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Delve into the contemporary issues surrounding the sustainability of regions, cultures and attractions of interest. Identify different theoretical approaches and consider what's best practice. Graduate with a wealth of specialist knowledge and employability skills.
With the UK and other governments around the world declaring a climate emergency back in 2019, tourism organisations are diversifying their actions to create sustainable growth within their industry. As such, environmental and regenerative issues will feature heavily within future practices.
This course will enable you to better understand how to protect and exploit fragile socio-economic resources. You’ll examine international best practice and learn how to shape new sustainable futures. You'll cover key issues such as ecotourism, challenges to implementing sustainable practices in tourism, and slow tourism with a focus on rural, wellbeing and wellness travel.
The sustainability agenda and change management will also be explored, and the course will develop your theoretical knowledge of models and concepts applicable to real world scenarios.
The main teaching and learning methods employed on the MSc Sustainable Tourism course are a combination of lectures, online lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, fieldwork, laboratory-based work, library-based work, case studies, and most critically, independent study.
This course will incorporate extensive use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Module guides, lecture presentations, guidance notes, glossaries, discussion boards, and other related materials will be available on the VLE.
Your assignments will be submitted online and feedback is normally provided electronically.
Interested in getting into the tourism and hospitality industry? Studying at the University of Sunderland will allow you to see the world, learn from key industry figures and get the real-life experience you need, along with much more.
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Standing out from the crowd is crucial when launching your career in tourism, hospitality or events. At Sunderland, there are a whole host of schemes and initiatives you can get involved in to boost your career prospects. Read advice from recent graduates.
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We’ve expanded our Hospitality, Events, Aviation and Tourism offering by introducing a postgraduate course in sustainable tourism. This cutting-edge MSc course will cover a range of topics around the sustainability of regions, cultures, and attractions.
Find out more about our MSc Sustainable Tourism course
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| a Canadian bachelor's degree | GPA 2.40 |
| a USA bachelor's degree | GPA 2.5 |
If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
We usually require applicants to hold at least a 2:2 honours degree or equivalent.
If you feel you already know some of the topics covered in this course, either due to previous learning or from experience of work, then you may not need to study all of the course. Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is the name given to the process of gaining credit towards a qualification because of something you have learnt in the past. If you're eligible for APL, you won't have to learn the same topic again, so you can be exempt from a module, set of modules, or year of a course. If you think you may be eligible for APL, please contact the course leader.
If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.
2025/26 fees are:
If you're unsure whether you qualify as a UK, EU, or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
The MSc Sustainable Tourism course is designed to build on the core and transferable skills necessary for future work. Practical experiences and activities are embedded into the curriculum in order to develop and contribute to your ongoing personal and professional development. The University Careers Service and regional and national employers are frequently invited to promote employability measures and inform students about work experiences or opportunities.
We have strong links with the local community and modules are informed by the industry and regional and national employers. Through work experiences and placements, the course offers regional and global business community, public organisations, and others, access to highly motivated and skilled undergraduates dedicated to the industry.
You study a range modules that build on the tourism knowledge, insights and skills required to become successful within the industry. The course reflects contemporary areas within the tourism industry where you can specialise in your area of interest within your dissertation and tailor this to where you see your future career.