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Introduction
The Tourism Management programme has been designed in response to the growing demand for this popular field of study and reflects the need to provide well qualified graduates to meet the challenges of the growing tourism industry. The programme includes both theoretical and vocational perspectives, combining courses on the patterns and problems of tourism with those providing the necessary skills of business and management.
A friendly interest is taken in student welfare and staff are regularly available for academic and personal advice.
The College is an excellent place in which to study tourism management, located as it is in one of Britain's most important and most visited historic cities and also being close to the Kent Coast, the Channel Tunnel and Europe and the East Kent countryside. All of these places provide important sites for student visits and fieldwork. In addition to local fieldwork, students in the second year are also required to participate in a week-long residential field course which examines tourism management issues in a different environment and for the last few years this course has been held in Malta. This residential field course incurs a cost to the student of approximately £150.
In February 2001 a quality assessment visit by the Quality Assurance Agency awarded Tourism 21 points out of a possible 24, highlighting the quality of the programmes on offer at the College.
The quality of teaching is further enhanced by a vigorous and rapidly growing programme of research activity and consultancy and its involvement in the Kent Tourism Academy.
The programme is delivered by means of joint collaboration between the Department of Sport Science, Tourism and Leisure and the Business School. Both Departments place a strong emphasis on teaching and keep abreast of current developments in the teaching of tourism studies and tourism management through membership of the Association of Tourism in Higher Education.
The course has a strong vocational orientation and provides a sound basis for students interested in following a career in this growing service sector. Staff have good links with major tourism and leisure employers in Kent and the South East of England.
In addition, there are links with tourism courses taught at other European institutions.
Current projects involve tourist management in historic cities, links between sport and tourism, tourism in the Transmanche region, tourism in higher education, seaside resort regeneration, marketing tourism destinations, and the recreational and tourism potential of community forests.
Both departments provide a stimulating environment for teaching and research. A computer laboratory enables students to learn computing and statistical skills and the Resource Centre supports the teaching of courses with impressive off-print materials and a base for students to work in close proximity to staff offices.
Content and Structure
Year 1
All students take introductory courses in Tourism and Leisure Studies together with courses in Marketing, Business Information Technology, Managing People and Finance and Statistics. The introductory Tourism and Leisure Studies courses provide the contextual basis for the programme as well as an understanding of basic disciplinary concepts and the nature of tourism and the tourism industry, while the additional courses introduce students to the generic skills of management.
Year 2
In Year 2 students are required to take the core course Managing Tourism Organisations together with three option courses selected from the following: Tourism and Leisure Environments; Leisure Provision; Tourism Policy and Development; Management Accounting Fundamentals; Marketing and Management and Planning. In addition students are required to attend a week-long residential field course, designed to help illustrate some of the key themes addressed in Year 2 as well as linking to some of the essential issues of Year 3.
Year 3
In Year 3 students take core courses in Tourism and Leisure Marketing and Service Management as well as one option selected from the following: Tourism in the Developing World; Heritage, Entertainment and the Arts; The Countryside: Conservation and Recreation Management; Corporate Financial Management; and Business Ethics. In addition, students must also undertake an Individual Study, a supervised research project/dissertation involving an issue of particular interest within the field of tourism management.
Throughout the 3 years, all courses place considerable emphasis on the acquisition of vocational skills and the opportunity for language study is also provided throughout the programme.
Methods of Assessment
A wide variety of assessment methods are employed to develop both academic and professional skills. Some courses are assessed by means of coursework only, while some involve an equal proportion of coursework and examination.
Employment Opportunities
The course provides a basis for those seeking employment in the tourism industry as well as a range of other professional and business careers. Recent graduates have found employment with local government tourism departments, the South East England Tourist Board and other tourism related organisations such as Eurotunnel, Hoverspeed and various airlines. The course also enables students to join postgraduate courses in tourism management or related fields, either at the College or elsewhere. The College also offers an MSc course in Tourism and Environmental Management and opportunities also exist to study for a research MPhil or PhD.
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