Graduate Degree Programme

M.Sc/Postgraduate Dip. Tourism Development & Management

Purpose of the Programmes :

The Masters Degree programme and Postgraduate Diploma is intended to help equip persons in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the wider Caribbean, to competently plan, develop and manage some of the major challenges that are inherent in pursuing a globally competitive tourism industry. Furthermore, the research component of these programmes will allow for a needed expansion in the body of research on tourism in the Caribbean. In its content and delivery, it is envisioned that these programmes will be internationally competitive and will be able to serve the existing and emerging needs of the region. As the curriculum will illustrate, these programmes will specifically focus on Caribbean issues within the global context and realities within which we live and do business.

Aims of the Programmes:

These programmes seek to achieve the following aims:

To prepare students to contribute to the creation of an improved tourism society regionally and globally. A tourism society where the development of tourism is planned, there is proper stewardship of the natural resources and the local culture is preserved

To develop analytical and managerial competencies appropriate for this diverse operating environment

To develop the student to define, investigate, analyse and respond to tactical and strategic issues in tourism development

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the degree/diploma programme, students would have developed skills, knowledge and understanding that enable them to:

Manage learning and self development in the midst of change

Stimulate change in response to current and future developments in organizations in the tourism industry

Evaluate different international experiences of the role of tourism in development, and the critical issues determining the success of the tourism-led economic policies

Target Audience:

The M.Sc./PgDip is designed for persons:

Currently working in the tourism industry, with substantial management experience who are interested in augmenting their industrial experience with academic qualifications;
Holding bachelors’ degrees or equivalent qualifications who are interested in pursuing studies in tourism.

Entry Requirements:

Postgraduate Diploma

Admission to the postgraduate programme will be open to persons who satisfy the following entry requirements:

Hold certificates/diplomas that can be assessed by the University of the West Indies
Have at least five (5) years managerial experience in the hospitality and tourism industry and,
Are successful at an interview to be conducted by a Selected Panel to be determined by the Campus Committee on Graduate Studies
Provide two (2) letters of reference

A B.Sc. in Hospitality and Tourism or other Bachelor’s degree from a University or College acceptable to the UWI. Such applicants should possess at least a Lower Second Class Honours degree.

M.Sc. Degree

Applicants under this category should possess:

A B.Sc. in Hospitality and Tourism or other Bachelor’s degree from a University or College acceptable to the UWI. Such applicants should possess at least a Lower Second Class Honours degree.

Prerequisites:

The curriculum for the programme assumes a prerequisite knowledge base in the areas of:

Introductory Management
Introductory Statistics
Introduction to Financial Management
Introductory Macro and Micro Economics
Fundamentals of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Thus, persons who are admitted whose prior training does not include adequate coverage of these areas will be required to pursue undergraduate courses offered in these areas in the Faculty of Social Sciences on a qualifying basis. Such pre-requisite courses do not count towards the credit requirements of the degree programme.

Structure of the Programme:

POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA-

Full-Time Delivery

This programme can be offered on a full-time basis over a twelve (12) month period of three trimesters as follows:

Trimester 1 - 4 courses (12 credits)

Trimester 2 - 4 courses (12 credits)

Year 1-Trimester 1 Trimester 2

Course Code	Title	Course Code	Title
TOUR 6002	Tourism Destination Management	TOUR 6003	Tourism Policy & Strategy
MGMT 6003	International Business Management	TOUR 6040	Sustainable Tourism Management
	Choose Electives (2)	PLDE 6008	Tourism Planning
			Choose Elective (1)

Year 1-Trimester 3

Tourism Developmental Workshop (All students)

Part-Time Delivery

This programme can be offered on a part-time basis over a twelve (12) month period of three trimesters as follows:

Trimester 1 - 3 courses (9 credits)

Trimester 2 - 3 courses (9 credits)

Trimester 3 - 2 courses (6 credits)

