Master of Science in Tourism (1 year, 60 ECTS) – modules: Tourism, Hotel Management, Hunting Tourism

Name and the Goals of the Study Programme

Title of the study programme: Master Academic Studies – Master in Tourism

Type of the Study and the Outcome of the Education Process

Study cycle: Master Academic Studies

Professional Title, Academic, or Scientific Title

Professional title is Master in Tourism.

Admission Conditions

Requirements for enrolment in the study programme:

• completed bachelor academic studies in duration of four years and;
• appropriate position on the ranking list within the approved students’ enrolment  quota.

Students who enrol master academic studies have to take the exam in the entrance module (group of courses). Equivalent exams taken during the previous study cycle will be recognized. If a student did not pas those exams in the previous study cycle, he/she is obliged to pass them before entering master academic studies.

To apply for the Tourism Module, students need to pass the entrance module containing the following courses: Tourism Management, Tourism Marketing, Travel agencies business, Management of tourist destinations.

To apply for the Hotel Management Module, students need to pass the entrance module containing the following courses: Fundamentals of Hotel Management, Hospitality management, Hospitality services, Standardization and quality in the hospitality industry.

To apply for the Module Hunting Tourism, students need to pass the entrance module containing the following courses: Base of Hunting, Hunting tourism activity, Phenomenology of game, Establishment of hunting ground and hunting management, and Hunting weapons, ammunition and ballistics.

The Structure of the Study Programme

Structure of the study programme of Master Academic Studies – Master in Tourism

Master Academic Studies – Master in Tourism last for one year (two semesters) and weight 60 ECTS credits. Study programme contains one compulsory common course for all modules (Final graduation thesis – Master Thesis weighting 27 ECTS), courses compulsory to each particular module and free elective courses. Each module requires a group of compulsory courses: Module Tourism 3 courses of a total credit score of 15 ECTS; Module Hotel Management 4 courses of a total credit score of 21 ECTS; and Module Hunting Tourism 3 courses of a total credit score of 15 ECTS. The rest of ECTS credits are accumulated through elective courses. A group of elective courses contains 20 courses. Availability and semester distribution are defined for each of the elective courses.

Credit Values of Particular Courses

Credit score of the study programme is 60 ECTS.

Transferring from Another Study Programme

Conditions for transfer from other study programmes within the related fields are defined in accordance with the valid study programmes at the Faculty of Sciences in Novi Sad.

Teaching is conducted through active teaching hours, professional practice, fieldwork, seminar papers (project tasks), and consultative work.

Within the course of Fieldwork in Modules Tourism and Hunting Tourism, students face concrete phenomena, objects and problems in Tourism, Hunting Tourism, and managing events in a certain area. Module Hotel Management contains compulsory Professional Practice course, which is conducted under teachers’ supervision, in hospitality companies and objects in the country and abroad.

Purpose of the study programme Master in Tourism is gaining multidisciplinary academic knowledge in the field of Tourism (geographical and economic aspect of studying tourism and related activities) thus enabling master students to responsibly plan, organize, manage, and run companies or their units dealing with tourism industry; plan and design tourism destinations, human resources management; management of hotel companies or their units, management of hunting grounds and human resources dealing with wildlife breeding; planning hotel and hospitality capacities within hunting areas, planning and design of the hunting grounds; planning, organization and event management (cultural, sporting, business, special), their evaluation, outreach effect and importance for destination tourism development, and creating a network of stakeholders with the ultimate goal of reaching sustainable tourism on a destination.

Building upon the knowledge acquired on bachelor academic studies, this study programme provides in-depth, streamlined, specialist knowledge needed for operating and doing business in tourism and complementary industries.

Study programme offers specific knowledge, which enables future Masters in Tourism to manage business in tourism in the environment of dramatic macroeconomic changes. Efficient tourist associations are a key factor in developing national economy, taking into account a growing importance of this specific sector in creation of the gross national product.

Another important purpose of this study programme is enabling Masters in Tourism to create business ideas, and establish and run new companies. Running business in tourism industry requires knowledge of tourism specificities and operating of tourism markets, financing and management of tourism resources, marketing skills, as well as how the national tourism policy together with the measures of the EU tourism policy influence business in this sector.

These master studies prepare for further development in higher education institutions, provide methodological and research-scientific skills, which create conditions of enrolling in doctoral academic studies in the field of tourism. In addition, they enable for further scientific work and applying theory in tourism practice not only on the skills level but in the realm of solving practical and theoretical problems in tourism and complementary industries.

Goal of the study programme of Master Academic Studies – Master in Tourism is to enable students to show originality in knowledge application and understand how the new research moves the frontiers of knowledge. Students are supposed to tackle complex questions in systematic and creative way and show originality in problem solving.

General goals of this study programme comprise: development of critical thinking and ability to understand and solve problems of the ratio between the tourism demand and offer, which relies on raising awareness of the importance of lifelong learning as indispensable for acting in dynamic and changeable environment; Further, goals comprise creating professionals who are capable of teamwork and ready to communicate their achievements to fellow professionals and genarl public – either orally or in writing.

One of the particularly important goals of this study programme is educating professionals who, besides considerable theoretical knowledge, possess substantial experience in applying specific research methods and techniques when dealing with real problems.

This is how graduated master students become ready for independent and expert research work within a number of institutions and companies dealing with various aspects of tourism and complementary industries, which is one of the most important scientific methods in decision making and planning as being invaluable for any country.

General and course-specific competencies of students

Master studies complement the knowledge acquired on bachelor academic studies and qualify students to connect and apply knowledge from various fields to solving problems in tourism and its related industries. In addition, students become qualified to integrate knowledge, solve complex problems and transfer knowledge further to professionals and wider public. Students acquire competencies needed to find employment, which calls for sound judgment, personal responsibility and initiative in unpredictable business environment.

By completing this study programmes, students obtain the following general competencies:

• ability of retrospection, shaping, and predicting the phenomena in practical and theoretical aspect of business in tourism;
• ability of creative thinking, analysis and conclusion in all aspects of tourism business environment;
• ability to solve complex theoretical and practical problems related to tourism;
• ability to understand and apply professional ethics related to the field of tourism.

Learning outcomes

This study programme educates experts equipped with the necessary competencies specific for contemporary business and research in these scientific fields. Professional will have the following competencies:

• To continue further academic and professional development in certain fields of tourism;
• to master methods, techniques, procedures and organize the entire process of complex tourism market research;
• to independently and responsibly manage companies or their units and other subjects in tourism, hunting tourism, hospitality, event organization and other complementary activities;
• to develop communication in up-to-date business environment.

Students who complete this study programme are enabled for:

• Creative and innovative work in tourist organizations, tourist information centres, highly competent and creative planning and management of a tourist destination;
• planning and management of accommodation facilities of a tourist destination;
• competent and creative management of hunting grounds and hunting areas;
• planning, organization and management of events important for developing destination tourism.