Tourism Studies - master

Tourism is an increasingly important global phenomenon, involving social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental opportunities and challenges. Tourism must be able to negotiate constantly changing circumstances. Expanding economies enable more people to travel frequently and over longer distances to experience landscapes, townscapes, cultures, and peoples. Globalization and technological developments enable increased mobilities, and thus tourism activities. Tourism developments and growth also challenges sustainability of ecologies in the era of climate change.

This study program seeks to provide students with thorough knowledge about how to balance environmental, economic, and socio-cultural benefits and concerns in tourism. Students will address how to meet tourist markets' demands for nature and heritage experiences, without compromising future generations' access to these. Throughout the program, students will obtain specialized insights regarding policy and practice of sustainability; how the tourists co-produce the products and experiences, how tourism is performed and marketed, and how it shapes - and is shaped by - cultural, social, economic, temporal and spatial power relations. The specialized insights should enable students to analyze tourism in ways that provide nuanced understandings of sustainable tourism in a variety of contexts. By the end of the program, students should be able to employ such scholarly understandings in a Master's thesis project, conducted in line with social-scientific and humanities-oriented theoretical approaches.

Upon successful completion of the program, students should have obtained the following:

Knowledge:

The student should have

• a thorough knowledge of seminal and contemporary theories within the field of tourism studies
• an in-depth knowledge of research processes and methods adapted to issues within the field of tourism studies
• advanced knowledge of sustainability and responsibility in tourism, in particular as relevant to nature and heritage tourism
• the ability to apply theoretical and methodological knowledge to new areas within tourism studies
• the ability to analyze professional issues based on the history, tradition, specialization, and role of tourism in society

Skills:

The student should be able to

• critically consider the solidity of various sources’ information on, and descriptions of, tourism
• demonstrate analytical capacity by structuring and formulating professional arguments that contribute to innovative solutions in sustainable and responsible tourism
• analyze and relate critically to existing theories, methods and intrepretations within tourism studies, as well as apply tourism perspectives in practical and theoretical problem solving
• make use of relevant research in an independent manner, to contribute to the development of strategies and new opportunities in nature and heritage tourism
• develop research questions and make use of relevant research methods to collect and analyze data concerning tourism objectives
• carry out an independent research project in the field of tourism, under supervision and in accordance with current norms for research ethics.

General competence:

The student should be able to

• design, plan, develop and carry out tourism research projects
• critically analyze the tourism industry, tourists' practices and tourism relevant policies as well as consider the ethical concerns and potential dilemmas they imply
• apply reflexive thinking in order to contribute to innovative processes in heritage and nature tourism development
• contribute to a sustainable and responsible tourism industry
• contribute to a sustainable and responsible governance of tourism development
• apply knowledge and skills in an independent and innovative manner, through cooperation in contexts of research, government and industry

The course activities consist of different teaching methods. Research-based teaching takes place in seminars with classroom lectures as well as fieldwork, and further relies on students' participation in group work, discussions, and presentations. The courses, Philosophy of Social Sciences, Qualitative and Quantitative methods contribute to the students' development of theoretical understanding and reflection, which students will continue to develop throughout the program.

Students will analyze, discuss, and position their knowledge in light of relevant contexts. Through group work, students will be able to reflect on and discuss subjects to gain deeper understanding. In individual tasks, students will use theoretical literature and examples from the tourism industry. Students will receive supervision and individual guidance in writing papers and assignments. Students are expected to study independently, including curriculum not specified in the scheduled teaching. Canvas is the online learning platform and Wiseflow the examination platform.

Examination takes place in the form of written home exams and oral exam.

A good student environment is achieved through academic and social activities, close contact between lecturer and students during teaching weeks and online meetings with remote students.

To achieve the learning outcomes, students must expect to work 40 hours a week in their studies, including lectures, seminars and self-study.

An individual Master's thesis will consist of approximately 30000 words. The exam will consist of a written Master's thesis and an oral exam.

The Master of Tourism Studies forms the basis for a range of fields of work associated with:

• Development of sustainable tourism and adventure products
• Marketing and communication of tourism and adventure products
• Establishment of culture-based and nature-based enterprises
• Travel Life's organizational units (Norwegian Hospitality, Innovation Norway, etc.)
• International organizations (i.e NGOs)
• Public affairs and regulatory frameworks for tourism
• Consultancy work for the tourism industry
• Investigative work
• Research and development
• Teaching