Bachelor in Tourism and Leisure Management

Bachelor in Tourism and Leisure Management is one of 3 English-taught Tourism Management programmes at bachelor’s level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 2 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 727 a year.

What you study

This is a business degree with tourism at the centre. In the first two semesters you cover the basics: accounting, management essentials, marketing and marketing research, economics, and global tourism dynamics. You also take Communication Mastery I, which builds intercultural competence and academic writing. Sustainability runs through the whole programme, starting with a dedicated module in semester two, and you look at tourist behaviour and psychology, including qualitative research into why people choose what they choose.

Later semesters get more specific. You study the legal environment, tourism project and event management, digital transformation and AI in tourism, and mobility and intermediaries in global travel. In semester five you take finance, investment and mathematics, risk and crisis management, digital tourism and marketing, and cultural and culinary tourism. You then choose between Sustainable Hospitality Management and Sustainable Destination Management. Semester six covers business models and business planning, innovation and experience design, and a Future Lab with personal development. You pick one elective from Wellness Tourism, Congress and Conference Management, or Sports and Adventure Tourism. A bachelor thesis across two seminars and a final bachelor exam complete the degree.

How the programme is organised

It is a full-time degree over six semesters, 180 ECTS, taught in English. The programme mixes face-to-face teaching with virtual classes and uses problem-based learning, case studies and flipped classroom formats. Most lecturers come from the tourism industry and bring real examples into class. In semester two you go on an excursion to ITB Berlin.

Semester three can be spent abroad at one of more than 220 partner universities. Semester four is a practical training semester: you work at a company of your choice abroad for at least 22 weeks, with help from a global company database. You can also add a second language, German or Spanish, through the Communication Mastery modules, which cover presentations, moderation, negotiation and job applications. If you do not have the required level (minimum A2 for German or Spanish), you take a beginner language module in Future Skills I instead. If you opt out of a second language, Communication Mastery II and III are in English. There is also a dual degree option with Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland or KEDGE Business School in Bordeaux, France.

Who it suits

You should like business questions and want to apply them to travel, events and destinations. The programme asks how tourists' needs are changing, how destinations are marketed and how events are staged. It suits people who are ready to spend a semester abroad and a full semester working in another country. If you have already been to a hotel management or tourism school, or have some professional experience in tourism, you can ask to have individual courses credited after a review. Students who want to start their own business can use the Founders Lab for support.

Admission, language and next steps

Teaching is in English, so you need solid English skills. The programme is offered by IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, which sets its own fees. Applications go directly to the institution, not through a central portal. Check the programme page for the application period and the deadline for non-EU applicants. The page also lists a study fee, but confirm the current amount and payment details with IMC Krems. Before you apply, look at the curriculum and decide whether you want to add German or Spanish, and whether the dual degree option appeals to you.

In an age of rapidly changing global markets prospective managers constantly face new challenges. The bachelor's degree in Tourism and Leisure Management provides you with the tools that are necessary to succeed in this environment locally and internationally. The aim of this English-language bachelor's programme is to acquire with in-depth business administration expertise. The tourism and leisure industry is the centre of attention throughout the programme.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences. Universities of applied sciences set their own application periods and admission procedures, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: Admission procedure. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.