Regulations and Curriculum – MA in Tourism

1: Preface

In pursuance of Act No. 261 of 18 March 2015 on universities (the University Act) with subsequent amendments the following regulations and curriculum are stipulated for the Master’s programme in Tourism.

2: Basis in Ministerial orders

The Master’s programme is organised in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s Order no. 1328 of November 15, 2016 on Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Universities (the Ministerial Order of the Study Programmes) and Ministerial Order no. 1062 of June 30, 2016 on University Examinations (the Examination Order). Further reference is made to Ministerial Order no. 111 of January 30, 2017 (the Admission Order) and Ministerial Order no. 114 of February 3, 2015 (the Grading Scale Order) with subsequent changes.

3: Campus

The programme is offered in Aalborg.

4: Faculty affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Aalborg University.

5: Study board affiliation

The Master’s programme falls under Study Board of International and Cross¿Cultural Studies

6: Affiliation to corps of external examiners

The Master’s programme is associated with the external examiners corps on International and European Studies

7: Admission requirements

Admission to the Master’s programme in Tourism Aalborg is guaranteed for students who have completed a Bachelor degree in Spanish Language and International Studies from Aalborg University.
ther similar Bachelor’s degrees may qualify students for admission in accordance with the admission requirements as listed at: http://www.en.aau.dk/education/master/tourism/application-and-requirements
For further information about admission requirements, visit http://www.en.aau.dk/education/master/tourism/application-and-requirements/ and http://www.uddannelsestjekker.aau.dk/

8: The programme title in Danish and English

The Master’s programme entitles the graduate to the Danish designation Cand.mag. i turisme. The English designation is: Master of Arts (MA) in Tourism.

9: Programme specifications in ECTS credits

The Master’s programme is a 2-year, research-based, full-time study programme. The programme is set to 120 ECTS credits.

10: Rules concerning credit transfer (merit), including the possibility for choice of modules that are part of another programme at a university in Denmark or abroad

The Study Board can approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from other Master’s programmes in lieu of programme elements in this programme (credit transfer). The Study Board can also approve successfully completed (passed) programme elements from another Danish programme or a programme outside of Denmark at the same level in lieu of programme elements within this curriculum. Decisions on credit transfer are made by the Study Board based on an academic assessment. See the Joint Programme Regulations for the rules on credit transfer.

11: Exemptions

In exceptional circumstances, the Study Board study can grant exemption from those parts of the curriculum that are not stipulated by law or ministerial order.  Exemption regarding an examination applies to the immediate examination.

12: Rules for examinations

The rules for examinations are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures published by the faculty on their website.

13: Rules concerning written work, including the Master’s Thesis

In the assessment of all written work, regardless of the language it is written in, weight is also given to the student's formulation and spelling ability, in addition to the academic content. Orthographic and grammatical correctness as well as stylistic proficiency are taken as a basis for the evaluation of language performance. Language performance must always be included as an independent dimension of the total evaluation. However, no examination can be assessed as ‘Pass’ on the basis of good language performance alone; similarly, an examination normally cannot be assessed as ‘Fail’ on the basis of poor language performance alone.

The Study Board can grant exemption from this in special cases (e.g., dyslexia or a native language other than Danish).

The Master’s Thesis must include an English summary (or another foreign language: French, Spanish or German upon approval by the Study Board). If the project is written in English, the summary must be in Danish (The Study Board can grant exemption from this). The summary must be at least 1 page and not more than 2 pages (this is not included in any fixed minimum and maximum number of pages per student). The summary is included in the evaluation of the project as a whole.

14: Requirements regarding the reading of texts in a foreign language

A further condition is that both Danish and English speaking students fulfil the university’s general minimum requirements for proficiency in English that apply for acceptance into English-language programmes. All courses and examinations will be conducted in English.

15: Competence profile on the diploma

The following competence profile will appear on the diploma:

A Candidatus graduate has the following competency profile:

A Candidatus graduate has competencies that have been acquired via a course of study that has taken place in a research environment.

A Candidatus graduate is qualified for employment on the labour market based on his or her academic discipline as well as for further research (PhD programmes). A Candidatus graduate has, compared to a Bachelor, developed his or her academic knowledge and independence so as to be able to apply scientific theory and method on an independent basis within both an academic and a professional context.

