Digital Discovery Days: Tourism Management

To be admitted to the programme your secondary-level qualification should be at least the equivalent of the Dutch HAVO certificate. Saxion will assess the compatibility of your education with that Dutch certificate. It is recommended that you have studied subjects such as economics, languages and/or management at the secondary-school level. We also require either an Academic IELTS score of 6.0 or a TOEFL score of 550. Unfortunately, without either of these test results, your application cannot be considered. Please note that the language certificate is valid only for up to two years. If you wish to know more about specific requirements, please check our website. 

Gaining practical experience is an essential part of your studies. This is why a five-month internship is part of your programme. This internship will take place in one of the two semesters of the second year of your studies. The other semester consists of modules at Saxion. The internship can be done at a company in The Netherlands or abroad. Since the tourism and hospitality industry is very internationally oriented, you are expected to spend at least one semester of your studies abroad. For this you will have three possibilities: the abovementioned internship, during your minor and/or during your graduation assignment. Therefore you will spend at least 1 and at most 3 semesters abroad during your studies. In your minor you will have various options to choose from. You can choose to do a management internship, do a specialization at a University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands or study abroad at one of our 35 partner universities.

To ensure a good quality of internships we maintain relations with companies in The Netherlands and in around 17 other countries in different parts of the world through account managers. We are aware of the requirements and needs of these companies and we will try to connect them with your needs to the best of our abilities. We will provide a matching procedure and make sure you are noticed by one of these selected companies. However, you are eventually the person to convince the company of your qualities. For many students, these internships are one of the highlights of their studies.

Tourism Management is one of the programmes of the Hospitality Business School. Hospitality is one of our core values. However, the school’s name also indicates that the programme is embedded in the economic domain. Apart from the government’s involvement, tourism is a commercial business and therefore entrepreneurial skills and concepts such as investment budgets, profit and loss statements, and break-even analyses are of importance and are definitely presented when applied to the tourism industry within the programme. During your 4-year programme, the level of business economics is gradually built up.

After graduation, you can move in many directions. This is also a frequently mentioned reason for choosing Tourism Management. For instance, you can work for online travel organisations such as Booking.com or Beachmasters, tour operators such as TUI or for small and large municipalities. Don’t forget the hotels, airlines, conference centres, event organizations, holiday parks, amusement parks, museums or consultancy agencies for hospitality. Moreover, you are suitable for several positions in which you need to reach or attract target groups, in which your knowledge of innovative digital tools and hospitality is indispensable. Inside and beyond the tourism industry! After graduation 92% of the Tourism Management students find a suitable job within the period of 1,5 year. You can also opt for a master studies after your bachelor studies. There are several options at Saxion and at other universities.  

We do realise that you are studying in a country far away from home. We not only care for your studies but also provide support regarding housing, visa and social life. We want you to feel welcome at Saxion. Saxion’s International Office is always available for you. Just in case you have questions, or need help or support. The International Office can also provide you with a student buddy. This buddy can help you to find your way in The Netherlands and also at Saxion.

As part of your programme, you will be assigned a study career counsellor from day one. This person, a lecturer in the programme, is available for any questions related to your study. He or she will also coach you and help you in making choices during your studies. Besides this, we also work with buddy groups. This means you are in a group of around 8 students from your class, and you have regular meetings and activities to get to know each other, to exchange ideas and thoughts, to help each other out, and to have fun! The buddy groups are being coached by a student coach: a student from years 2, 3 or 4 within Tourism Management, who knows the ins and outs of the programme and of studying at Saxion.

In the end, all of us will try to make you feel at home.