Overview 

If you are aiming for a career in the vibrant and growing UK and international tourism sector, this contemporary course is for you. You gain a comprehensive understanding of business concepts and models with specialist knowledge of travel and tourism.

Develop the knowledge and skills to get ahead in the travel and tourism industry with a focus on domestic, international relationships and their impact on society and the wider economy.

Designed in partnership with employers, you gain a theoretical and practical understanding of travel and tourism management, preparing you for the world of work.

This course includes an integrated foundation year – ideal if you need additional preparation and/or if you don’t have sufficient grades to join Year 1 of a degree. An optional work placement year is included, at no extra cost.

Professional accreditation

With dual accreditation at Teesside University, as well as the degree you will receive a Level 5 Certificate in Management and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which is the only chartered professional body for management and leadership. Dual accreditation means you will automatically receive a second professional qualification upon successful completion of your program. By adding this CMI qualification to your University qualification, you’re really on the road to success.

• You instantly become more employable when you receive a CMI professional qualification that is industry-recognized
• You will gain access to exclusive CMI networking events
• You will have the opportunity to attend lectures from top-level CMI industry-expert members
• CMI’s qualifications sit on the RQF framework and are recognized by the European Credit Framework
• CMI qualifications fast-track students into the next stage of training to become Chartered Managers
• During your students you will become a CMI Affiliate member, giving you a host of additional benefits to support your development and employability.

We are a member of the Institute for Travel and Tourism (ITT), giving you access to a dedicated ITT Future You Talent Hub, helping to inspire the next generation of travel and tourism experts. As an ITT Member, you can engage with national and international events and develop your professional network with organizations including British Airways, Advantage, ABTA, Business Travel Association, and many more.

Course details

Year 0, the foundation year, allows you to develop key discipline knowledge in business and management and develops your confidence and creative thinking skills, as well as financial competence and numeracy skills. The content of the remaining years of the course is identical to the content of the BA (Hons) Business with Tourism degree.

Year 1 is mainly tutor-led and focuses on providing you with the necessary underpinning in terms of broad business knowledge and skills. You explore key business and management concepts and are introduced to your specialist area of tourism.

Year 2 takes a more student-led approach with an emphasis on exploring your own interests and deepening your insights as well as having more responsibility for your own learning. During this year you develop a broader international perspective to the study of business. As well as studying four core business modules, including a module where you gain practical work experience via a self-identified project, you also study two modules in the area of tourism.

The final year explores more advanced topics within business and management and you develop your awareness of your own responsibility as a future leader of the business. You consider the strategic and applied aspects of tourism and have the opportunity to put your knowledge into action by undertaking a self-managed independent project via the Dissertation module.

Course structure

Year 0 (foundation year) core modules

This module develops your academic and transferrable skills to support successful study on a business degree course. These skills include a range of personal and transferable study skills including active listening, reading and understanding academic texts, note-taking, time management, written and oral communication, analytical thinking, and referencing, as well as professional skills linked to employability and career aspirations.

Business Creativity Enterprise And Career Aspiration

You are introduced to the basic elements of research and develop an understanding of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship in the context of business organizations. You gain the confidence to explore and research current topics and generate new ideas to solve problems. You will work in teams reviewing relevant literature and considering different methodologies for researching and collecting relevant data to develop a proposal for a small research project.

Collecting Understanding And Presenting Business Information

This module will introduce you to the basic elements of collecting primary and secondary business data, understanding it, and then presenting it as meaningful information. It will provide you with the confidence to explore current business topics and the knowledge and skills required for the Team Research Project Utilising Digital Platforms module. You will use digital platforms such as Excel spreadsheets, Word, online survey packages, and PowerPoint to facilitate the collection, basic analysis, and presentation of business information.

Introduction to Business Environment

This module will introduce you to the basic elements of collecting primary and secondary business data, understanding it, and then presenting it as meaningful information. It will provide you with the confidence to explore current business topics and the knowledge and skills required for the Team Research Project Utilising Digital Platforms module. You will use digital platforms such as Excel spreadsheets, Word, online survey packages, and PowerPoint to facilitate the collection, basic analysis, and presentation of business information.

Numeracy And Introduction To Finance

This module provides you with an introduction to core numerical skills and quantitative techniques that are essential to studying business in higher education. You will develop effective quantitative problem-solving skills using practical business problems and gain an appreciation of the contribution that accounting makes to the financial analysis and managerial control of business organizations.

Team Research Project  Utilising Digital Platform

This module provides an opportunity for you to work collaboratively as a team, to carry out a short piece of research using an online survey package to conduct a short survey. As part of a team, you will demonstrate your ability to apply skills of research, analysis, and synthesis to present your findings and conclusions using appropriate software packages.

Year 1 core modules

This module will inspire you to think about entering the workplace once you have completed your studies. The module is delivered as an interactive learning experience that will enable you to develop an enterprising mindset and help to identify some of the skills and attributes you already possess. The module content will encourage you to begin to think about your personal career aspirations, whilst addressing potential gaps linked to your knowledge, skills, and experience. You will be encouraged to think in an enterprising fashion; learn new approaches to adapt and enhance your individual style. You will have the opportunity to work independently and as a member of a group by participating in personal challenges and group projects, and will learn to understand the importance of networking. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to hear from and to question experienced external practitioners.

Business Finance

You gain an understanding of the way in which accounting is used in the external evaluation of organizations and develop the ability to use accounting and finance techniques in decision making, control, management, and adding value to performance.

Introduction to Tourism

The module aims to establish basic concepts associated with the study of tourism. The term tourism is often taken for granted, although there are multiple and contested definitions with quite important implications and connotations for how tourism is and should be studied. The module distinguishes between demand-and supply-side perspectives, as well as between the activity (tourism) and the actor (tourist) as quite different foci.

Personal And Professional Development for Business

You become more aware of your own personal and professional development through reflection and interaction with peers. Drawing on related theories, you understand the importance of personal development and develop skills to enhance your future employability.

The International Market Environment

You are introduced to basic economic theories of markets and competition along with aspects of the wider business environment, including government policy and the macroeconomy. These ideas are then applied to the practical analysis of markets using the segmentation, targeting, and positioning framework.

Understanding Organisations

You study some of the general principles of business management, particularly in the context of structure, culture, leadership, organizational behavior, the business environment, and the impact of these areas operationally. You are also introduced to the concept of strategic management with an emphasis on organizational resources and competency. And you consider the impact of organizational behavior on overall business effectiveness, examining the role of the individual within the organization and exploring motivation, perception, and personal impact.

How you learn

Modules are taught by lectures, seminars, practical workshops, work-based activities, and group work. Teaching staff adopts a range of web-based technologies to deliver module content, assess, provide feedback and communicate with students.

How you are assessed

The program is assessed via a variety of methods including assignments, examinations, group work, presentations, and live practical projects.