Curriculum 

You will learn to understand the intercultural context of tourism and the economic factors that play a role as well as the importance of quality control and the implications of strategic decisions. In settings where tourist destinations are being developed, sustainability is the starting point for a commercial service.

The programme is offered in English, and there are workshops in Dutch and Spanish. In addition, there are workshops in business administration and business economics.

Year 1 - Foundation Phase
During the first year you find out more about the leisure market including the tourist sector. You look at trends, the market and the features of tourism. You study tourism companies by investigating the quality of their services. You will be taught the specific aspects of rural and urban tourism.

To field-test the theory you will visit a European city and/or a rural tourist area. You develop your language skills by chosing German or French. Moreover, we pay extensive attention to the basic principles of management, consumer behaviour, marketing, ethics and business economics.

Year 2 - Main Phase
In the second year you will study the tourism sector from a policy-making point of view and develop tactical skills and knowledge. Culture is accepted worldwide as a setting for tourism. Products and services of all sorts arise from it. These are important subjects for you to study. Which lanscapes are interesting for tourism? What is the climate like at different destinations? You learn how to combine unique surroundings with a good infrastructure. Responsible behaviour with regard to environment and culture plays an important role in your strategy. You learn more about the importance of economical, political and social considerations in the development of international tourist destinations. Other subjects this year include financial and operational management, marketing, product development and Human Resource Management. You extend your knowledge of languages with Spanish this year. Fieldwork at a destination on the Mediterranean is also part of the programme.

 Year 3 - Main Phase
The third year focuses on strategic management. You gain more in-depth knowledge of management and your executive skills improve. You learn how to market a tourist product or organization and you will see which marketing tools you can use.You field-test all the theory acquired during the course in a management game. In a simulated market you compete in groups with several companies. During one module you work at a research project from a real customer at the learning company "Service Management". To gain more in-depth knowledge, you can choose one or two minors during a semester. You can choose to follow minors at our international campuses in Qatar, South Africa and Thailand. An international exchange with a university abroad is also an opportunity.
 
Year 4 - Graduate Phase
You go on a traineeship of 30 weeks and write your final paper. The fourth year provides you with important practical knowledge based on professionalism and can lead directly into an international career.
 
Minor
During the third year of your study, you can choose your minors. You can broaden your education or choose to specialise in a subject. You can choose between one minor (one semester) for 30 credits or two minors (one module each) of 15 credit points each. You can choose to go abroad by choosing the Grand Tour or an exchange programme.

Maximum stay
The maximum stay for studying abroad with Grand Tour/exchange (not being internship) is limited by the current Dutch regulations. Keep this in mind when choosing your minor. 

Stenden university has exchange partnerships with universities all over the world and welcomes around 100 exchange students each year.
 
If you wish to study at Stenden as an exchange student, you must first ask your own university or higher education institute whether they have an exchange programme with Stenden or check the list with the exchange partners. If so, they should be able to supply you with all the necessary forms and direct you to additional sources of information.
 
If your institute does not have an exchange programme with Stenden, you will not be able to study here as an exchange student. However, you may want to consider applying for admission to one of our international Master's programmes (taught in English) or our international Bachelor's programmes.
 
Furthermore, you can apply for our Study Abroad programme to follow one or two semester at Stenden. For more information on the Study Abroad programme click here.

Courses 2008-2009
Comprehensive list of courses

List of Partner Universities download

Factsheet
For Information and contacts: factsheet

For any questions about Stenden university please contact the information center: +31 58 244 14 41.