International Tourism Management BA Hons

Accreditations

You are viewing Course summary

Course Summary

Explore one of the world’s leading, fast-moving and dynamic industries at one of the UK’s top tourism universities - the best in the North of England, Wales & Scotland (Guardian University Guide 2025).

You will learn from industry experts and academics how places around the world benefit from and manage tourism, how it is marketed and how tourism businesses operate. You will consider the future challenges facing tourism particularly in terms of sustainability. You will gain industry experience to help plan your tourism future.

The course provides you with a broad understanding of international tourism in your first year before exploring more specialist topics in your second and third years when you will also expand upon your own areas of particular interest by selecting optional modules that connect tourism with aspects of events management, marketing or business.

You will have a work placement in your second year and carry out an individual tourism management project that you have designed yourself in third year. These opportunities will help you stand-out when you apply for the job that will kick-start your tourism career.

It is available as a three-year course or as a four-year course with a placement year.

This degree course is accredited by the Tourism Management Institute. We work closely with it and our industry partners to make sure that our modules are always up to date and give you the skills that you will need for future success.

Chester Business School named Business School of the Year at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2024.

Why You'll Love It

Learn in the heart of Chester, a top UK tourism city

A birds eye view of Chester Foregate St, looking from the clock towards Watergate St, various shops and people are walking.

Ranked 4th in the UK

Build your professional network and industry knowledge

Chester Business School named best in the North of England at the 2024 Educate North Awards.

International Tourism Management

What You'll Study

The Business and Management Foundation Year area provides a comprehensive suite of topics directly related with business environments. You will be introduced to core areas such as business functions, leadership, management, ethics, marketing, organisational structures, and finance. The Foundation Year ensures you are able to engage with the fundamentals of how businesses operate.

For Computing Foundation Years, you are taught to understand key concepts relating to the role of processors, key algorithms, data analysis, HTML website creation, and programming. You will also learn how IT systems and infrastructures are protected from threats.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

The International Tourism Management course contains core modules at each level of study as well as some specialist options within years 2 and 3.

In Year 1, students are introduced to the nature and scale of international tourism and how its businesses operate including how they are marketed.

Year 2 builds upon this foundation with more complex learning that considers how tourism impacts on places economically, socially and environmentally and how it can be used to their benefit.

In Year 3, students will consider future challenges in the sector and undertake individual projects to help develop their professional skills.

The course contains several optional modules which may run depending on the availability of staff expertise and the viability of cohorts. These options provide students with the opportunity to undertake study in particular areas of interest within business management, marketing and events.

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term students study 40 credits comprised of either one or two modules. Scheduled contact hours range between approximately 6 and 10 hours per week depending upon level of study and the complexity of the material being taught.

This course is delivered through a mix of in person lectures and workshops.

Students should expect to spend an average of 20 hours per week on independent study which might include following asynchronous learning material on the University’s VLE, tutorial time with staff, using the University’s library, working with peers and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching will be delivered by experience academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers, as well as field visits where appropriate.

There will be a broad range of assessment methods used throughout the International Tourism Management course so that students are exposed to the different types of task they might encounter in the workplace.

These will include coursework in the form of reports, portfolios of work, presentations (such as pitches and debates, peer assessment, reflective reviews, evaluation reports. In some modules students will encounter class tests and practical assessments. We continuously review the assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare students for graduate level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Entry Requirements

112UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	112 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – BCC-BBC
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM
International Baccalaureate	28 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers - H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 Scottish Highers - BBBB
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above
T Level	Merit
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: DMM
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	72 points
GCE A level	72 points overall, including grade D in A level
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP
International Baccalaureate	24 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 Scottish Highers: CCDD
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall
T Level	T Level: Pass (D or E on the core)
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: MMP
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree.

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees and Finance section of our website.

Who You'll Learn From

Colin Potts

Programme Leader International Tourism Management

Dr Maeve Marmion

Associate Dean of Education and Student Success

Jane Martin

Programme Leader for Marketing Management

Beth Morris

Programme Leader for Digital Marketing

Associate Professor Tim Brown

Head of Marketing and Professional Development

Dr Emmy Yeung

Senior Lecturer

Where You'll Study Queen's Park, Chester

Home of Chester Business School

An exterior photo of the front of Queen's Park in Chester

A corporate learning hub

A tutor standing in front of a computer, desk and wall screen, giving a lecture in classroom.

Get supported

Modern learning, historic city

Close to the city

Queens Park Bridge, blue sky and white clouds

Get connected

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Making the most of the chances the course offers will help you develop and boost your job prospects. Recent graduates have gone to work in tour operators, tourist boards, hotels, attractions, airports and tourism digital organisations. One, Niamh Roberts says:

“Studying International Tourism Management at the University of Chester provided me with the best platform to network with industry professionals, get involved in extracurricular activities and enhance my employability skills. I highly recommend the course – it certainly has shaped me into the person I am today.”

Our courses are accredited by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) professional body which brings a wealth of networking opportunities for our students.

Our graduates include experts in: Destination Marketing & Development; Luxury Tour Operations; Social Media & Digital Marketing; Hotel & Events Management; Airlines; Visitor Attractions Heritage & Cultural Organisations.

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

International Tourism Management BA (Hons)

Available with: