally get direct access to a Master’s programme at a research university in the Netherlands as well. Otherwise for continuing with a Master study in the Netherlands, you may be requested to do a Pre-Master.