MA in Tourism and Culture

Programme Overview

Municipalities, heritage centers, publishers and travel organizations 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 specialization 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 program?

• 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)

Specializations

Tourism and Culture is a specialization of the Master’s program in Arts and Culture. The other specializations are:

• Creative Industries
• Kunstgeschiedenis (in Dutch)
• Kunstbeleid en Kunstbedrijf (in Dutch)

Master's program Tourism and Culture in 2 minutes

Admission and application

Students with an international degree

Bachelor's degree

Your admission to this program 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 program, 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 program 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 program (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 specialization 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 Actieve 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.

Labor market information in the Netherlands Studiekeuze123*

From the graduates of the Master’s program 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.