THE PROGRAMME:  BACHELOR OF COMMERCE IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

Duration and Structure

Study activities for 1 600 hours minimum per year for three years
Modular based
Programme duration is three academic years and includes Industrial Placement and Work Based Learning.  A year is comprised of two semesters, and contains four academic modules of ten weeks and 2 – 3  study weeks each.   Structured compulsory and choice activities will be offered in the various study weeks. 

Mode of Attendance

Full-time contact mode on campus and in work-based learning facilities
Work-based learning activities, practical work and some workshops in the institute's hospitality services facilities take place on a work-shift basis and require after hours, night and weekend attendance.

THE INSTITUTE’S APPROACH TOWARDS EDUCATION

Our educational program is characterised by a problem based, modular and thematic structure. Within this structure, the facilitator stimulates the students' learning.  Students collect to a large extend, independently the knowledge and skills required in solving the various problems, after analysing the given situations. The program consists of:

A general component with the integration of working fields as its central objective;

An in-depth study of Hospitality Management;

A selective program for broader orientation or further specialisation and life skills.

Quality Control

Care for good quality of education is an important issue within Hospitality Management training. The students' opinions play an important part here. Students are actively involved in more than one way, in particular during various training evaluations.   Quality control is done according to the Quality Assurance Manual and the Program Quality Assurance Handbook that ensures that processes are standardised.

International opportunities

Regardless of your choice of career, the professional opportunities after completing the EISS International Hospitality Management programme are plentiful.   The degree represents a flexible and broad-based professional programme that is not only highly regarded by the hospitality sector of the service industries, but also other sectors of the economy.   Graduates of EISS international  are therefore welcomed with open arms in sectors concerned primarily with services.

Relationship between contact hours and self-study

We aim at a well spread and useful number of contact hours with a lecturer, other staff member or expert in the field.  One of the principles of the programme is an effective relationship between the hours of contact and self-study.  Students are expected to work for at least 45 hours per week.  Our guideline is that one contact hour should generate at least one hour of self-study in the first two years and later 1.5 hours of self study in the senior years.  The modules therefore contain from 14 – 24 contact hours.  These hours are spread over the normal working hours of the five weekdays, but workshops, work-based learning and other practical activities may take place after normal working hours and during weekends – in the world of hospitality guests expect service at all hours of the week.

To promote an active study attitude, it is essential in a modular programme to choose the correct working methods and educational tools at a specific moment.  Students therefore are oriented to practice various study methods and learn to use the methods that suit them best.  The educational methods used during contact hours are varied and should encourage and inspire students to perform sufficient self-study.  In addition, the library can be seen as the core of the learning centre and give the student ample opportunity for self-study.  There are books, journals, video tapes, computers and other electronic facilities for students to use in the library.

To develop an active study attitude, it is also important for students to reflect from time to time, on what they are doing.  We want our students to place their study in the perspective of their future career.   Therefore, we have created Career Development Activities in addition to the educational program. These activities stimulate students to contemplate on their personal competencies and on the development of their competencies, as we do want them to become good professionals. During these activities, a study coach and counsellor will assist students and they will draw up a portfolio as record of their achievements

A higher professional training demands student self-reliance, self-discipline and a sense of responsibility to a great extent.  This means for example, that students should be disciplined enough to plan their time rationally.   Independence, dedication and planning are therefore important and necessary for progress.  Furthermore, study of specialist literature and working with people, as well as proper preparation for practical lessons are essential to the process.  Efficient study planning and an appropriate pre-education will leave you time for hobbies and a sideline. 

Thematic, Inter-disciplinary, Modular Approach

One of the bases for programme design is the set of professional competences which are needed to manage the hospitality services organisation.   It is realised that in the world of work, each of these competences is not demonstrated as a discrete element, but rather in an integrative manner which mirrors the situations managers are faced with - that is, that problems, issues, and other "situations" do not arrive clearly labelled as "HRM", "finance", "ethics", "communication", etc.

