Admission requirements - MSc Tourism, Society and Environment

Interested in the master's programme Tourism, Society and Environment? Find out whether your knowledge and skills match the entry level of the programme.

This page specifically describes the previous knowledge and skills required for admission to the Tourism, Society and Environment programme. For the additional general admission requirements of Wageningen University & Research, application deadlines and the application procedure, visit How to apply for a master's programme?

Are you interested in the programme, but not sure whether your background matches the stated requirements? Feel free to contact us.

Admission requirements

Required knowledge and skills

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements

The admission requirements for the master's programme Tourism, Society & Environment are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete the programme in two years. In order to comply, the applicant needs to have sufficient knowledge in the field of social sciences (human geography, history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, political sciences, philosophy, consumer studies, communication studies, development studies, policy/governance studies, tourism studies or a combination) and basic knowledge of statistics. This is to ensure that the applicant has a solid basis to follow the advanced courses in the master's programme.

The criterion used for admission is

a WUR BSc degree in Tourism, Management and Consumer Studies, Forest and Nature Conservation, Landscape Architecture and Planning, International Development Studies, Health and Society, Communication and Life Sciences, or equivalent.

The norm for this equivalence is

an assessment of the student's expertise in:

  • Social sciences (human geography, history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, political sciences, philosophy, consumer sciences, communication sciences, development studies, policy/governance studies, tourism studies or a combination)
  • Basics in statistics

These topics will be weighed by the Admission Board per individual application. See also Additional context for admission.

Method of assessment whether this norm is met

  • Transcript of records displaying the content of previous course subjects and project work;
  • Curriculum vitae displaying relevant work, internship and/or project experience on an academic level in a relevant field if applicable.

Scores attributed by the Admission Board

Admitted / not admitted / admitted under condition obtaining the BSc or MSc degree / not admitted with offer of pre-master

Compensation of knowledge gaps

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:

  • a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;
  • a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.

*Check the general admission page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement.

Contact us through the contact button above to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.

Find out more about pre-master's programmes.

Additional context for admission

Additional documentation for admission

During your application you can upload more detailed information indicating how you acquired the requested knowledge and skills. Think of content of courses, projects and your thesis. If your GPA is slightly too low, you can also upload information that might count as compensating factors to be considered by the Admission Board.

Admissible study programmes

Graduates from specific tourism related bachelor's study programmes that may meet the knowledge requirements are for example: International Tourism Management (and Consultancy), Leisure Management, Tourism, Tourism and Recreation, Tourism and Leisure Management, Tourism Management, and Travel and Tourism Management.

Study programmes with knowledge gaps

Hospitality Management students often have to follow additional courses during the previous study programme or a pre-master to fulfil the knowledge requirements.

Applicants that do not have sufficient knowledge on qualitative and quantitative research methods in social sciences are requested to take a refresher course that will be part of the 120 ECTS master's programme (it will go at the expense of a part of your free space). For the refresher course a basic level of statistics is required. A self test can be made available by the study adviser to test the required level.

Note that insufficient previous knowledge on social sciences and/or statistics can also be covered by following an appropriate minor as part of your bachelor's programme. Early contact with our study adviser might prevent the requirement of a pre-master.