MBA with specialisation in Hospitality

If you are looking to advance your management career in the hotel, tourism, restaurant or overall hospitality sector, then the MBA in Hospitality will enable you to advance into management roles from an existing position, or prepare you to enter a new role at a management level.

The MBA in Hospitality is one of the specialisations in our international MBA programme offered at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences in Apeldoorn to full-time and part time students from the Netherlands and around the world.

An international team of lecturers and business leaders has been designed this MBA for those ready to make the climb into management roles, either from an existing job or graduates with some work experience who are aspiring to become managers. Together with the traditional MBA building blocks, this MBA in Hospitality Management offers additional modules with a particular focus on leadership and management roles in the hotel and restaurant and overal hospitality sector, and issues specifically facing hospitality companies and organisations, nationally, and internationally.

The programme is designed for those in hospitality and tourism functions who are aiming to enter managerial roles, as well as students from other sectors interested in the sector.

Throughout the Wittenborg MBA, we take a strategic perspective on business and management, in this specialisation specifically from within the hospitality industry, always from an international viewpoint, and help you to develop the skills to contribute to major decisions made by your current or future organisations that will help shape their future.

We welcome students from any academic or working discipline background to apply for this programme. Many entrants to our Wittenborg MBA programme do so with a science or technology background - it is not necessary that you have studied business or management before - the first semester equips you with all the tools you require to specialise further on the MBA in Hospitality Management programme.

• Further develop your current skills and experience to a management level;
• Extend your interest in financial decision making;
• Develop a strategic perspective on business;

Course structure

The Wittenborg MBA is delivered in a block format, with 2 modules being covered every 6 weeks. The classes are inter-disciplinary - you study shared modules in semester 1 with MBA students from different business specialisations. Due to the rolling entry (6 times a year) groups are dynamic, extremely international and diverse.

The modules are delivered intensively over consecutive days in the so-called 'block format', which means that each module has 6 days of teaching split into two blocks of 3 days. Teaching methods include group work, case studies, presentations, and live projects. The course is delivered through a variety of approaches including lectures, presentations, tutorials and case studies, with an emphasis on interactive learning. Each module is taught by two lecturers, often a full time Wittenborg lecturer and a quest lecturer from a partner university. Modules include regular guest speakers from industry.

Areas of study

Management subjects address key issues of strategy, marketing, operations, human resources, accounting and financial planning, studied in parallel with deeper health care management and leadership modules. Options include consultancy and multi-unit management. Students acquire research skills, which they can apply to academic or industrial projects.

Syllabus

Semester 1

• Human Resource Management
• Marketing Management
• Management Accounting & Finance
• Operations Management
• International Management
• Information Management

Semester 2

• Critical Perspectives in Hospitality Management
• International Hospitality Development
• Hospitality Operational Excellence
• Globalisation, Society and Culture
• Business Statistics
• Strategic Management

Throughout the programme: Research Methods, 3 Project weeks, leading to the Final Project

Students of the MBA in Hospitality programme have opportunities in a wide variety of organizations, within the hospitality and tourism secors, however also in other sectors such as finance, real estate, and general management.

“An international business administration professional will develop into a career person who is able to organise, develop products, services and policies, instigate and execute policies, perform under stress, control processes, analyse organisation traits, utilise human res-ources and plan their management, motivate staff and personnel, manage financial information, use information effectively, plan and organise campaigns, understand internal and external markets, interact with the surroundings, network, manage chains, communicate effectively, show leadership skills, manage meetings, present ideas, sell ideas and products, speak and write at least the English language, participate in company and organisation decision making and understand local and international cultures and the effects these have on the organisation and the individual.”

“Business Administrators can operate in financial or technical environments but also management and leadership settings and a combination of these. They must understand the need for leadership and motivating people. They must understand the impact of change and the need for innovation. The Business Administrator will understand the need for good communication skills and have a good understanding of society, economics and sustainability. Understanding the need for stable and solid management within a company, large or small is important. A business person in modern day Europe needs to be able to communicate with people across the continent and across the world, and requires the ability to understand the effects of national and international governments on the business ventures they are involved in.”

Some example career paths for MBA in Social Care graduates include:

• the health sector
• cruise liners
• airlines
• resorts
• theme parks
• casinos
• the education sector
• conferences
• the entertainment industry

The hospitality industry is an outward looking global sector that is rapidly expanding across the world. It requires thousands of Master graduates every year to lead and develop enterprises that cater for increasingly informed guests who want value for money and who are looking for service uniquely tailored to their needs.