The programme, therefore, adopts a thematic, inter-disciplinary approach which first looks at the problems, issues, and other "situations" faced by the practising manager. It then considers the various related disciplines/subject areas, core skills, and other factors.   Next, blocks of problems, issues, and "situations" and related disciplines/subject areas are identified and categorised according to the respective areas of hospitality services operations.   The blocks are also sequenced within, and among years, according to the extent of their complexity.

There are, therefore, no subjects, but themes and in a theme various aspects are addressed, it then means that one theme may have many outcomes, as all will be encountered in the specific theme.  It also means that students do not work from one book, but various books in one theme.  Usually students buy five to six prescribed books per year and the rest of the books are in the library for reference.  Books are also used in many themes.  Therefore books used in module I, will probably also be used in module 2, 3 and 4 of the first year or some of the modules of the second  and third year, as only parts of books are dealt with in each theme.

The modular system, in which each module theme acts as the co-ordinating mechanism for the variety of disciplines/subject areas and skills, and where learning contents and learning activities are divided into blocks of eight weeks, lends structural support to the approach.

To implement the system as described above, various activities will form part of each module.  Problem based learning is the core activity for the theoretical aspects of each module and is supported by other learning facilitation methods such as interactive lectures and workshops.  Each module also has a module assignment, practical work in skills laboratories, work based learning (in most cases), language workshops and computer workshops.  In addition to direct module work, students complete semester assignments, a portfolio, do industrial placement and community service. 

A Service Management Perspective

“Service Management' is the central concept in the development and facilitation of the curriculum.   It is the case that the hospitality service organisation is a part of that group of customer-oriented service organisations that involves the customer in the process of providing the total service experience.   This is done through an appropriately comprised `service package' of explicit and implicit benefits, performed within a supporting facility and using facilitating goods.   This interaction of people (both as customers and service staff), materials (inputs), and the transformation process (operations) - which has been designated `The Service Trinity' concept, provides central support for the service management contexts within the programme.

`General Service Management' specific semesters are integrated into the curriculum in all the years.

Problem Based Learning (PBL)

There is, and always has been, a dramatic gap between theory and practice, between wisdom to be found in books and success in day-to-day business. Bridging this gap is an effort in itself, and is costly - in terms of both time and money.  One of EISS International’s goals is to facilitate learning for capability rather than for the sake of acquiring knowledge.  It is for this reason that EISS International has adopted PBL as the primary element in its student-centred learning strategy.

As a future manager, you will not only be expected to possess an in-depth knowledge of the industry in which you work, but also to be able to solve everyday problems and deal with other management issues.  EISS International uses PBL to help you develop the required problem solving, and other key skills required for effective functioning in the workplace when faced with the challenges of the world of work. 

PBL requires that small groups of between 6 and 12 students meet twice weekly to work systematically to arrive at creative solutions to problems which reflect real-life situations, and to and discuss other management issues under the supervision of a tutor.

Other module activities

To complement Problem Based Learning, students will also take part in interactive lecture, workshops, assignments and a number of other activities that will differ from module to module.

Practical training

The integration of theory and practice is of utmost importance for a good professional preparation of the student.  During your training you will therefore be exposed to all the practical aspects of the hospitality and hotel industry. Students are expected to acquire all the relevant practical skills that will lead to an in-depth understanding of the working of service areas such as rooms, food production and service, and conference planning, organizing and execution.

Industrial placement

Industrial placement is the preparation phase for a position and often students are offered a permanent position in the company where they have done their industrial placement. During the semester of industrial placement, the students first familiarise themselves with the company. Then, they generally get various assignments within one or several departments.  Next to all types of practical skills, the students develop company specific management skills.  Students also get specific outcomes to reach during industrial placement in order to round off their training and prepare them as employees of the hospitality industry.

The duration of the Industrial Placement is 23 weeks.