Degree in detail
Overview of the curriculum
The curriculum in detail
The Sustainable Tourism Management Master’s study programme is part of the Sustainable Business faculty and furthermore, it is closely linked to the Landscape Management & Nature Conservation faculty. It links economics with content from ecological and social sciences and thus has an interdisciplinary orientation toward sustainability. The objective of the degree is to gain knowledge of tourism management on an academic basis with a particular focus on sustainable development concepts for the tourism industry on the company, association and destination level.
The following expertise for professional working life are transferred:
Academic and methodical expertise
Decision-making expertise and competence to act (problem-solving skills)
Soft skills, such as communication, motivation and conflict resolution skills; team spirit
Language: 1.Semester: German, 2.Semester: English
1st semester
In the 1st semester, economic, ecological and social topics of sustainability as well as marketing and management topics are learned or deepened. Furthermore, academic skills (methods of empirical social research) are practised and the students are coached in order to achieve their personal learning goals (self management).
Five mandatory modules
Tourism Economy, Digital Transformation and Ethics (Module description)
Tourism, Environment and Society (Module description)
Sustainable Marketing Management Cases, with Methods of Empirical Social Research (Module description)
Sustainability in Destination Management I (Module description)
- Self Management (Module description)
2nd semester
In the 2nd semester, the students can deepen their knowledge in a specialisation topic alongside two mandatory modules. To do so, three modules in one specialisation must be selected.
However, we also offer the possibility of swapping a compulsory elective module for a module from the respective other specialisations, other degree programmes or even another university.
From the 2nd semester onwards, all courses are held exclusively or predominantly in English in order to enable non-German speaking international students to participate. However, project work, homework and other examination papers can also be done in German.
Two mandatory modules
Sustainable Marketing Management Project (Module description)
Sustainability in Destination Management II (Module description)
Compulsory elective modules
Digitalisation and business related specialisation
SMART Tourism: Research & Application Trends (Module description)
- Social Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Fair Finance in Tourism (Module description)
- Business Intelligence and Data Mining in Tourism (Module description)
Environment and destination-based specialisation
Tourism in Developing Countries (Module description)
Nature-Based Tourism & Protected Area Management (Module description)
Environmental Management, Reporting & Certification (Module description)
3rd semester
During the 3rd semester, the students can choose between three options: the transfer project, the project internship or a semester abroad.
In a transfer project the students work in a group on a project for a partner in practice. In doing so, knowledge from the university is transferred into practice. Transfer projects predominantly take place in Brandenburg and Berlin, but they could also be carried out in other regions of Germany or abroad.
The project-internship is undertaken individually. In this regard, a project is also worked on for a partner in practice. Partners for project internships and transfer projects could be, e.g., tourism companies, associations or regions, and are recruited from the lecturer’s many and varied networks. However, they can also be suggested by the students.
In a joint project seminar students are prepared for the management of their project. After that there are several individual meetings to coordinate with the respective supervising lecturer.
As an alternative to the project internship or the transfer project, a semester abroad can be undertaken at a partner university with a comparable degree programme.
Furthermore, during the 3rd and 4th semester a total of 8 ECTS points must be gained in “special compulsory elective modules”. To do so, previously not taken compulsory elective modules of the degree programme or modules from other degree programmes or universities can be taken. This allows great freedom of choice! At HNEE there is particularly close cooperation with the Master’s degree programmes “Sustainable Corporate Management” and “Regional Development & Nature Conservation”.
Possible compulsory elective modules at HNEE could be, e.g., “Urban and Cultural Tourism” (pdf), “Communication and Moderation” (pdf) or “Non-Formal Environmental Education/ Interpretation”. In regard to the ECTS points, all combinations are permitted, e.g., 4 x 2 ECTS or 6 + 2 ECTS.
Transfer project / project internship / semester abroad (24 ECTS)
Project seminar(s)
Special compulsory elective module(s) (up to 8 ECTS)
4th semester
The 4th semester is almost exclusively reserved for writing the Master’s thesis. In a preparatory Master’s seminar, the students intensively address academic work and research methods. Furthermore, students can complete any still outstanding compulsory elective modules, which in the 3rd and 4th semester must amount to 8 ECTS, or they may participate in a department field trip.
The Master of Arts degree qualifies the holder for higher grade civil service and to undertake a doctorate.
Master’s thesis (28 ECTS)
Master’s seminar and colloquium
- If applicable compulsory elective module (up to 8 ECTS) or field trip (2 ECTS).
Master’s thesis and project work
Here you can gain a brief overview of selected works by our students!
In the current summer semester in the context of the “Applied Marketing Management” module students worked on practical projects with external partners. Discover more about it here!
Accreditation
The degree programme is accredited until August 31st, 2029. The latest reaccreditation was carried out by the Akkreditierungsrat.
The objective of the accreditation is to ensure quality in teaching and degrees by ascertaining minimum standards. Quality assuring accreditation procedures provide students, employers and universities with a reliable orientation and improved transparency about the Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes offered in Germany. Furthermore, accreditation procedures contribute to increasing the mobility of the students and to improving the international recognition of the degrees.
(Source: http://www.akkreditierungsrat.de/)
The Sustainable Tourism Management degree programme can be found in the central database of the German Accreditation Council here!