As is the case with other industries in the service sector, technology have brought new modes of direct communication with guests who now have more control and choice in selecting accommodation, transport and other suppliers in the hospitality sector. For instance, for many guests a restaurant’s website is now the first point of contact and serve as a virtual business card, hence needs to be maintained and kept interactive.

Thus, the new hospitality model is based on embracing new technology and the evolution of the guest as a highly informed stakeholder seeking choice, personal service and competitive pricing as well as relying increasingly on user reviews.

MBA Enhancing Your Career!

MBA graduates are often fast-tracked into senior management positions and this MBA programme has been designed for those who wish to pursue senior management positions or as preparation for further study in business, such as a DBA, or a PhD.

The MBA will further the careers of

• Dutch or other EU graduates who are working in an organisation, managing people or processes, and are looking to improve their career opportunities within their current employment position. These students are supported by their employer and can study the programme part-time;
• Dutch, or other EU graduates who have been working in an organisation, managing people or processes, and are looking for a full time MBA programme that will increase their employability chances in an international market; 
• International graduates in the Netherlands, who have a completed a Bachelor degree and have worked in an organisation with responsibility managing people or processes, who are looking to improve their career opportunities, either at their current employer or in the search for a new opportunity;
• International students worldwide, from business or non-business fields, with a proven number of years managing people or processes within an organisation. These students are looking for an English-taught, internationally orientated MBA programme that can allow them to improve their career prospects in the job market either at home or in the Netherlands, either at their current employer or at a new organisation, and possibly continue their studies at a higher level.

Some specialized career options for MBA in Hospitality Management graduates would be:

Restaurant or catering manager: Restaurant managers ensure their establishment operate efficiently and profitably. They are responsible for a variety of tasks, including business performance, recruiting and retaining skilled members of staff who have a knack for sales as well as ensuring high standards of food, service, health and safety.

Hotel manager: A hotel manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of a hotel - whether a small, boutique hotel or a larger establishment. He or she would have frequent meetings with heads of departments such as catering, household, security and maintenance. Among many other tasks, the hotel manager will also analyze sales figures and devise marketing and revenue strategies, ensure compliance with licensing laws, deal with serious customer complaints or welcome VIP’s. All in a day’s work.

Service consultant: Many managers in the hospitality sector, after gaining considerable experience, move gradually into consultancy while others feel equipped enough to start immediately as a freelance consultant or joining an established consultancy firm. As a service consultant you might develop training manuals, create and implement service protocols, develop marketing strategies and improve the culture of service within the organization.

Entrepreneur: The hospitality sector affords a host of opportunities for starting your own business - whether as a transport service provider, accommodation owner, restaurant owner, hotelier, marketing specialist or wine producer.

Educator and researcher: With their in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of the hospitality industry, graduates of the master program can follow a career as lecturer at a wide range of institutes offering training in this field or pursue further studies such as a DBA, or in some countries a PhD.

“An MBA qualified Business Administrator is specifically able to manage a number of complex and integrated business operations within an international or a local setting, at both a tactical and strategic level, using skills and competencies that require a capability of inter-disciplinary thinking. They will show the ability to combine solid research and critical analysis skills to develop an organisation’s corporate strategy within its business and cultural domain.”

• a Bachelor degree or equivalent recognised qualification;

It is not necessary to have obtained a Bachelor degree from the domain of Business Administration.

• 3 years professional experience;

Applicants are requested to provide 2 reference letters from which at least one is a reference from a company or organization where they have worked before;

English Language Requirements

IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL Equivalent. Click here for an overview of the equivalent scores.
The TOEFL Code of Wittenborg is 4889.

With its work experience requirement, the admission requirements reflect the national requirements in the Netherlands for entry into a professional Master such as the Wittenborg MBA. The English language proficiency level requirement is ½ a point higher than the minimum national requirements in the Netherlands.

Selection procedure

There is no specific selection procedure for students wishing to enter the MBA, however non-EU (visa) students are “screened” according to their background, in order for the institute to be able to guarantee their immigration status.

The screening comprises of an interview, collection and correlation of all IND required documents, including proof of sufficient funds, taking into account any scholarships provided by Wittenborg (Orange Tulip Scholarship, for instance) or by third parties (NUFFIC, EU, etc).

Details on Scholarships at Wittenborg can be found at http://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-financial-assistance.htm 

Applicants are required to provide a motivation letter in which they describe the reasons for choosing Wittenborg’s programme, as well as the reason for wanting to study in the Netherlands (international students). Student motivation is important as the programmes are demanding and especially for international students there is a criteria that they complete at least 50% of all their credits in a year.