16: Competence profile of the programme

The Master’s programme in Tourism is a research based full-time programme that provides students with a basis for the execution of professional functions and qualifies for admission to PhD studies.

The Master’s programme in Tourism builds on and supplements the knowledge and skills acquired by the student in the course of the preceding Bachelor education. The objective of the Master’s programme is to enable the student to develop professional competencies which qualify him/her to perform highly specialised work tasks within enterprises and organisations in Denmark and abroad. Special emphasis will be on the candidate’s ability to:

• perform tasks relating to communication, information, analysis and research, and to perform strategic tasks in the field of tourism
• analyse and evaluate development trends in tourism, nationally and internationally
• contribute actively to the initiation, support and evaluation of projects with potential for new tourism development.

All courses and examinations will be conducted in English.

The overall objectives of the acquisition of knowledge and understanding are that students will be able to

• acquire knowledge within the central disciplinary areas of the programme: destination governance, tourism cultures, market communication and innovation in a tourism context.
• understand and critically reflect on the central disciplinary areas of the programme and identify academic issues within these which may be the objects of study.

The overall objectives of the acquisition of skills are that students will be able to

• assess and choose among theories and methods within the central disciplinary areas of the programme and, with a critical, reflective approach, set up models for analysis pertaining to tourism-related issues
• analyse academic issues independently, systematically and critically through the application of theories and methods, and identify and further develop solutions in relation to tourism
• communicate research-based knowledge and discuss professional issues pertaining to tourism with both peers and non-specialists.

The overall objectives of the acquisition of competencies are that students will be able to

• design, implement and evaluate projects within tourism and, on this basis, provide counselling on development issues within the area of tourism
• launch and implement disciplinary and cross-disciplinary collaboration relating to tourism issues and, on this basis, demonstrate professional insight and the ability to perform responsibly in a professional environment
• independently pursue his/her competency development within the central disciplinary areas of the programme

17: Structure and Contents of the programme

The Master’s programme spans four semesters (semesters 7-10). Semester 9 offers the student an opportunity to specialise by his or her choice of elective modules, of which one is a projectoriented module in a tourism organisation with a tourism relevant organisation, and the other is in the shape of a university transfer, studying tourism at another university abroad or in Denmark. Semester 10 is reserved for writing the Master’s thesis.

Students enrolled in the Tourism programme at AAU Copenhagen have an option of specialising in Global Tourism Development. This specialisation comprises one module (5 ECTS) on the 7th semester in Global Tourism and Transnational Mobility and one module (5 ECTS) on the 8th semester in Sustainable Development and Tourism. In order to obtain the full specialisation, students must choose their project-oriented module/university transfer and their Master’s thesis topic within the field of Global Tourism Development. On the basis of the number of applicants, the Study Board will determine whether the specialisation will be offered.

Students enrolled in the Tourism programme at AAU Aalborg have an option of specialising in Arctic Studies. This specialisation comprises one module (5 ECTS) on the 7th semester in Cultures, Societies and Histories of the Peoples of the Arctic and one module (5 ECTS) on the 8th semester in The Arctic in the Age of Globalization. In order to obtain the full specialisation, students must choose their project-oriented module/university transfer and their Master’s thesis topic within the field of Arctic Studies. On the basis of the number of applicants, the Study Board will determine whether the specialisation will be offered.

Programme structure
The programme is compiled of modules and structured as a combination of courses, active participation exams, take-home assignments and project work. One module is a subject element or a group of subject elements, the purpose of which is to provide the student with an entity of disciplinary qualifications within a stipulated time frame stated in ECTS points, and which is completed by one or a number of examinations within certain examination terms stated and defined in these study regulations. In semester 7, there are five modules and in semester 8, there are four modules. In semester 9, students must choose between a project-oriented module in a tourism organisation (30 ECTS) or a university transfer abroad or in Denmark (30 ECTS). In the Semester 10, there is one module: The Master’s thesis (30 ECTS).

Subsection 2
This programme is conducted in English.

Subsection 3
Through active participation in courses and classes, project work and other study activities, students will fulfil the objectives described in the section below. 

