BA in Tourism Professional Practice
Course Overview
The BA in Tourism Professional Practice is a three-year LSTITM honours degree within the Travel Systems & Global Tourism department, with top-up routes for Higher Diploma holders. It integrates travel systems, professional practice, applied research and a placement year, aligned with BCS, Tourism Society and ITT practice.
By graduation you will be a placement-tested graduate ready for professional practice roles across airlines, OTAs, tour operators, DMOs and travel-technology partners.
Study on the BA in Tourism Professional Practice is structured around case cohorts, weekly tutor clinics and applied studios that mirror the pace of a UK-facing tourism organisation. The programme runs over three years full honours with 12 to 18-month top-up options for Higher Diploma holders and layers reading, guided practice and small-group work so learners can apply frameworks the following week at their operator, tourism board or agency. It sits inside the LSTITM Travel Systems & Global Tourism department and is designed to develop graduate-ready practice with placement experience and applied research for candidates working across travel technology, distribution systems and global-tourism structure.
Key Features
- Curriculum aligned with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT practice
- Tourism Society and ITT professional-practice frameworks referenced
- Placement year with an airline, OTA, tour operator or DMO partner
- Applied research skills including dissertation-style project
- Coverage of PSS, GDS, mid-office and CRM interfaces
- UKHospitality-referenced service and operational standards
- Assessment blends coursework, exams, placement portfolio and project
- Structured tutor-led clinics that unpack case material week by week
- Peer cohort review sessions modelled on UK operator working groups
- Termly employer showcase sessions with LSTITM industry partners
What You Will Learn
- Author a professional-practice case study for a tourism operator
- Coordinate a small professional-practice project end to end
- Interpret PSS, GDS and CRM interface flows at graduate level
- Design a professional-practice standards handbook section
- Handle a placement escalation to a senior manager cleanly
- Support supplier-integration decisions with evidence
- Author a full dissertation-style applied research project
- Apply UK GDPR, equalities and safeguarding duties in professional practice
- Build a personal reading and reflection log across the BA in Tourism Professional Practice modules
- Use tutor feedback to develop a portfolio artefact you can share at interview
Who This Course Is For
- School and college leavers wanting a full professional-practice honours degree
- Higher Diploma holders progressing through a top-up degree route
- Career changers from operations or IT into travel professional practice
- International students seeking a UK honours-degree credential
- Aspiring travel-systems and professional-practice graduates
- Working professionals seeking a structured UK-referenced ba in tourism professional practice credential
- Alumni of Harold International College of London progressing across the school portfolio
Career Pathways
- Travel Technology Graduate Trainee
- Junior Airline Operations Coordinator
- Junior GDS Systems Analyst
- Junior Booking Platform Manager
- Junior OTA Account Manager
- Junior Ground Handling Coordinator
- Junior Distribution Systems Consultant
- Independent consultant or freelancer using the BA in Tourism Professional Practice portfolio as evidence
- In-house progression within your existing tourism employer using the BA in Tourism Professional Practice
LSTITM's careers service supports Bachelor learners with placement induction and structured introductions to London airline, OTA and DMO graduate schemes.
Graduates of the BA in Tourism Professional Practice typically progress into roles across UK inbound tour operators, destination management organisations, OTAs, airline commercial teams and boutique tourism consultancies, and LSTITM alumni support networks help learners identify open vacancies and prepare tailored applications.
The BA in Tourism Professional Practice also equips learners with a concrete portfolio of coursework and applied artefacts they can present at interview, and LSTITM careers advisers help match those artefacts to live vacancies advertised by London tour operators, tourism boards and international travel employers each intake.
Entry Requirements
- A-Levels at BBC or above, or IB with 26+ points, or overseas equivalent
- A completed Higher Diploma or Advanced Diploma for top-up routes
- IELTS 6.0 overall with no band under 5.5, or equivalent English proficiency
- Personal statement outlining career objectives in professional practice
- Two academic or professional references supporting your application
Why Study at LSTITM
LSTITM is the specialist tourism and international travel management arm of Harold International College of London. Every programme is aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, BCS, TechUK, CIM and UKHospitality, giving graduates credible study behind them.
Teaching combines former airline professional-practice leads, OTA operations directors and boutique-travel-technology consultants across on-campus in London, live online and distance-learning routes.
Choosing the BA in Tourism Professional Practice at LSTITM also opens articulation into the wider Harold International College of London portfolio, so learners on this BA route can progress into higher LSTITM qualifications or move sideways into related Harold International schools when it fits their career plan.
Apply for BA in Tourism Professional Practice
The BA in Tourism Professional Practice is a credible undergraduate route into professional-practice tourism careers. Contact admissions about the next intake, top-up options, placement partners and instalment plans. Apply for your full LSTITM undergraduate tourism degree today. Enrol Now.
