The Master of Science in International Hospitality Management (MS-IHM) is a two year (four-semester) full-time course envisioned to serve the needs of different groups of students. It is a two-track program consisting of a set of core and major subjects and a set of electives for a career in either the hospitality industry, particularly in the hotel and restaurant business, or in the academe. Students are expected to have taken all their subjects as well as their written comprehensive examinations by the end of their second year in the program.

The practitioner’s track is a non-thesis program that aims to hone the skills of the students in hospitality management and operations. It will allow students to select from a list of electives designed to deepen their knowledge in their area of concentration. In lieu of a thesis, the students will be required to complete a project as a requirement for graduation.

The academic track is a thesis program with emphasis on enhancing the teaching and research capabilities of the students. The configuration of subjects within this track will allow students to take education courses that will strengthen their teaching and pedagogical skills.

1. To provide the students with the needed skills, knowledge and tools to become visionary and creative business leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.

2. To enable students, develop their strength and interests, broaden their knowledge of the industry and to promote the growth of education and professional development.

3. To develop a systematic critical awareness of current issues in the hospitality and tourism industries from economic, marketing, organizational, political, and socio-cultural perspective.

4. Advance a critical appreciation of the complex multifaceted and interdisciplinary nature of the subject domain and enhance the ability to apply understanding of theories to complex issues systematically.

5. Develop a critical and comprehensive appreciation of the knowledge and research skills to design and conduct an independent research project or business proposal that provides logical and coherent arguments to support the research findings or the visualized goals and methods for the business plan and offer originality in the application of knowledge.

In the case of the Masters awards these objectives will be realized in full. For earlier exit awards, achievement of the objectives will be as follows:

• For the Diploma, all objectives stated above will be achieved in full, with the exception of completion of research outcomes or business proposal learning outcomes.

• For the Certificate exit award, objectives will be achieved at an initial core, but not specialist level.

A. Knowledge and Understanding

On completion of this program the successful student will have a complex knowledge and comprehensive understanding of:

1. Main theories and concepts of Hospitality, a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights that are related to contemporary issues in Hospitality and Tourism management from economic, industrial, political, and socio-cultural perspectives.

2. Strategic approaches to the management of Hospitality businesses and the complexity of factors influencing their effectiveness.

3. A wide range of management and policy issues from local to the global scale relating to ethics and sustainability in Tourism that also inevitably affect the hospitality industry.

4. A range of concepts and practices that have been commonly adopted by different sectors within the industry.

• Students exiting with Graduate Certificate in Hospitality Operations will meet program learning outcomes 1 and 2.

• Student exiting with Graduate Diploma in Hospitality Executive will meet program learning outcomes 3 and 4.

B. Cognitive Skills

On completion of this program the successful student will be able to:

1. Critically analyze current issues and debates in Hospitality and Tourism.

2. Evaluate the importance of management strategies adopted by Hospitality and Tourism organizations and their long-term implications.

3. Synthesize understanding of sociological concepts and managerial practices from a diverse range of sources.

4. Construct and develop a sustained and reasoned argument. justifying conclusions reached.