Master in Tourism Studies
Alta, Norway
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international applicants: December 1 | Nordic applicants: April 15
* no tuition fees for international students
Introduction
Are you passionate about making tourism better?
This study program seeks to provide students with thorough knowledge about how to balance environmental, economic, and socio-cultural benefits and concerns in tourism.
Program description
- Duration: 2 years
- Credits (ECTS): 120
- Admission requirements: Bachelor's degree (180 ECTS), or an equivalent qualification, with a minimum of 80 ECTS within tourism, out-door recreation, event studies, marketing and communication, social sciences, humanities, or education. Applicants must have a minimum of 5 ECTS in research methods to fulfill the admission requirements
- Degree Name: Master of Tourism Studies
- Application code:
- Norwegian and Nordic applicants: 9530
- International applicants: 2061
Tourism is an increasingly important global phenomenon, which involves social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental opportunities and challenges. Expanding economies enable more people to travel frequently and over longer distances to experience landscapes, townscapes, cultures, and peoples. Globalization and technological developments enable increased mobilities, and thus tourism activities. Tourism development and growth also challenges the sustainability of ecologies in the era of climate change.
This study program seeks to provide students with thorough knowledge about how to balance environmental, economic, and socio-cultural benefits and concerns in tourism. In particular, students will address how to meet tourist markets' demands for nature and heritage experiences, without compromising future generations' access to these. Throughout the program, students will obtain specialized insights into the complexities of tourism in relation to experiences, how tourism is performed and marketed, and how it shapes - and is shaped by - cultural, social, economic, temporal, and spatial power relations. The specialized insights should enable students to analyze tourism in ways that give nuanced understandings of sustainable tourism in a variety of settings. By the end of the program, students should be able to employ such scholarly understandings in a Master's thesis, based on social-scientific and humanities-oriented theoretical approaches.
Admissions
Curriculum
Program structure
| Term | 10 credits | 10 credits | 10 credits |
| 1st Term (Fall) | REI-3011 Tourism theory and the tourist experience | REI-3012 Nature and tourism in an era of climate change | REI-3013 Indigenous Heritages in Tourism |
| 2nd Term (Spring) | REI-3001 Philosophy of Social Science | REI-3014 Qualitative methods | REI-3015 Festival and event tourism |
| 3rd Term (Fall) | REI-3005 Tourism Marketing | REI-3016 Quantitative methods | REI-3910 Master's thesis |
| 4rt Term (Spring) | Master Thesis *Master thesis seminars will start in the first semester and continue in the second and third semesters. The Master thesis seminar prepares the students for their Master thesis | - | - |
Access to further studies
With a Master's degree in Tourism Studies, students can apply for admission to a Ph.D. program at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, or Ph.D. programs at other national and international institutions.
Exchange
UiT - The Arctic University of Norway cooperates with international universities regarding student exchange at the Master's level in line with NOKUT's requirements. Student exchange is possible in Semester 3.
Program Outcome
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, students should have obtained the following:
Knowledge:
The student should have:
- thorough knowledge of seminal and contemporary theories within the field of tourism studies.
- in-depth knowledge of research processes and methods adapted to issues within the field of tourism studies.
- advanced knowledge of sustainability and responsibility in tourism, in particular as relevant to nature and heritage tourism.
- the ability to apply theoretical and methodological knowledge of new areas within tourism studies.
- the ability to analyze professional issues based on the history, tradition, specialization, and role of tourism in society.
Skills:
The student should be able to:
- critically consider the solidity of information on and descriptions of tourism gained from various sources.
- demonstrate analytical capacity by structuring and formulating professional arguments that contribute to innovative solutions in sustainable and responsible tourism.
- analyze and relate critically to existing theories, methods, and interpretations within tourism studies, as well as apply tourism perspectives in practical and theoretical problem-solving.
- make use of relevant research in an independent manner, to contribute to the development of strategies and new opportunities in nature and heritage tourism.
- develop research questions and make use of relevant research methods to collect and analyze data concerning tourism objectives.
- carry out an independent research project in the field of tourism, under supervision, and in accordance with current norms for research ethics.
General competence:
The student should be able to:
- design, plan, develop, and carry out tourism research projects.
- critically analyze the tourism industry, tourists' practices, and tourism relevant policies as well as consider the ethical concerns and potential dilemmas they imply.
- apply reflexive thinking to contribute to innovative processes in heritage and nature tourism development.
- contribute to a sustainable and responsible tourism industry and governance of tourism development.
- apply knowledge and skills independently and innovatively through cooperation in research, government, and industry contexts.
Career Opportunities
Job prospectives
The Master of Tourism Studies forms the basis for a range of fields of work associated with:
- Development of sustainable tourism and adventure products
- Marketing and communication of tourism and adventure products
- Establishment of culture-based and nature-based enterprises
- Travel Life's organizational unit (Norwegian Hospitality, Innovation Norway, etc.)
- International organizations (NGOs)
- Public affairs and regulatory frameworks for tourism
- Consultancy work for the tourism industry
- Investigative work
- Research and development
- Teaching