Tourism and Events Management

On this Events and Tourism Management course, you'll explore the foundations of events and tourism, learning how experiences are designed, delivered and evaluated within a global and fast‑moving industry. You’ll examine how cultural, economic and social factors influence destinations and shape visitor behaviour. This helps you see how events and tourism create value for communities, businesses and audiences.

You will develop event management expertise and explore how consumers relate to and co-create event experiences. You will learn through practical, applied tasks that mirror real industry challenges, including live events, project work and authentic assessments. In addition to placements, these experiences help you build your professional expertise and portfolio, developing your employability throughout the programme. 

You will also develop the soft skills employers look for—such as communication, teamwork, leadership and reflective practice—while shaping your identity as a responsible, ethical and future‑focused practitioner. 

Year one
In your first year, you'll explore how the experience economy evolved and how events and tourism operate within it.

You'll gain an understanding of consumer expectations and how this impacts experiences in events and tourism. You'll also look at the global context and its impact on tourism.

You’ll begin developing core business knowledge in areas such as marketing and organisational management, as well as key skills in data analytics.

Year two

You'll deepen your understanding of how events and tourism operate. You'll develop skills in event management and get to showcase these through the planning and delivery of an event.

You'll explore how tourism is affected by aspects such as culture, heritage and sustainability. In addition to developing project management skills, you'll also enhance your creative thinking skills - essential for bringing innovative ideas to life. You'll complete a work placement, gaining invaluable industry experiences which will enhance your employability and allow you to develop your plans for your future career. You'll also have the opportunity to study either human resource management or undertake an Enterprise challenge. 

Year 3

In your final year, you'll study how tourism organisations are structured and what this means for strategic and responsible management.

There will be a focus on exploring how event experiences can be a force for good, designing a live event which aims to create meaningful and positive impact in the community.

You'll evaluate sustainable and ethical practice in organisations and have the opportunity to explore strategy or leadership in depth.

There will be the opportunity to specialise in an are you're interested in through a major independent project. This can be either research‑based or industry‑focused.

By the end of the year, you’ll have the confidence, professional skills and applied experience needed to step into the events and tourism industry as a capable and reflective practitioner.    

You'll be assessed using a range of different assessment formats, with an emphasis on reflecting real-world challenges and outputs.

You might be asked to create a presentation, individually or with a group of your peers, or to prepare a professional output that consists of written and visual content.

There'll be opportunities to collaborate with organisations and individuals in the real world, in addition to producing more academic formats, such as reports. Throughout your studies, you'll be challenged to conduct research independently and think creatively.     

Most modules use a mix of lectures and small group seminars and workshops. These will give you the opportunity to join discussions, work collaboratively with fellow students and apply knowledge to practical tasks and challenges.

In addition, you may also be offered the opportunity to attend tutorials with academics, to ask questions or discuss feedback.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our information on Your Learning and Teaching at BSU.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Across the Business School, depending on the modules you study, you can gain accreditation by professional bodies and get exemption from professional exams. Please note, this is currently under development for this course.

You'll have fantastic opportunities to work closely with business and industry throughout your studies. You'll be encouraged to engage with the additional learning opportunities that the university offers. This might include field trips or attending networking events, participating in projects or completing placements.

In your second year, you'll complete a Work Placement, but you can also choose to complete a Professional Placement Year or an additional Summer Placement in Level 6. You might also consider applying for a semester abroad in your second year, studying at one of our partner universities across the globe.                      

You'll develop the knowledge and skills relevant to a wide range of roles related to event or tourism management. In addition to industry guest speakers and authentic assessments, the Work Placement in your second year provides you with an opportunity to explore which type of role and organisation you might be interested in. 

At the same time, the business and management aspects of the programme will also enable you to consider career opportunities outside of the experience-based economy, as you get the chance to develop your expertise in a range of business functions. 

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

You'll have access to excellent facilities at our Newton Park campus, as well as online resources, creating flexibility to accommodate your schedule. These include:

• Commons building
• Newton Park library
• Academic Skills support (ASk)
• Specialist resources and subject librarian
• Our Virtual Learning Environment
• Free access to courses via LinkedIn Learning
• Support from the English Language Unit if English isn't your first language
• The Studio in Bath

As a Events and Tourism Management student, you have access to our library, which offers a range of business and management resources. Online access to resources gives you flexibility to conduct your independent learning and research from any location.

Our dedicated subject librarian can support you in making the most of these resources and undertaking independent research as you prepare for assessments.