MSc in Tourism Leadership Studies
Course Overview
The MSc in Tourism Leadership Studies is a research-informed 12 to 18-month LSTITM postgraduate route for senior practitioners preparing for executive tourism leadership. Sitting within the Tourism and Destination Management department, the MSc is aligned with references from CMI, the Tourism Society, WTTC and UKHospitality, and combines applied leadership theory with a substantial dissertation.
By graduation you will be able to lead executive tourism teams, sponsor strategic portfolios, chair boards and steering groups, and advise investors and non-executive directors on tourism leadership questions. You will also complete a supervised research-informed dissertation contributing to tourism leadership practice, defended in an oral examination with a panel of former tourism CEOs and consultancy partners.
The MSc places heavy weight on the practical arts of executive tourism leadership: setting the room, framing a decision, handling dissent, protecting time, choosing when to speak and when to listen. Executive practice modules give candidates rehearsed experience of these situations under structured feedback, which is difficult to obtain inside a single organisation.
Key Features
- Research-informed MSc with executive practice modules and dissertation
- Alignment with CMI, Tourism Society, WTTC and UKHospitality references
- Case studies from national, regional and international tourism leaders
- Coaching on executive presence, board-level chairing and negotiation
- Dissertation supervised by former tourism-industry executives
- Access to LSTITM's London executive-leadership events
What You Will Learn
- Lead executive tourism teams and multi-year portfolios
- Sponsor strategic transformation across tourism organisations
- Chair boards, steering groups and public-facing forums
- Advise investors and NEDs on tourism leadership questions
- Follow governance, safeguarding and inclusion frameworks at executive level
- Design and evaluate leadership development pipelines
- Defend a dissertation contributing to tourism leadership practice
- Coach senior teams through executive routines and controls
Who This Course Is For
- Senior tourism managers preparing for executive-team roles
- Consultancy partners moving into tourism leadership positions
- DMO and tourism-board directors preparing for chair or CEO tracks
- International applicants with 2:2 honours and senior tourism experience
Career Pathways
- Destination Manager at executive level
- Tourism Development Officer at director level
- Tourism Product Manager at portfolio director level
- Tourism Research Analyst at executive-research level
- Sustainable Tourism Officer at director level
- Heritage Tourism Manager at executive level
LSTITM's careers service provides senior CV coaching, executive-search introductions and warm connections to UK tourism boards, consultancies and international operators for MSc candidates. Graduates progressing beyond the MSc into non-executive-director or independent-advisory work continue to receive support and often build portfolio careers combining employed executive tourism roles with board and advisory appointments across UK national and international bodies. Assessment across the MSc in tourism leadership studies includes examined executive practice modules, a research-informed dissertation and an oral examination pitched at chair-level standard, demonstrating executive-ready leadership capability to prospective boards. Optional intensives cover investor-relations craft, non-executive-director duties and the succession-planning conversations that shape long-term tourism-leadership pipelines. Candidates also present short work-in-progress talks each term to build executive-audience presentation craft alongside dissertation and applied leadership technique for future chair-level interviews at UK national and international tourism organisations.
Entry Requirements
- A UK 2:2 (Lower Second Class) honours degree or overseas equivalent in any discipline
- Applicants without a first degree may be considered with 5+ years of senior tourism leadership experience
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band under 6.0) or equivalent English proficiency
- A 500-word research statement on the applicant's chosen area of tourism leadership
- Two academic or professional references and a short interview
Why Study at LSTITM
LSTITM is Harold International College of London's specialist tourism division, delivering destination, business, systems and strategic tourism study at postgraduate level. Every LSTITM programme is aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM, CMI and UKHospitality.
MSc students are taught by former tourism CEOs, dissertation supervisors and consultancy partners, and every route is supported by LSTITM's careers service and its London executive network.
Leadership Master's candidates on the LSTITM route benefit from a small-cohort model and access to LSTITM's executive-mentoring circle, which connects candidates with practising tourism leaders on a structured, six-session engagement. This mentoring is often the single most-valued element of the MSc experience by graduates preparing for chair or CEO tracks. Alumni-in-residence sessions extend this further, giving current cohorts peer access to recent MSc graduates now serving on tourism boards, running national programmes and taking on non-executive-director roles.
Apply for MSc in Tourism Leadership Studies
Applications for the MSc in Tourism Leadership Studies are reviewed on a rolling basis and cohorts start on scheduled intake dates. The LSTITM admissions team welcomes pre-application interviews so senior candidates can align dissertation ambitions with an experienced supervisor and confirm the executive practice modules match their planned next career step. International candidates receive additional guidance on visa, English-language evidence and payment routes tailored to their country of residence, and pre-application interviews can be arranged in multiple time zones. Advance into executive tourism leadership with LSTITM by submitting your online application today. Enrol Now
