Future career and masters

Leisure and tourism are complex social phenomena that raise a wide array of important academic and applied issues ranging from questions of the socio-cultural, political-economic and environmental implications of leisure and tourism to those of destination branding and management. The complexity of these subjects means that students interested in studying leisure and tourism at the MSc level can explore, for example, linkages between tourism, sports, culture, and media and are able to do so from a range of perspectives including sociology, psychology, economics, business management and marketing (e.g. MSc Leisure Studies); or they may seek to focus on such questions as how leisure and tourism transforms places and environments  through the lens of concepts such as landscape, space, place, locality, authenticity and sustainability (MSc Leisure, Tourism and Environment).

Testimonial master Leisure and Tourism

Testimonial career Leisure and Tourism

Today we are faced with profound challenges associated with environmental degradation and ecological instability. Tourism is a significant contributor to but is also a potential alleviator of these threats. This relationship between tourism and the environment is a central theme of the BSc Tourism programme. Critical issues are addressed in the programme relating to environmental understandings and decision-making processes, sustainable development, and natural resource management.  Alumni of the programme have taken up the challenge of finding innovative means of confronting these environmental concerns by pursuing a range of environment-focused master degrees, including Environmental Sciences, Climate Change Mitigation, Marine Development and Protection, Forest and Nature Conservation, and Disaster Management.

Testimonial master Environmental Sciences

Testimonial career Environmental Sciences

In an increasingly global, interconnected world issues of socio-cultural change are of central importance to the realms of policy formation, social organisation and business management. Changing patterns of tourist travel and tourism demand are leading to new and intensifying social and cultural encounters with potentially positive but also potentially negative consequences for individuals, communities, and societies. BSc Tourism alumni interested in exploring and addressing these transformations have enrolled is such master programmes as Human Geography, Cultural Diversity, Arts and Heritage Policy, Communication Studies, Health and Society, and Landscape and Architectural Planning.

Testimonial master Society and Culture

Testimonial career Society and Culture

Given the economic magnitude of the tourism sector on a global scale and the increasing importance of tourism to local communities and entire countries in terms of employment and income, it is not surprising that many BTO alumni have chosen masters’ programme related to business and economics. Whether their interests lie in studying the political economy of tourism or developing a career in the business management, BTO graduates have pursued such MSc degrees as International Business Administration, Marketing Management, Consumer Studies, and Economic Geography.

Testimonial master Economics and Management

Testimonial career Economics and Management

Tourism has become an essential social and economic development tool for many communities around the world, especially in the Global South. As capital, labour and knowledge become increasingly mobile and as countries and regions compete with one another over scarce resources, such as food, water and investment, the challenges faced by countries and communities of the periphery are of increasing importance. How can we transform right to food, water and a clean environment into real livelihood options for people? How can we help communities prevent and recover from conflict, disasters and war? These are some of the many questions that alumni explore in such master programmes as International Development Studies and Disaster Management.

Testimonial master International Development

Although internships are not part of the standard curriculum of the BTO programme, after graduating some of our alumni have arranged and participated in internships or taken a gap year to work and/or travel before continuing on with an MSc. BTO alumni have done internships with a range of companies and organisations, including international development agencies, community-based tourism organisations,  sustainable trekking organisations, and political parties.

Testimonial internship and master

Testimonial internship