Introduction
Municipalities, heritage centres, publishers and travel organisations are increasingly looking for academically trained professionals who can creatively and critically reflect on tourism as a cultural phenomenon and who can provide tourists with enticing ideas and well-informed stories.
This master’s specialisation will train you to analyze and critically reflect on contemporary trends in tourism and heritage management, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of (for instance) dark tourism, film-induced tourism, and sustainable tourism. Enriched with a long term historical perspective and developing projects with and for public and commercial partners, you will not only acquire the academic knowledge and practical skills to work in the field, but also to change the field.
Facts and figures
Degree: MA in Arts and Culture
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Croho code: 60087
Duration: 1 year (60 EC), full time
Start month: September
Language of instruction: English
Enrolled students: 50-75 per year
Contact hours: 10-15 hours per week
Why study this programme?
The only Master’s in Cultural Tourism Studies in The Netherlands
Integration of academic research and practical on-the-job training through research projects, policy papers, and workshops with public or commercial partners
Interdisciplinary approach: combines history, literary and cultural studies, art history, and heritage studies
Well-established contacts with leading players in the field of cultural tourism, which will help you to build up your professional network and to learn from state-of-the-art expertise
International fieldwork, for instance at renowned academic institutes (such as the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome)
Specialisations
Tourism and Culture is a specialisation of the Master’s programme in Arts and Culture. The other specialisations are:
Creative Industries
Kunstgeschiedenis (in Dutch)
Kunstbeleid en Kunstbedrijf (in Dutch)
Master's programme Tourism and Culture in 2 minutes
Admission and application
Students with an international degree
Bachelor's degree
Your admission to this programme depends on your previous education. You are admissible if you have a completed Bachelor's degree with a Bachelor thesis in Archaeology, Art History, History, Literary Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Philosophy, Liberal Arts or a related discipline. Your degree has to be equivalent to a Dutch research university diploma. The Admission Board will determine if an international student has the required knowledge to be admitted.
Proficiency in English
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Non-native speakers of English* without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
A TOEFL score of ≥575 (paper-based) or ≥90 (internet-based), and all subscores ≥22
An IELTS score of ≥6.5, and all subscores ≥6,5
Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with a mark of C or higher
Successful completion of a Bachelor's programme that was taught completely in the English language in one of the following countries: EU/EEA-countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United States of America
*Applicants are considered to be a native speaker of English if they are a citizen of Australia, Canada (with the exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, UK, USA or South Africa.
Students with a Dutch degree
Bachelor's degree
In order to get admission to this Master’s, you’ll need a completed Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, Art History, History, Literary Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies, Communication and Information Studies, English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Classical Languages, Philosophy, Liberal Arts or a related discipline.
For those who don't meet the requirements
Students with a Bachelor’s degree from a University of Applied Sciences are not eligible for direct admission to the Master's. They can apply for admission to the pre-Master's programme (both in Dutch and English).
Students with a partially Dutch degree
Students who have achieved their qualifications partially in The Netherlands
Please send a detailed email to the Admissions Office, stating clearly which diplomas you have achieved and in which country you have achieved them. We will then advise you which procedure to follow in your specific situation.
Deadlines
Do you have a Dutch previous education?
Students with a Dutch degree who want to start in September must complete their application in Studielink before 31 August. Students who want to apply for a February intake must complete their application before 31 January.
Do you have an international degree?
Other deadlines apply for applicants who have completed a degree outside of the Netherlands.
Non-EU/EEA applicants with scholarship
Non-EU/EEA applicants who wish to be considered for a scholarship must submit a complete application before 1 March for the September intake.
Non-EU/EEA applicants without scholarship
All other non-EU/EEA applicants must submit a complete application before 1 April for the September intake.
This is the final deadline and includes the Pre-arrival Services which consists of assistance with accommodation and visa support.
EU/EEA applicants
Students from EU/EEA countries* must submit a complete application before 1 May to receive assistance with an accommodation. Radboud University will still consider EU/EEA applications until 1 July, but may not be able to offer assistance with an accommodation.
Applicants will receive an admissions decision approximately 3 to 4 weeks after they have completed their application in the online application system OSIRIS Application.
Enrolment deadlines
September intake:
1 June – Non-EU/EEA applicants
15 August – EU/EEA applicants
*EU/EEA countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands (including the Dutch Caribbean), Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden or the United Kingdom.
Career prospects
As an academic expert in cultural tourism, you will be able to offer a creative, critical and well-informed contribution to the tourism industry and the cultural sector.
Depending on your own initiative and talents, this Master’s specialisation will help you to become (for example):
A policymaker at a municipality
A project leader at a heritage site
A publicist for a lifestyle magazine or travel appendix of a newspaper
A communication or education officer at a heritage site
An entrepreneur developing new formats and tours
The combination of solid academic training and hands-on work experience in the field also offers outstanding preparation for journalistic, research and policy functions in other fields than the tourism industry.
Current job market positions of our alumni
A substantial number of alumni in Tourism and Culture currently work in the tourism and heritage sector. Other alumni work in different fields in related jobs. A few examples:
Project Manager Labrys Reizen, Nijmegen
Visitor’s Coordinator muZIEum, Nijmegen
Project Employee Vrijheidsmuseum, Groesbeek
German Market Representative & Country Coordinator at Resi-Rest
Junior Policy Maker Art, Culture, Heritage, Overbetuwe
Project Employee, Provincial Archive Overijssel
Business Travel Consultant, Carlson Wagon Lits
Mobility administrator, Radboud University
Communications officer, Landelijk Samenwerkingsverband Active Bewoners
Project Secretary, Municipality Woerden
Teacher in Greek and Latin, Tiel
With the help of a Linked-In group, we stay well connected with our alumni.
Labour market information in the Netherlands Studiekeuze123*
From the graduates of the Master’s programme in Arts and Culture, 45% found a job within their field. The gross starting salary based on 29 hours a week is €1,800. (Source: www.studiekeuze123.nl)
Radboud Career Service
Radboud Career Service can assist students in finding internships, gives career advice and can offer tips and guidance when applying for jobs.