Year 1-Trimester 1 Trimester 2

Course Code	Title	Course Code	Title
TOUR 6002	Tourism Destination Management	TOUR 6003	Tourism Policy & Strategy
MGMT 6003	International Business Management	TOUR 6040	Sustainable Tourism Management
	Choose Elective (1)	PLDE 6008	Tourism Planning

Year 1- Trimester 3

Choose Electives (2)
Tourism Developmental Workshop (All Students)

MASTERS-

Full-Time Delivery

These programmes can be offered on a full-time basis over a twelve (12) month period of three trimesters as follows:

Trimester 1 - 5 courses (15 credits)

Trimester 2 - 5 courses (15 credits)

Trimester 3 - Research Project (12 credits- Degree Only)

Year 1- Trimester 1 Trimester 2

Course Code	Title	Course Code	Title
TOUR 6002	Tourism Destination Management	MGMT 6007	Research Methodology
MGMT 6003	International Business Management	TOUR 6003	Tourism Policy & Strategy
		TOUR 6040	Sustainable Tourism Management
	Choose Electives (3)	PLDE 6008	Tourism Planning
			Choose Elective (1)

Year 1- Trimester 3

Research Project
Tourism Developmental Workshop (All students)

Part time delivery

This programme can be offered on a part-time basis over a two-year period of six (6) trimesters as follows:

Year 1 – Trimester 1 Year 1- Trimester 2

Course Code	Title	Course Code	Title
MGMT 6003	International Business Management	TOUR 6040	Sustainable Tourism Management
	Choose Elective (1)	PLDE 6008	Tourism Planning

Year 1- Trimester 3

Course Code	Title
	Choose Elective (1)
	Choose Elective (1)

Year 2- Trimester 1 Year 2- Trimester 2

Course Code	Title	Course Code	Title
	Choose Elective (1)	TOUR 6003	Tourism Policy and Strategy
TOUR 6002	Tourism Destination Management	MGMT 6007	Research Methodology

Year 2- Trimester 3

Research Project
Tourism Developmental Workshop (All Students)

Research Project (12 credits)

The individual research project is required for the MSc award, or to convert the Postgraduate Diploma to an M.Sc. The project will be on a topic proposed by the student and agreed with the appropriate supervising faculty. The project is an opportunity for the student to put into practice the concepts, tools and research methods learned during the programme, within a specific area of enquiry. Each student will be assigned a supervisor from within the Department of Management Studies. The outcome will be an extended research paper for examination of 18,000-20,000 words in length, as part of the degree requirements. The research project will be examined by two internal examiners and one examiner external to the University.

RECOMMENDED ELECTIVES

MGMT 6004 - Entrepreneurship & Small Business Mgmt

MGMT 6001 - Human Resource Management

MGMT 6011 - International Marketing

ECON 6009 - Economics of Sustainable Development

ECON 6031 - Caribbean Economic Development

SOCI 6020 - Peoples & Cultures of the Caribbean

SOCI 6016 - Sociology of Development

PLDE 6007 - Community and Participatory Planning

PLDE 6011 - Planning in the Coastal Zone

PLDE 6014 - Land Use and Natural Resource Management

PLDE 6000 - History & Philosophy of Planning

ARTS 6101 - Arts, Culture and Society

CLTR 6030 - Dynamics of Caribbean Culture

INRL 6004 - International Trade, Development & Global Integration

INRL 5004 - International Relations of the Caribbean

INRL 5007 - International Trade & Economic Development

Any relevant course offered by another Department as approved by the Head, Department of Management Studies.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment:

The programme will be delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops and private study. Visiting speakers will provide students with current information and examples of best practice and trends in the industry. The courses will be assessed by a variety of methods including individual or group assignments and examinations. Students may be required to write reports, make visual and oral presentations and analyse case studies.

In view of the very applied and practical nature of Tourism Management, the curriculum will be constantly under review to ensure students are delivered the state of the art knowledge and a range of skills are fostered which assist in the development of highly skilled and employable graduates. This continuous review of the curriculum will be facilitated through collaboration with a group of stakeholders including, but not exclusively, colleagues from the other campuses, industry experts as well as past students.