Subsection 4
The 7th semester of the programme will focus on Tourism Destination Challenges, which is the topic of the problem-oriented project module of this semester. To support the work of the students on this topic, there will be course modules within: Consumer Studies in Tourism, Encounters – Sociological and Anthropological approaches to Tourism and Tourism Destination Analysis. In addition, a course in problem-based methodology and project writing is offered. 

Subsection 5
The 8th semester of the programme will focus on Tourism Development, which is the topic of the problem-oriented project module of this semester. To support the work of the students on this topic, there will be course modules within: Market Communication in Tourism, Tourism Policy and Innovation in Tourism.

Subsection 6
The 9th semester of the programme will consist of either a project-oriented module in a Danish or international tourism organisation (section 19A), or take the shape of a university transfer at a university abroad or in Denmark (section 19B) offering a master’s level programme that is directly related to the central disciplinary areas of the tourism programme at AAU, cf. section 4, subsection 3. If the 9th semester is a university transfer, the student will have to complete modules equivalent to a total of 30 ECTS at the programme visited. Both the project-oriented module in a tourism organisation, including work tasks, and the university transfer, including selected modules, must be approved in advance by the study board.

Subsection 7
In the 10th semester of the programme, the student will, under supervision, prepare a Master’s thesis within one or a number of the central disciplinary areas of the programme. The topic must be approved in advance by the study board.

Subsection 8
As stipulated in section 5, subsection 3, students have an option of specialising within the field of Global Tourism Development (Copenhagen). The focus of the specialisation is to qualify students to analyse and understand issues related to tourism, transnational mobility and globalisation from a development perspective. Students will acquire in-depth knowledge on the causes and consequences of globalisation, in the context of both the international tourism industry and regional development. This will comprise knowledge on the economic, sociocultural and political relations between the so-called developed countries and potential tourism destinations in developing countries. Students will acquire these general competencies by learning to apply theories on global tourism flows, development policy and local, social processes of change. The learning methods include problem based project work and analyses of key issues within sustainable tourism development.

Subsection 9
As stipulated in section 5, subsection 4, students have an option of specialising within the field of Arctic Studies (Aalborg). The focus of the specialisation is the study of societies and cultures in terms of social and cultural encounters, intercultural communication, nation-building, international politics and globalization, governance and sustainable development. Lectures and seminars introduce Arctic communities and cultures as well as relevant theories. The theories are applied in the analysis of a number of studies from different parts of the Arctic, with more emphasis, however, on Greenland.

18: Overview of the programme

The student can choose between "Project-oriented Module in af Tourism Organisation" or University Transfer. 
University Transfer is a stay at an institution of higher education abroad or in Denmark, offering courses directly related to the central disciplinary areas of the tourism programme at AAU, offered at a master level, and corresponding to a minimum of 30 ECTS.

Subsection 2
The student must choose a number of courses (equivalent to 30 ECTS) that have to be approved by the Study Board. All courses must be directly related to the central disciplinary areas of the tourism programme. The student will comply with exam requirements at the host institution (Examinations at the host institution will together constitute Examination 12).

Subsection 3
If a student does not complete all 30 ECTS points during their stay, the student will be offered an internal, written exam to substitute the number of ECTS points missing to complete the 9th semester. The extent and scope of the exam will be defined by the number of ECTS points that is substituted and it must be approved by the study board. At least 20 ECTS points must be completed at the host institution, and maximum 10 ECTS points can be substituted at AAU.

19: Additional information

The study board displays and maintains more detailed information on the programme, including examination, on its website.

20: Commencement and transitional rules

These regulations are recommended by the Study Board of Cross-Cultural Studies and approved by the dean. The regulations will take effect from 1 September 2017 and apply to all students who commence the master study in Tourism on or after this date.

Subsection 2
Previous regulations will apply to students who have commenced their studies before 1 September 2017. The Study Board of Cross-Cultural Studies and/or the Humanities Faculty office at AAU will determine when the last examinations will be held according to the present regulations.

The Study Board and the Faculty of Humanities have incorporated changes in the curriculum which concern Section 8, subsection 4 on 1 September 2018.

21: Amendments to the curriculum and regulations