Bachelor of Business in International Tourism and Event Management

Course Summary

This degree provides students with an exciting blend of business and management skills to work across the business, tourism and events industry. This is exactly what is needed to continue to develop the world’s fastest growing economic sector. Our graduates also understand sustainability issues including managing tourism impacts and tourism planning marketing.

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Guest lecturers, with national and international profiles, regularly visit to share their expertise with students. Students also complete real-life projects in collaboration with industry experts. Students enjoy weekly site visits to the rich tourism based local and national operations and heritage sites. Students also have the opportunity to gain a Guiding and Adventure Tourism badge throughout the degree.

A work placement module takes place at the end of Year 3 and runs from April to September. This provides students with invaluable real-world experience and practical insights into the tourism, events, and closely related sectors. These include national or local tourism development agencies, travel agencies, tour operators, heritage and archaeological centres and tourism attractions. Students are encouraged to complete the placement overseas. In the past, students have completed their work placement in the USA, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Alaska, Hong Kong, UK, Turkey and Ireland.

Business insight trips to tourism operations and firms are an integral part of the degree. There are also international field trips to tourist destinations such as Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Venice, Frankfurt and Rome.

YEAR 1

Students gain a foundation of knowledge across business, tourism and events. Modules include Guiding and Adventure Tourism, Introduction to International Tourism and Travel, Skills for Success, Organisation Behaviour, Teamwork and Creativity, Digital Content and Introduction to Event Management. 

YEAR 2

Students join year one of the honour degree programme and study Event Management, Foundations of Tourism, Tourism and Travel Industry, Business Management and Business Application Software.

YEAR 3

Students continue to explore the tourism sector and undertake modules in Sustainable Managing of the Impacts of Tourism, whilst also developing their Event Management and Financial Accounting skills.

KEY SKILLS

We have embedded key skills in the course to ensure our graduates are equipped to work in the tourism and events management industries:

• Students gain awareness and understanding of core tourism concepts and trends including cultural, adventure, eco- and events-related tourism developments
• Students also understand sustainability issues including managing tourism impacts and tourism planning marketing
• Students build competencies in core business areas including management, marketing, finance, law and digital media marketing
• Students learn people-related skills including communication, interpersonal, team-working and customer service skills
• Students build their understanding of conceptual and organisational skills including collecting and organising information, problem-solving, planning and organising, innovation and creativity
• Students can choose to study French, German or Spanish as part of their elective choices.

Please note that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on student demand and course updates.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements for CAO courses at ATU Sligo are available for download below:

• Download Entry requirements for just Level 7 programmes
• Download Entry requirements for all programmes

Garda Vetting

All entrants to this degree are required to undergo vetting by An Garda Síochána. If students have a criminal conviction in Ireland or elsewhere, this may adversely impact on their ability to undertake a professional placement or to secure employment.

Career Opportunities

Globally, tourism is the world’s fastest growing economic sector. International tourist arrivals normally total over one billion, with Europe receiving the most international tourist arrivals. The industry needs graduates who have the skills to continue to grow Ireland’s largest indigenous industry. With a solid foundation, the BBs in International Tourism and Event Management gives students a broad platform to build a successful career and opportunities to travel the world.

Graduates are highly sought after and can work across the globe in festival and event management companies, national and local tourism development agencies, conference or business tourism, ecotourism, tour operators or travel agents, destination management, marketing organisations, as well as within cultural, heritage and conservation projects.

Many of our entrepreneurial graduates also start their own businesses. Graduates have worked on amazing events like Sea Sessions, Electric Picnic and the X-Factor. The opportunities arising from studying a multifaceted business degree such as Tourism and Event Management are endless.

Further Study

Graduates of the Level 7 ordinary degree can progress to the final year of AU905 BBs (Hons) in Tourism and Event Management to obtain a Level 8 honours degree.

Level 8 graduates can pursue a wide range of Level 9 and 10 postgraduate programmes at Atlantic Technological University or other third-level institutions.

The Level 8 honours degree has been designed in compliance with the Teaching Council’s curricular teaching subject requirements for Business,  graduates who complete a Professional Master of Education (PME) can become a secondary school teacher of Business.

Postgraduate options at ATU Sligo

Testimonials

“Sligo is a fantastic place to study. I loved every minute. Following my degree, I continued my studies to PhD level in ATU Sligo. My doctoral research focused on Local Authority sustainable planning for event management in Ireland. I went on to become a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Event Management, John Moore University, Liverpool, UK and have recently moved back to Ireland where I now work as a lecturer in the Technological University of the Shannon”

Kelly has worked with Local Authorities in planning large-scale outdoor public events in Ireland and has worked as an independent research consultant in technologies for tourism and travel apps. She has acted as co-principal investigator on industry research funded by the National Tourism Development Authority of Ireland.

Dr. Kelly Maguire, BBs (Hons) in Tourism and Event Management, PhD studies in ATU Sligo and now working as a Lecturer

Did you know?

We also offer this degree at Level 8 - AU905 BBs (Hons) in Tourism and Event Management

Students have the opportunity to gain a Guiding and Adventure Tourism badge.

Students can choose to study French, German or Spanish as part of their elective choices.

Students also enjoy weekly site visits to the rich tourism based local and national operations and heritage sites.

In a dynamic and rapidly changing world, our tourism graduates are confident, creative, and agile. This is exactly what is needed to continue to develop the world’s fastest growing economic sector in a sustainable manner.

Students complete real-life projects in collaboration with industry experts.

Business insight trips to tourism operations and firms are an integral part of the degree.

The degree includes international field trips to tourist destinations such as Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, Venice, Frankfurt and Rome.

Guest lecturers, with national and international profiles, regularly visit to share their expertise with students.

Work placement provides students with invaluable real world experience and practical insights into the tourism, events, and closely related sectors. Students are encouraged to complete the placement overseas. In the past, students have completed their work placements in the USA, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Alaska, Hong Kong, UK, Turkey and Ireland.

Alumni

"I particularly enjoyed the variety of modules on the degree as they ranged from the core business subjects to real tourism and event management specific modules. I enjoyed the practical side to the degree too, including the variety of field trips to tourism destinations and the variety of tourism entrepreneur guest speakers.

The hands-on six months paid work placement gave me real insight and valuable experience in a tourism organisation. It’s an amazing part of the degree and can be a stepping stone in the right direction to what area of business, tourism or events you might want to enter when you graduate. The class size is also great as you get to know your classmates and lecturers really well."

Luke Treacher, BBs in Tourism and Event Management graduate

"The wide variety of modules will make you a well-rounded business person. This degree is perfect for entrepreneurs, project and event managers, and modern digital marketers. The modern workforce needs to be multi-skilled, and in my experience, those who have a flexible skill-set are higher valued by employers.

 After graduating, I became Deputy Manager at the Body and Soul music festival. This made me the 3rd most responsible person for medical teams and resources at a 10,000 person event. I used my time at ATU Sligo to get onto that team.

The next major career step after ATU Sligo was joining The White Hag Irish Brewing Company for three years. I started as an Event Executive before moving into Marketing and Communications, and finally becoming a manager at the brewery with core responsibility for all in-house events (Hagstravaganza International Brewery Festival, Boxtravaganza, TapRoom Series etc.) outgoing sales and logistics. Finally, I set up my own business in January 2021 with a long term friend as co-owner and co-founder. TemperHound Productions is a video and film production company."

Conor Mc Cullagh, BBs (Hons) in Tourism and Event Management graduate and co-owner of TemperHound Productions

Course Format

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

Semester 4

Semester 5

Semester 6